 Career
Center News
Supplement: Economy's Impact at Work
By The Associated Press
Business Feature: Make sure you don't pass stress on to
employees
Jul 23 19:08
By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- Sales are down, customers are paying late and vendors
are all raising their prices. That's a combination likely to raise stress levels for most
small business owners -- who in turn can pass on their anxiety and create a stressful
atmosphere for employees.
Given the many problems in the economy that are affecting many small
companies, it's probably impossible to avoid feeling uneasy about business. But an owner can
take steps to be sure he or she isn't stressing out everyone else. Some go along with being
a good manager and leader, such as being sure there's open communication between the boss
and the staff. And some of it comes down to personal stress management -- not letting the
tensions of running a business in any kind of climate make life harder for everyone.
Being aware that you're stressed and that you could be affecting
employees negatively is perhaps the most important thing you can do.
"If we allow ourselves to live the stress that we're constantly under,
it's going to get transmitted -- it's counterproductive and it's unpleasant," said Betsy
Rich, president of Strategic Video & Blue Horse Digital, video production companies based in
Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
She recalled what it was like working for bosses who created stress:
"My business partner and I worked in the most God-awful place for many many years and swore
when we left there that we would never have that kind of environment in any place that we
worked."
You don't have to be screaming for everyone to know you're anxious --
your face, your body language or tone of voice can give you away. The fact is, most people
don't know how they're coming across to others, so staffers may pick up on your bad mood
even if you think you're hiding it.
So how do you know when you're stressing everyone out? If you're not in
touch with how you react to stress, you might want to ask family members, friends, and yes,
employees, about how you're doing. It helps if from your first day as an employer you've had
open lines of communication with your staff. If employees have felt they could come to you
with problems and that you'd be receptive to what they had to say, good or bad, chances are
they'll be able to approach you when your stress is becoming contagious.
You should probably consider doing things that'll reduce stress. Take
some time off if possible, get some exercise, make sure you get enough sleep, do things that
make you feel good.
And not everything is worth stressing over. Melissa Anthony, who owns
AnthonyBarnum, an Austin, Texas-based public relations firm, noted that a certain amount of
stress is a part of running a business. "It's like household bills, but on a much bigger
scale," she said, adding that the key is "knowing when something's really on fire or you're
just imagining a situation."
Anthony believes that not passing on stress is part of being a good
manager.
"The great leaders that I know, they made a choice ... they're going to
address each problem" as it occurs she said. That way, the chance of a major crisis -- and
major stress -- is lessened.
And, Rich noted, there are going to be those days that are just
disasters, start to finish.
"It's something that we live with every day, and I also have MS
(multiple sclerosis), and today I'm dealing with feeling exceedingly crappy and I dropped my
phone in the toilet the day before yesterday -- it was horrific," she said.
Some bosses believe that a stressful atmosphere will keep workers
motivated. That may indeed work for some employees, but many if not most others don't do so
well when there's high anxiety in the workplace. Productivity can suffer, they may call in
sick with stress-related illnesses or just take mental health days to get away from the
tension. The owner's greatest fear, that the work won't get done, actually ends up
happening.
A good way to help manage everyone's stress levels is through ongoing
open communication, which should include giving staffers updates on how the company is
doing. Relaying this information will be more than a pressure valve -- it will also help
employees understand how they might help business improve.
Rich said her company has frequent meetings that the bosses strive to
keep light, not angst-ridden, even as problems are dealt with.
Deborah Osgood, founder of BUZGate.org, a small business portal, said
she has "daily check-ins" with her staff.
"I sit down with each of my reports every day and monitor the
temperature," she said.
And, on Friday afternoons, the staff reviews what went well during the
week. That way, they don't spend the weekend stewing, and they don't come back in a bundle
of nerves come Monday morning.
In NC's RTP, Carpooling Sign of the (Hard) Times
Jul 22 18:33
By BRUCE SICELOFF
The News & Observer of Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Kristen Crosson gets a nifty 45 miles per gallon
in her hybrid Prius, but she really cut her gas costs when she turned the car into a car
pool.
On her lunch hour at the State Office of Budget and Management, Crosson
logs miles and prices on a spreadsheet and checks the numbers with a noisy adding machine.
She bills Donna Aldridge and Karena Bailey, her new car-pool buddies,
for their share of the gas.
"I was spending $16.62 a week for gas and parking to drive by myself,"
said Crosson, 32, who lives in Morrisville, 14 miles from her downtown Raleigh office. "Now,
with Donna and Karena riding, my cost each week will be $6.52."
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that the financial stakes are
higher for commuters who depend on less-efficient cars for longer drives to work. Stunned by
this year's surge in gas prices -- a record $4.05 a gallon recently for self-service regular
-- thousands of Triangle residents are searching harder than ever for alternatives to
driving alone.
Car pooling -- sharing the daily drive with neighbors, co-workers or
strangers -- is one solution. More than 9,000 Triangle residents -- up from 6,500 a year ago
-- are looking for car-pool partners at Share the Ride NC, an online ride-sharing matchmaker
service.
Aldridge, a 39-year-old single mother with four children, drives a
hulking SUV that uses about 10 gallons a week -- about $41 at current prices -- just for her
16-mile trip to work. Now, riding with Crosson, she's saving about $34 a week.
Their car pool became a threesome last week with the addition of
Bailey, who lives in Cary.
"I would never have thought to car pool for a 20-minute ride in the
past, when gas cost a lot less," said Bailey, 46, who will save about $14 a week. "But now
it seems like a long way for me to drive alone."
Car pooling isn't worth the money if it isn't convenient. A car-pool
buddy is someone who lives near you and works near you -- or near your route between home
and work -- and has a similar schedule.
Keith Hargraves is looking hard for that someone.
Hargraves, 44, lives south of Garner and works in East Raleigh. He
spends $100 a week to fuel his Chevy pickup for the 22-mile drive.
He has tacked up fliers near his workplace on Yonkers Road. He has
posted his information on ride-sharing Web sites. A friend promised to mention him on an
employees' Web site at WakeMed.
Surely, Hargraves says, there is someone who works near his office and
lives within 5 or 10 miles of his home -- someone who would want to car pool with him.
"So far," he said, "we're just not hooking up."
Debbie Knight's job with the U.S. Postal Service was transferred from
Raleigh to Greensboro five years ago. She still makes the 85-mile drive from Raleigh each
morning, spending $100 on gas for her Prius each week.
Knight, 48, may have to quit her job or get her husband to move with
her to Greensboro unless she can find a car-pool buddy. She has put notices online. She is
thinking about printing a desperate message on the side of her car.
She thought her prospects were looking up when she began talking with a
man who had just rear-ended her car at a stoplight in Durham.
"It turned out he worked right down the road from me in Greensboro, and
I tried to talk him into car pooling with me," Knight said. "He probably thought I was
trying to pick him up."
Chien-Lung Wu of Cary found his car-pool partner at Delta Products in
Research Triangle Park, where he works. After four years of making the 14-mile drive alone,
Wu was spending about $60 a week for gas.
Now he rides with Chester Hsieh of Raleigh, who also works for Delta
Products. Hsieh comes to Wu's house each morning, and they take turns driving to RTP.
"I like it, I really like it," said Wu, 43. "And it's not just about
the money. When we drive, we can talk. And it reduces air pollution. So we said, 'Why not?'
"
Erin Dzielecki of Wake Forest works with her new car-pool mate -- and
lives with him, too.
For three years, she and her husband, Kevin, drove separately to their
jobs at Bayer Crop Science in RTP. It's a 30-mile trip. Driving two cars was costing the
couple about $140 for gas each week.
Now they've cut that to about $90. But it wasn't easy. The demands of
their jobs -- she had to be in the office early one day last week for an 8 a.m. meeting --
sometimes skew their schedules.
And there's child care. Someone has to drop the Dzieleckis' 1-year-old
daughter at the day care center in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon.
Now, most days, they do it together. They leave her Honda Pilot SUV at
home and put the baby seat in the back of his more fuel-efficient coupe.
"We've had to make adjustments, but it's worth it when we reach for our
wallets at the end of the month," said Dzielecki, 30. "I would say it's saving us $200-plus
a month to commute together.
"It's almost painful when I have to pull the Pilot out of the garage
and drive separately, because I know it's costing me an arm and a leg to do it."
2,600 apply for weapons plant apprenticeships
Jul 21 16:22
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) -- More than 2,600 people have applied for 50
newly revived apprenticeships at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge.
"I guess it's a statement about the economy today and the availability
of opportunities for people," Bill Klemm, a vice president with managing contractor Babcock
& Wilcox Technical Services, told the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The warhead plant hasn't had a major on-the-job, blue-collar training
program like this for years. The apprenticeship program faded in the late 1970s and saw a
brief revival around 1990. It's being revived again now because of anticipated retirements
among the plant's 4,500-employee work force. As much as half of the work force may be
eligible to retire already.
The Y-12 plant, located about 20 miles west of Knoxville, produces
uranium components for every warhead in the U.S. nuclear arsenal and serves as this
country's primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.
Officials are screening applicants, and hiring should begin soon. Those
not selected for the apprenticeships this year will likely have a shot next year.
"If we hire at the rate of 50 a year, it will take about 10 years to
get our work force fully self-sustainable," Klemm said.
The apprenticeships will last four years. Jobs include electricians,
boilermakers, carpenters, ironworkers and machinists. The pay starts at $19.30 an hour, and
the jobs will require 40 hours a week at the plant and 10 hours a week in union-sponsored
classroom training.
The program will allow B&W to train workers at the same time they're
acquiring security clearances and performing work in some of the plant's non-sensitive
areas.
Garry Whitley, president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, the
umbrella organization that represents union workers at Y-12 and Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, said the apprenticeship program could help boost morale among current employees.
"You look at the future and it gives you hope," the union leader said.
Jobless? Consider checking at church
Jul 19 10:28
By ROB JOHNSON
The Roanoke Times
ROANOKE, Va. (AP) -- Need a job? Have you checked at church?
There are dozens of employment openings at churches in Southwest
Virginia, mirroring the national religion-related job market. The positions range from day
care supervisors to musicians to technicians for sanctuary sound and video systems. There
are numerous full- and part-time openings.
But church jobs sometimes come with baggage. For starters, the hiring
standards and interview process can be quirky and they aren't subject to the same federal
law protecting against religious discrimination to which companies must adhere. What's more,
church politics are common, long or odd hours may be expected in the work of the Lord, and
congregational sensitivities abound.
"You've got about 800 bosses here," said Connie Ferguson, the office
administrator at Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church, which is seeking a custodian. One
special requirement for that job, she said: "No cussing in front of the members."
So while churches offer opportunities to those who can pass their
particular muster, the scrutiny can be severe.
For example, in June at Vinton Baptist Church, a candidate for the
position of family life minister was successful in interviews with the Rev. Bill Booth and a
hiring committee. But the church put the applicant to a congregationwide vote. "It was 183
"yes" and 94 "no,' " Booth said. "We had the votes to move forward, but with so many
opposed, it would have been unwise."
The Vinton Baptist vote is a microcosm of the traditional quest by
congregations for "ownership" in hiring decisions, said Robert Seiple, president of the
Council for America's First Freedom, a Richmond-based church rights activist group. Hurtful
though the vote might have been to the candidate, Seiple said, it's better to know the
political landscape in a church before accepting a high-profile position.
"I wouldn't go into a situation where the vote was that close. It tells
me there's some friction," he said.
Classified advertisements for church jobs often don't specify if
applicants of a particular denomination are preferred. "Churches have to follow federal laws
about age and race discrimination, but they can discriminate on the basis of religion," said
Linda Connor, an associate director at Samford University's Cumberland School of Law in
Birmingham, Ala., who occasionally counsels congregations on legal issues.
Some churches say they're flexible about the denomination of staffers.
At Redwood United Methodist Church in Rocky Mount, for example, which is looking for a
part-time worship musician, the Rev. Denise Bates said, "They don't necessarily have to be
Methodist. They would have to be a Christian, and there would have to be compatibility."
The Roanoke area is a seller's market for church musicians. Four
Baptist congregations are currently advertising for full- or part-time talent. "I'm a little
disappointed that we had these other churches come looking" for music ministers "at the same
time," said the Rev. Don Pegram, pastor at Haran Baptist Church in Southwest Roanoke County.
He added, "We just lost ours. He went somewhere else for more money."
Part-time music ministers in the Roanoke area are typically paid about
$150 for Sunday-only appearances, or up to $15,000 or so a year for working 15 to 20 hours a
week. Full-time music directors can earn $40,000 or more.
But applicants might well be wary of the realities of part-time
employment at a church. "When you're in a church and they say 'part time,' take that with a
grain of salt," said Phyllis Wampler, 80, who retired in March after 29 years as music
director at Raleigh Court United Methodist Church. She was designated as part time in her
early years at the church.
"I didn't see any difference between the hours for part time and full
time. Either way, sometimes it's day and night," she said.
The current effort to find a successor to Wampler underscores the
complexities of hiring a high-profile church employee. Before the church placed a lengthy
advertisement on churchjobs.com, it formed a 17-member committee to survey the congregation
on its musical tastes. The group's report says 32 percent of respondents want more
contemporary melodies, and it recommends the formation of yet another committee, which would
"provide guidance and support to the paid music staff and pastor."
In addition to the congregation's push for more say in musical
selections, the church's new melodic leader faces another requirement detailed near the end
of the employment ad: responsibility for overseeing the rehabilitation of a 1965-vintage
Mohler pipe organ, a symbol of the church's past. The music committee's report says many
congregants want to hear more from a "praise" band -- which usually means guitars and
Christian rock.
"This is a big deal," said Wampler, who wonders if the organ rehab
assignment could take her eventual successor in the wrong direction. "The church wants to
appeal to youth because that's the future. The new generation is turned off by age."
Wampler said neither the organ task nor the music committee's
intervention were factors in her retirement but admits she's looking into jobs at other
churches.
------
Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoketimes.com
Biking to work? Avoid fashion no-nos
Jul 19 12:38
By LaMONT JONES
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- When the weather is favorable, Terry Plowman can get
from his West Mifflin home to his Downtown job in about 45 minutes.
Not by car or bus, but by an increasingly popular mode of commuting --
bicycle. And after a quick change from his biking gear to business casual, Plowman is ready
for another day of work at Verizon.
There are signs that more Pittsburghers, and Americans in general, are
commuting to work on bikes, a trend fueled by warm weather, environmental concerns and the
rising cost of gasoline.
"It's unbelievable to me the change that has gone on over the past two
or three years," said Brad Quartuccio, editor of Urban Velo, a local cycling magazine.
Quartuccio has been biking to work for more than a decade -- currently
a 15-mile trip from Bloomfield to Robinson -- and has noticed more and fuller bike racks at
sites ranging from office buildings to grocery stores.
Sean Brady, assistant executive director of Venture Outdoors, a local
outdoor recreational outfit, agrees. "It's gradually increased in the last seven years,
especially the last year or so," he said. "Gas is probably the biggest inspiration, but the
riverfront trails taking shape are part of it. And the culture around here really seems to
be responding to outdoor opportunities."
Whether rolling along special trails, designated lanes or crowded
streets, for bike commuters heading to work there's the added question of how to dress.
Most people who bike to work don't do so every day because of inclement
weather or schedules. But when they do, it takes planning because there's usually a need to
groom and change clothes when arriving at work.
Plowman, 54, is among those who takes a change of clothes with him each
day.
Others, like John Burgess at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, keep a
mini wardrobe at the office to avoid added weight on the bike. In nearly five years of
biking from Point Breeze to the East Liberty campus, the professor has discovered that it's
best not to wear your work trousers on the 15-minute trip.
"You'll get grease on your pants, even when you're being careful," he
said. "And on a hot day, you get sweaty."
There's an added dimension for professional women, who may find it more
difficult to manage a bike in a skirt or dress.
Barbara Brewton of Oakland wears shorts or capri pants and a T-shirt
and carries a change of business casual work clothes on her bike. Kim O'Dell of Mt. Lebanon,
her co-worker at the Heinz Family Foundation, keeps business suits and heels at the office
to change into.
Both began biking to work this summer a couple of days a week and are
fortunate that their office -- unlike most -- has the convenience of showers, an iron and an
ironing board.
O'Dell, 47, who commuted by bike in Washington, D.C., before moving to
Pittsburgh in 1993, said her family of four "sat down in January and decided we were going
to reduce our energy usage and waste."
The many hills of Pittsburgh can be daunting, and they intimidated
Brewton into putting her bike in storage when she and her family moved to Pittsburgh from
Virginia 27 years ago.
But she recently began biking again when she and her husband began
looking for more activities to do together as their children age. And it wasn't long before
she was enjoying a breezy 15-minute bike commute to work.
Getting home can take 20 to 45 minutes, she said, depending upon which
of several routes she takes.
"The more I do it, the less overwhelming it seems," said Brewton, 48.
"I have this mantra now: 'The hills are my friends.' I have to somehow embrace these hills
or I'm not going to (bike) at all."
Whether one wears casual clothes or high-tech biker gear, some sort of
clothing change at work is almost inevitable for everyone who works in an office setting.
Brady, the Venture Outdoors vice president, who bikes from his
Observatory Hill home to his Downtown office several times a week year-round, said comfort
and being visible are the two key factors in dressing for bike commuting to work.
He and other observers expect a continued rise in the number of people
biking to work.
"It's a nationwide trend, and you're seeing increases all across the
country," said Eric Boerer with Bike Pittsburgh, a nonprofit that promotes bike safety and
public awareness and believes that Pittsburgh is ahead of many cities in being
biker-friendly.
"As a society," added Quartuccio at Urban Velo, "I don't think we're
going to have any choice but to rethink our total reliance on cars for short trips."
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