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Bicycle Commuting What better way to start your day than by riding your bike? Well, some people get to do this every day, because they commute to work on their bicycles. It's actually much more common than you think, when you realize that millions of kids around the world ride their bikes to school every day. Even at the university level, there are many bike commuters. Unfortunately, many people just assume that, once you finish school and join the "real world", you can't have fun on weekday mornings. Well, you can, just by riding your bike. Forget that riding your bike is good exercise, that it will save you money, and that it will give you time to relax and think on your way to and from work. Forget all of that. Riding your bike is fun. Web:
Employer/Employee Relations As an employee, you have relationships with the other people in your organization, including your boss or manager. However, you also have another, perhaps more important, relationship, with the organization itself. The employer/employee relationship is an important one, but is often neglected. As a result, employee problems are common, especially since employers and employees generally do not share the same long-term goals. If you are interested in improving the quality of your workplace, you will find these resources useful (especially if you are an employer). Read about flexible work hours, retirement plans, employee burnout, and other topics oriented toward inspiring people to do their best. Web:
How to Get Rich Would you like to get rich? If so, you need to plan ahead and learn how to make the right decisions. Here is an essay I wrote to help you understand what brings success in life. Read my advice on how to think about work and how to make sure that what you choose works well for you. Work can be immensely satisfying -- and provide your best chance of becoming rich -- but you need to do it right. Web:
Net Slaves So you work all day on the Net, slaving over a hot Web browser. I guess you know that life in the fast Internet lane is not always the most satisfying way to live out your short, temporary tenure on planet Earth. You think you've got it rough? Read the real horror stories. Web: Philosophy of Work If you don't pay enough attention to your work, you are depriving yourself of one of the most important sources of ongoing satisfaction in your life. However, if you spend too much time at work, you will lose track of the other important parts of life. Should you want to work as much as you can, or should you try to retire as young as possible? (I believe that, for men anyway, the answer is you should want to work.) How does your choice of career affect your values? How much of a priority should work be in your life? These are not simple questions, and learning how to integrate your work into your life is not easy. But once you deliberately decide on your values, you will be able to balance your work with your family, your hobbies, and your leisure. I encourage you to decide, deliberately, how work fits into your life. Web:
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Repetitive Stress Injuries A repetitive stress injury (RSI) -- also called a cumulative trauma disorder -- is a medical condition caused by chronic stress to one or more parts of the body. The most common causes of RSIs are: repetitive motion, working in an awkward position, using an unbalanced force, and not resting enough. In the workplace, the common RSIs are carpal tunnel syndrome (a wrist condition often caused by too much typing), chronic back pain, tendonitis and -- everyone's favorite -- "stress". Here are some Web sites that have a wealth of information about RSIs, in and outside of the workplace. There is a lot you can do about workplace injuries caused by ongoing conditions, but before you can make a difference, you need to understand the real problems. Web:
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Safety in the Workplace The business of business is to make money, and you will often see workplace safety given second place when it comes to meeting schedules and getting the job done quickly. Most countries have government agencies to ensure safety in the workplace and avoid injuries. In the United States, this job is done on a national level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an agency of the United States Department of Labor. There is a balance between protecting the rights of workers and interfering in how a business does its job, but safety is always important. Check out these Web sites, and you'll see why. You'll also find a lot of useful information to help you keep yourself and your work environment safe. Web:
Salary and Wages Are you being paid as much as you should be? As one of my readers, I know you are unusually intelligent, hard-working, dependable and talented, and, as such, deserve at least twice as much as you are being paid now. But how do you prove this to the people who control the money bags at your place of employment? Here are places where you will find various types of salary-related information: raw numbers, comparisons, negotiation strategies and salary calculators. Web:
Sexual Harassment on the Job If you have a problem with sexual harassment on the job, you are not alone. Check with the Net, where you will find lots of relevant information: a list of hotline telephone numbers you can call for help and advice, a guide on how to handle difficult situations, as well as lots of information, opinion and discussion on this complex and volatile topic. Web:
Telecommuting Telecommuting (or teleworking) refers to working at home as part of a regular job with an established company. Of course, some people have always worked at home, and home-based businesses are nothing new. What is new is that, with telecommuting, many people who traditionally would have worked in an office environment with lots of other people are now working at home. As you might imagine, this creates a variety of problems as people need to readjust to the logistical and social consequences of being by oneself. These sites have telecommuting resources that can help you. Web:
Temps Being a temp -- that is, working at temporary jobs -- has some great advantages compared to being a permanent employee. You can work or not work as you wish. For example, you can take a long vacation, then work, save some money, and take another long vacation. Moreover, as a temp, you can ignore company politics and all the rest of the silliness that goes on in most workplaces. Of course, there are disadvantages. You can't always count on having a job when you want it, you probably won't get any benefits, and you will never make a huge amount of money. Clearly, such an environment calls for (1) good, solid information about the temp world and what jobs are available, and, (2) humor and fun. Here you are. Web:
Unions A labor union is an organization dedicated to serving the interests of a particular group of workers. Unions concern themselves with wages, working conditions, grievance resolution, health issues, and so on. These Web sites will lead you to a great many union-related resources on the Net, so you can find what you need without having to work overtime. Web:
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