Vexed that some 30% of driver candidates flunk its traditional training, United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) is moving beyond the classroom to ready its rookies for the road. In the place of books and lectures are videogames, a contraption that simulates walking on ice and an obstacle course around an artificial village. Based on results […]
Category Archives: Employment
Things Never to Say to Your Boss
Everyone has a boss. Even if you “work for yourself,” you’re still an employee to your client. A big part of maintaining the boss-employee relationship is to never allow a boss to think you dislike your work, are incapable of doing it, or–worse–consider it beneath you. These sound like no-brainers, but many statements heard commonly […]
Sectors That Are Creating Jobs
The US Employment Situation report (better known as the jobs report) released on Friday paints a somewhat mixed picture of the labor market. The economy lost only 36,000 jobs in February, well below the consensus forecast of a 68,000 decline in jobs and continuing the trend of moderate job losses in recent months. Contrast that […]
What Will People Do for $5
What do you get when you mix unemployment, frugal consumers and Internet boredom? One possible answer — Fiverr.com, a site that allows you to buy and sell tasks for $5. The “gigs,” all fixed at $5, range from the silly to serious. Among them: sending a nice postcard from Paris, burning a small paper effigy […]
Businesses on the Brink: Change or Fail?
Many major companies like Circuit City and Linens ‘n Things went bankrupt during the economic crisis of 2008-2009. These companies folded under high debt levels and a decline in sales. Just because some companies were able to survive the economic downturn of the past few years doesn’t mean they are out of the woods yet. […]
Two Job Markets, Worlds Apart
The economic outlook is rosy, at least for people at the top of the ladder. The number of U.S. millionaires rose 16 percent in 2009, according to a new report by Chicago-based research firm Spectrum Group. Some 7.8 million households had a net worth of more than $1 million, excluding the value of their home. […]
How Car Dealers Make Their Money
“Follow the money,” is good advice for someone trying to understand the hidden side of any business. Nowhere is this more important than on a car lot. Rows of shiny new cars on a dealer’s lot make consumers believe that’s where the big money is. But if you follow the trail of dollars, it leads […]
Nurses Paid Higher Salaries Than Family Doctors
Despite the growing shortage of family doctors in the United States, medical centers last year offered higher salaries and incentives to specialist nurses than to primary care doctors, according to an annual survey of physicians’ salaries. Primary care doctors were offered an average base salary of $173,000 in 2009 compared to an average base salary […]