Only about a third of private-sector employers give employees a break on MLK Jr. Day or Presidents Day, and even fewer close for Columbus Day or Veterans Day. But do their employees care? Nearly half of office workers surveyed said they preferred a floating holiday that allowed them take off for their own birthdays. Continue reading People@Work: Washington’s Birthday Off? Many Would Prefer Their Own People@Work: Washington’s Birthday Off? Many Would Prefer Their Own originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:30:00. Filed Under: Columns , Careers Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments

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Filed under: Columns , Economy , People Perhaps you’ve heard the one about the guy who sent a single “tweet” and got a job ? It’s pretty entertaining, but it’s no joke. Freelance graphic designer Hal Thomas did just that in response to an ad posted by BFG Communications. The ad requested job candidates apply for the position with one message posted to social media network Twitter. Thomas’ winning submission , which included a mock-up of a Wired magazine cover he created to showcase his talent, landed him the job and created buzz within social media circles. Continue reading People@Work: Social media’s a boon for job seekers, but keep a sharp resume too People@Work: Social media’s a boon for job seekers, but keep a sharp resume too originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Economy We all know that Wall Street’s bad bets nearly brought the financial system to its knees last year. Then U.S. taxpayers footed the bill to bail out Wall Street — taking on obligations potentially as high as $23.7 trillion , leading to a $1.4 trillion federal deficit, and $12 trillion in national debt. To me that’s a kind of reverse-Robin-Hood action. Ironically, a New York City charity called the Robin Hood Foundation, which says it supports 200 poverty-fighting programs, is celebrating Wall Street’s expected $140 billion 2009 bonus windfall. The head of Robin Hood’s response to the upcoming record Wall Street bonuses is “Hell yeah!” reports Bloomberg News . The reason for David Saltzman’s enthusiasm is that Robin Hood claims it gets more than half of its annual $150 million in donations from the employees of investment banks, brokerage firms and hedge funds. Continue reading Wall Street bonuses are Robin Hood in reverse — but one Robin Hood approves Wall Street bonuses are Robin Hood in reverse — but one Robin Hood approves originally appeared on DailyFinance on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Wall Street bonuses are Robin Hood in reverse — but one Robin Hood approves

Filed under: Company News , Economy , People It finally happened. After months of anticipation and trepidation, the nation’s unemployment rate inched into double digits, reaching 10.2 percent in October, after employers cut 190,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported Friday. The increase topped analyst expectations of 175,000 lost positions and a rise in the jobless rate to 9.9 percent. But now that the 10-percent mark has been breached, what does it mean for investors, and more important, those looking for work? Let’s begin with Wall Street. Recent economic releases have resulted in volatile swings on the Big Board. Good news, such as a batch of positive economic data on Thursday , has brought rallies, and bad news has sent shareholders into a selling frenzy. But those sudden gains and falls largely happened on unexpected news. Friday’s jump in unemployment was higher than expected, and positive stock futures quickly beat a retreat this morning, moving lower at about 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time. Continue reading With jobless rate at 10.2 percent, it’s likely to stay high for months to come With jobless rate at 10.2 percent, it’s likely to stay high for months to come originally appeared on DailyFinance on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Economy , American Express Companies feeling flush enough to send their employees on business trips have been doing so on the cheap in 2009. Fares in premium classes have tumbled in tandem with passenger traffic, giving corporate travel departments great deals on the best seats at the front of the plane. A British Airways sale this summer let business-class travelers fly round-trip from San Francisco to London on the serene upper deck of a 747 for just over $3,000, more than half off the usual premium fare. But the cheap corporate travel bonanza is coming to an end, says a report Wednesday from American Express , which operates one of the world’s biggest travel agency networks. Amex ( AXP ) sees prices on long-haul domestic and international business-class flights originating from the U.S. rising anywhere from 3 percent to 8 percent in 2010, “as the world begins to show signs of emerging from the recession.” Continue reading Say farewell to those business-class airfare bargains Say farewell to those business-class airfare bargains originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Economy , People , Investing , Media Doug Kass, my old debate partner for the seven years I was writing for thestreet.com, listed on TheStreet.com his 10 headwinds that the economy and the stock market faces. I respond to each one of them: “1. Deep cost cuts have been mainstay of corporations over the last few years. Cost cuts are a corporate lifeline (like fiscal stimulus), but both have a defined and limited life. Ultimately, top-line growth is needed” True and true. Companies finally did what they should do in a recession: they quickly cut costs, slashed inventories, and fired people. But did they go too far? As now know, GDP growth will be flat to slightly higher next year and towards the last half of this year. Look at the picture below: companies slashed inventory as if, literally, there was no tomorrow. With flat GDP growth, companies simply have to regrow inventories. In order to regrow inventories they have to spend on input costs and they have to rehire at least some of their employees. Business spending will drive topline growth in the beginning of this economic cycle. “2. Cost cuts (exacerbated by wage deflation) pose an enduring threat to the labor force. The consumer remains the most significant contributor to domestic growth. Unemployment should remain high, exacerbated by many retiring later in life because their nest eggs have been reduced.” Continue reading Response to Doug Kass’s ‘Bearish Arguments’ and ‘Nontraditional Headwinds’ Response to Doug Kass’s ‘Bearish Arguments’ and ‘Nontraditional Headwinds’ originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

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