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February 08, 2012

Amazon to open real-world store this year: report

Amazon doesn’t need any PR bumps, but let’s give it one anyway, shall we?

A_com_logo_RGBMy favourite Amazon story goes like this: one weeknight in 2010, I caught a late-night showing of The Social Network. Certainly, it was the year’s best movie, and so inspired was I that I came home and said, Hey, I oughtta read the book that was made from.

So sometime after midnight, well into the a.m., I placed an order for Ben Mezrich’s “The Accidental Billionaires.” Before the end of the next work day, it was at my door.

I’m not a paid Amazon advocate, just a fan of its convenience. So why, then, would a service as punctual as the web retailer actually open its own bricks-and-mortar store?

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Posted at 12:36 PM in Consumer news, Current affairs, Shopping | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 06, 2012

Pension plans rank low when evaluating job opportunities: report

According to a new report from the BMO Retirement Institute, Canadians don’t place a high priority on employer pension plans when evaluating job opportunities. In fact, a pension barely hits job seekers' radar at all.

AdOnly seven per cent considered a good retirement pension to be the most important factor, compared to salary (47%) and flexible work arrangements (22%).

And, if they already had a job, only 9% felt it was very likely they would switch jobs if the new employer offered a better workplace pension/savings plan.

Nor do most people know what makes for a 'good' pension plan to begin with, BMO reports. More than half (51%) couldn't identify the must-have features they'd include if given the opportunity to design their own pan.

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Posted at 05:29 AM in Career, Compensation, Workplace | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

February 01, 2012

Is your job application being swallowed up by tracking software?

Have you ever applied to a job online?

Stock-photo-15624810-resumeYou might have – some 800,000 Canadians were without job at last check – and found that it’s a mystifying enterprise. Seven, eight times out of ten, you’d have to guess, an applicant spends an hour on his application, uploading résumés, filling out blank fields and writing a custom cover letter, only to send it off and that be that.

You click send, you never hear again.

Time and time again this has either happened to you or someone you know, and there’s a reason: most every company worth its salt these days uses an applicant-tracking software, which automatically sifts applications based on keywords and formatting.

Here’s how to ensure your job application doesn’t get lost in the tracking “black hole.”

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Posted at 10:23 AM in Career, Current affairs, Workplace | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 24, 2012

Lower-income workers should join workplace pension plans: report

Economists frequently assume that employees “pay for” employer-provided fringe benefits, such as contributions to retirement plans, in the form of reduced wages.

AdWages and fringe benefits are generally perfect substitutes, so that an additional dollar of wages should substitute for an additional dollar of fringe benefits and vice versa.

But that's not necessarily true, says tax analyst Eric Toder in a recent brief.

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Posted at 12:01 PM in Behaviour, Pensions, Personal finance, Retirement, Workplace | | Comments (15) | TrackBack (0)

January 16, 2012

Canadians expecting hefty salary increases in 2012: report

Two thirds of Canadians expect that 2012 will be a better year for them at work, according to recruiting firm Randstad Canada's latest global Workmonitor survey.

Ad62% anticipate that a fatter paycheque will provide them with more disposable income in 2012 than in 2011, and 47 % think their employee benefits will improve as well.

That doesn't describe many of the people I talk to, however. But then I don't know a lot of folks who work in the oil patch.

Results from the competing 2011-2012 Culpepper Salary Budget Survey reveal that salary budgets in Canada are projected to rise from 2.76% in 2011 to 2.94% in 2012.

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Posted at 12:59 AM in Economic news, Family finances, Workplace | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 04, 2012

Do tough times lead to increased employee pilferage?

Shoplifting and employee pilferage seems to be rising at many retail chains, and experts are pointing at a prime cause: the sputtering economy.

AdShoplifting, employee or supplier fraud, organized retail crime and administrative errors cost the retail industry $119 billion in 2011 or 1.45% of sales.

This global shrink rate is 6.6% worldwide higher than the previous year, according to the Global Retail Theft Barometer, and represents the highest percentage recorded by the survey since it began in 2007.

Since direct theft makes up roughly 80% of shrink, retailers need to step up their vigilance, warns John Fice, COO of LP Innovations, the largest loss prevention solution provider in the United States.

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Posted at 02:01 PM in Behaviour, Legal affairs, Small business, Workplace | | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

December 06, 2011

40% of Canadians experience workplace bullying: report

Back in May, we discussed workplace bullying in this space.

Stock-photo-15997557-angry-teacherIt’s a tough subject, and we wondered: who could blame victims from fearing retribution should they speak up? As one commenter put it, “If you report the problem, you become the problem.”

Indeed, as in schools, bullying has no upside in the office, yet just how many Canadian workers might be affected by workplace bullies?

As many as 40 per cent, according to the latest estimate.

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Posted at 11:49 PM in Current affairs, Workplace | | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

December 05, 2011

Why not taking your vacation days is a really bad idea

Canadians still aren’t taking the full number of vacation days they've been allotted. But at least we’re catching up with the rest of the world.  

AdThe average Canadian worker earned 16 vacation days this year but will only take 15 of them, according to a recent Expedia analysis of vacation habits across several countries and continents. That's slightly less than we left on the table last year.

Meanwhile, workers in other parts of the world seem to have no problem getting away from the office – excluding strike or riot duty, of course.

Workers in France earned 30 vacation days, on average, in 2011, and pretty much used every single one of those days. The same goes for employees in Brazil, Spain, and the UK.

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Posted at 07:47 AM in Compensation, Consumer news, Workplace | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

November 15, 2011

How much time should a woman take off work to raise children?

In Canada, we may pride ourselves on our generous parental benefits, but even the most family-friendly employer will secretly groan when notified about an employee’s pregnancy, warns careers columnist Leah Eichler.

AdWhen you're preparing to add a new member to your family, work is often the last of your worries. But little mistakes and oversights can turn that parental leave into a big mess – which generally lands at the mother’s feet.

Taking a truncated leave can cause more problems than it solves, for instance, including exacerbating health risks for new moms.

But some employers still clearly view mat leaves as being on par with taking a year off to learn skydiving. And then there's the actual cost of repeatedly taking time off to raise kids.

So, how much time should a woman take off work to raise children? And at what point does that time away negatively affect her career aspirations?

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Posted at 10:00 AM in Career, Family finances, Legal affairs, Workplace | | Comments (26) | TrackBack (0)

November 09, 2011

Are you working more now than you ever have?

Feel like you're always at work? Well, you're not alone.

AdA recent survey released by Towers Watson found that two thirds of Canadian and U.S. companies admit to  asking their employees to work longer hours. And it's slowly killing them.

"In the short run, having employees work extra hours can increase productivity, but in the long run, extended hours can negatively affect employee well-being and retention," Towers Watson’s Laurie Bienstock told Benefits Canada.  

Overall, 60% of Canadian respondents report that employees have been working more hours over the past three years, and just under half (47%) expect this trend to continue over the next three years.

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Posted at 10:33 AM in Books, Business news, Career, Economic news, Unemployment, Workplace | | Comments (15) | TrackBack (0)

October 24, 2011

Shaky economy may drive more more people to drink: study

Past research has suggested that economic downturns mean less money for potentially unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking or excessive drinking.

AdAfter all, alcohol is expensive, so people are less able to afford it when they lose their jobs and money is short.

But a new study out of the University of Miami suggests that, rather than actually cut back, more people are likely to drown their financial sorrows in a down economy.

The study also discovered that binge drinking increased with a rise in the state-level unemployment rate. Driving while intoxicated and alcohol abuse and dependence also increased for both genders and across ethnic groups.

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Posted at 10:02 AM in Economic news, Unemployment, Workplace | | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

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AUTHORS
Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...

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