A Few Post-MLK Day Articles

Hope that everyone who was off yesterday had a nice day off and everyone who had to work didn't have too bad of a Monday. As we all exercise our ability to be part of this workforce, we can thank people like Martin Luther King Jr. and others who made this opportunity possible for us. Even those who are out of work can certainly take a day to reflect and that's the important part of holidays like yesterday.

HR.BLR takes it one step further and says that MLK Day should be an opportunity for workplaces to celebrate diversity and instead of talking about how we're all the same, talk about the unique ways in which we are different. Everyone brings something to the workplace and having diverse backgrounds is one way to help build a successful organization.

The New York Times has a story about some Starbucks workers in New York City who took the holiday to celebrate...and then to protest. If you're trying to argue for some sort of equality, MLK Day seems like a good occasion to do so, even for baristas.

Lastly, from the Boston Globe JobDoc, some advice on handling a canceled interview. Although this information is for the candidate, a lot of advice can be extracted for the interviewer in how they handle their interview cancellations.

Back to the Strikes?

The Washington Post starts us off with an old theme, with new players. The Screen Actors Guild is now threatening to go on strike: click here

The Boston Globe follows up with an article about corporate volunteers reaching worldwide: click here

Next from the Globe, advice to answer the boss' criticism as if it were true: click here

Lastly, word also from the Globe, that after an interview, the thanks should go both ways: click here

Colbert Fills In

We usually like to try to give you some Jon Stewart and Daily Show for your Tuesday, but today we're going with Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report...

First, from Indecision 2008, Stephen looks at the controversial issue of...Southsourcing:



Next, Stephen has a note for those striking outside his studio:



And then sings them a song with some famous guests:

Judgment Calls

Harvard Business School and the Conde Nast Portfolio Insight Center starts us out on this Monday as we close out March with an article about making difficult judgment calls: click here

The Boston Globe continues with an article about employers using personal references to attempt to limit liability: click here

The Washington Post picks up our strike coverage with the actors (not the writers this time) who are facing some opposition: click here

Laughing About the Writer's Strike

Jon Stewart and the Daily Show's views on the writer's strike and how it affected the Daily Show:

Executive Privilege

Did I say every Tuesday? I meant every week on a day that starts with "T":

Imagine a man works at a place where his work is assessed and the process by which he makes controversial decisions has to be justified or there will be consequences...





Thousands of illegal aliens demonstrate their fierce desire to work in this country by taking the afternoon off.



Enjoy!

End of the Year Data

Making up for lost time and articles and catching you up on the happenings of 2007...

CNNMoney and Fortune write that jobless claims are higher than analyst forecasts: click here

Also from CNNMoney and Fortune is word that the writer's strike has been crippling small business: click here

Next, from MSNBC, courtesy of the Associated Press, word that health insurance has jumped twice past inflation: click here

Lastly, the Christian Science Monitor, word that ethical infractions are back to pre-Enron levels: click here

Strike 3

The Baseball Analogy is key today on the day of the Mitchell Report release which tells you not to turn a blind eye on bad things going on within your organization....

First, on our strike theme, the Christian Science Monitor has an article about France and Germany swapping Strike Tactics: click here

Also from CS Monitor, word that workplace attitudes are changing to include more "face time": click here

Lastly, from Systematic HR, a resource for recruiters and applicants alike: a recruiting cheat sheet: click here

Embracing HR Executives

Human Resource Executive Online starts us off with an article about embracing HR: click here

Human Resource Executive Online then has an article about the most admired companies for HR: click here

Lastly, following our strike theme, the Washington Post has word that Jay Leno will pay the salaries of the laid-off workers: click here

Welcome to December

We're in our last month of December but we're not slowing down with our blog articles...

First, on our theme of the recent strikes, word from the Washington Post that the democrats have canceled a debate over fear of the writer's strike: click here

Next, from the Kansas City Star, some advice about the difficult task of testifying: click here

Lastly, from the Franchise Business Opportunities weblog, word about HR for franchises: click here