Whatnot At Work

Working Moms Prefer Part-Time

A new study on working mothers shows that their ideal choice is to work part-time. 60% want to work part-time but 75% work full-time.

Results from the new study:

• 60% of working mothers think part-time is their best option. (Up from 48% 10 years ago.)
• 21% of women with children under 18 think full-time is the best choice.
• 19% think that not working at all is the best option.

Latest figures on working mothers:

75% of working mothers work full-time.

The discrepancy between what women want and what is currently available to them in the workplace represents a huge opportunity for companies to attract and retain these employees. What women want is benefits and flexible schedules. Companies willing to provide them will win out in the long run.

Border Patrol May Confiscate Work Laptops

Business travelers have a new issue to worry about. U.S. border patrols have the right to search and seize your laptops and are doing it more frequently now. The searches are no longer just for explosives or other contraband. Now the searches include the content of the PC, including pictures and emails. Once confiscated, a laptop may or may not be returned.

Appeals are under way in some cases, but the law is clear. “They don’t need probable cause to perform these searches under the current law. They can do it without suspicion or without really revealing their motivations,” said Tim Kane, a Washington lawyer who is researching the matter for corporate clients.

Laptops may be scrutinized and subject to a “forensic analysis” under the so-called border search exemption, which allows searches of people entering the United States and their possessions “without probable cause, reasonable suspicion or a warrant,” a federal court ruled in July.

Aside from the inconvenience of losing your laptop during travel, this issue brings up several other issues.

1. Employees may arrive at their destination without the needed tools and data to perform their job.
2. Company or customer confidential data may be subject to an unknown number of eyes as it travels through the government confiscation process.

Tips to lessen the impact of a laptop confiscation.

1. Backup data to alternate devices, such as thumb drives.
2. Email and/or overnight mail data and/or equipment to the destination ahead of the employee.
3. Encrypt sensitive data on laptops - this should already be done anyways to avoid litigation and other problems from loss or theft of equipment.
4. Make sure travel laptops are cleaned of all personal/questionable data prior to travel or return travel, especially photos and browser caches and histories. If companies have separate laptops designated specifically for travel, this will avoid the inevitable conflicts arising from the requirement to remove all personal data and images that the employee may not want to part with.

Latest Employee Turnover Rates

The latest voluntary employment turnover rates are available at Nobscot Corporation's website. Data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) up to August 2006. Total separation rates are available for the same period. Voluntary turnover rates for calendar year 2005  and Total separation rates for calendar 2005 are also available. Findings from the site:

Overall U.S. voluntary turnover increased slightly to 23.4% annually, up from 22.7% the previous year. The highest turnover by far is still in the Accommodation and Food Services sector at 56.4% and the Leisure and Hospitality sector at 52.2%. Sectors that saw the highest increase in turnover were Accommodation and Food Services, up 7% from the previous year, Leisure and Hospitality, up 5.4% and Information, up 4.5%. The only sectors seeing a (slight) decrease in turnover were Real Estate, Natural Resources and Mining, and Professional and Business Services.

In the Government sector, turnover was up slightly at 8.2% with the Federal sector increasing the most to 9.3% up from 5.7%. Regionally, all areas were up slightly except the Northeast which saw a slight decrease.

CEO Stole From 401K Accounts

The CEO of 1Point Solutions is alleged to have stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from client 401K and retirement accounts for his own personal use. 1Point provides and administers 401k and retirement plans for companies.

The revelations make clear that the estimated 40,000 people with retirement or other types of benefits managed by 1Point will not receive checks for what they are owed any time soon, McLemore said.

According to court documents that McLemore filed Tuesday, employee 401(k) money and other funds coming to 1Point from about 40 companies among its 700 clients were at times co-mingled in a single "1Point 401K" account at Fifth Third Bank.

Employee 401(k) funds were then used to pay Stokes' business and personal expenses...

City Prosecutor Caught Naked

A city prosecutor in Ohio was caught on video tape walking around the office in his birthday suit two days in a row. He was arrested and charged with two counts of indecency. A security guard was monitoring the cameras when he noticed the naked man.

40 Thousand Dollar Typo

Check your typing and then check it again. A Michigan county made an embarrassing typo in their November 7th elections material that 5 proofreaders in the office overlooked. They spelled "public" without the "L" and now must reprint 170,000 ballots at a cost of $40,000.

Here are some tips to better spelling.

What have you done for your IT Manager lately?

A new survey of 141 IT managers reports that most managers feel that bureaucracy is the biggest roadblock to their success. Some other findings:

• 1/3 of managers wish they had learned new skills.
• 20% felt that taking more risks would have helped their career.
• 2/3 felt they should have asked more questions.

Election Issues At Work

Here are some tips for avoiding the problems of heated political debates at work. Some issues are better left outside the workplace. These tips will help you to stay civil with your coworkers if the issues get brought up.

1. Decide whether you want to discuss the issues or not. If not, excuse yourself from the conversation.
2. Instead of divulging your personal voting preferences when asked, you can respond with something that retains your privacy. An example from the site: "I’m sure I’ll make up my mind before Election Day." Or "I am really not comfortable discussing such a delicate matter at work."
3. Be respectful. The election is one day, but you will have to work with your coworkers long afterwards.
4. Don't assume that your coworkers share your political views.

Anonymous Email

Sharp Mail allows you to send an email or text message anonymously and with the return address of your choosing. Sending prank mails from the boss or to the boss from a coworker just got much easier.

Voice Silencer From 1941

What ever happened to these? They sure would be helpful now a days with loud talkers being the number one annoyance in the office. The Voice Silencer lets you talk in secret.

Your telephone conversation can be made inaudible to others in the same room if the phone is equipped with a new mouthpiece that prevents sound from escaping. It is easily attached to any hand instrument and fits snugly around the speaker’s lips. There is no distortion of the voice.