Why my youthful disdain toward money? Because I had a savings account, that’s why. All the money I got for birthdays/Christmas/grade school graduation went straight to the bank, and my parents expected me to be happy when I exchanged a would-be shopping spree at Toys-R-Us for a deposit receipt and a lollipop. I was eight, and I was not happy.

Reflecting on those times now, I realize I’d be thrilled with a savings account as well-endowed as the one I had in fifth grade — its present-day counterpart is paltry, to put it optimistically. Though I know the importance of saving money, there are certain times when it seems almost impossible to save — a feeling that is shared by an increasing number of workers these days.

According to a new CareerBuilder survey: “Saving money is not an option for some workers, as one-third (33 percent) state that they do not participate in any programs such as 401(k), IRAs or retirement plans. One-in-three (30 percent) report that they don’t put any money aside into their savings each month, while 28 percent set aside $100 or less per month for savings and 14 percent save less than $50.”

The survey also reports that the number of workers living paycheck to paycheck has risen in the last year: 77 percent of workers report living paycheck to paycheck in 2010, compared with 61 percent who reported doing so in 2009.

Unfortunately, since we’re in the middle of a recession, it’s likely that many of us will be living with tight purse strings  for the foreseeable future.

Yet according to Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder, that may not be such a bad thing, since living on a budget  may ultimately make us more financially responsible. “The last 18 months have required some workers to tighten their day-to-day spending and make some adjustments to their financial futures,” says Haefner. “Our survey found that six-in-ten workers say that the recession has made them more fiscally responsible. Maintaining a budget is not only important now, but will better position workers – both personally and professionally – for the long run.”

When it comes to  budgeting, workers reported using the following tactics to help make ends meet:

•             Cut back on leisure activities – 54 percent

•             Used coupons or shopped at discount stores – 48 percent

•             Drove less to save on gas – 37 percent

•             Cancelled cable and other subscriptions – 12 percent

•             Used public transportation – 5 percent

Cut back on cable, carpooling to work and still stretching your paycheck thin? Haefner offers the following tips for getting the most out of your money and creating a livable budget:

Cut back where you can – That daily dose of Dunkin Donuts coffee can add up. Create a spreadsheet or keep a small notebook to track your expenses. At the end of the month, analyze where your money goes, and cut back where you’re spending unnecessarily.

Be saving savvy – While you may not be able to stash away a few hundred dollars each month, it’s still important to save what you can, even if it’s a small amount. If you tend to spend whatever is in your checking account, try setting up an automatic deposit into a savings account. 

Maximize your benefits– Talk to your HR department to see if there are any benefits you’re not taking advantage of.  Many companies offer perks like free museum admission, discounts at certain stores, etc. Also, if necessary, re-evaluate your benefits plan to make sure you’ve selected the right one for your budget.

For more on the recession and its effect on workers, check out:

Is Going Back to School the Right Move?

Workplace Fatalities Reach Record Low

Surprising Growth Industries

Related posts:

1. Do You Live Paycheck to Paycheck? You’re Not Alone. Scenario: It’s a couple of days before payday. You’ve checked...
2. Tax time dilemmas for workers and job seekers Tax season can be, well, taxing to say the least,...
3. Missing open enrollment can cost you If you’re fortunate enough to have a job that offers...

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, incidences of workplace fatalities were 17 percent fewer in 2009 than in 2008. The 4,340 fatal workplace injuries reported for ’09 is the lowest number on record since the BLS started keeping track in 1992.

While a large part of that has to do with the fact that there were fewer jobs in general, the BLS reported that injuries per 100,000 workers declined from 3.7 in 2008, to 3.3 in 2009.  Bloomberg also reported that, according to the National Council of Compensation Insurance, workplace injuries have been on the decline for 10 years, reflecting an overall trend toward safer workplaces.

Transportation accidents, which account for almost two-fifths of all fatal workplace injuries also declined by 21 percent in 2009; though an overall loss of jobs in the construction industry plays a large part in the decline of these injuries.

As a response to the BLS numbers, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in a statement: “A single worker hurt or killed on the job is one too many. While a decrease in the number of fatal work injuries is encouraging, we cannot and will not relent from our continued strong enforcement of workplace safety laws. As the economy regains strength and more people re-enter the workforce, the Department of Labor will remain vigilant to ensure America’s workers are kept safe while they earn a paycheck.”

We agree that even one accident is too many, so here are a few tips for staying safe on the job.

1. Pay attention to overtime hours - Staying late is bad for your health in more ways than one.  One recent study reported that employees who work more than 10 hours per day and 60 percent more likely to develop heart disease.  A long day also makes your commute more hazardous. You’re more likely to get in an accident when you’re tired — in fact, research has shown that drowsy drivers are seven times more likely to crash.

2.  Talk to your boss if your job is taking a physical toll on you - Jobs that are physically demanding may start to wear on workers after a while — especially those that involve repetitive motion, awkward body positioning or heavy lifting.  Companies are required by law to provide workers with a safe work environment, and your boss can help you figure out a safer or more comfortable situation.

3. The same goes for workplace injuries - If you are injured on the job, speak up. Your company will either have to provide you with time off to recuperate, or with a new set of job duties that will not exacerbate the injury.

4. Take breaks -If your job is physically demanding or requires you to operate heavy machinery, working while tired can also pose safety risks. Like driving while tired, doing physically demanding work, like construction, maintenance or manufacturing, can be seriously dangerous to tired workers. Take short, frequent breaks to keep your attention levels high and your drowsiness levels low.

For more on workplace issues, see:

Caution: Toxic Co-Workers Ahead

A Trying Economy Means Healthier Habits For Some Workers

Weight Gain at Work

Related posts:

1. Nearly 40 percent of workers have flirted with romance on the job When you think of TV’s most famous romantic duos —...
2. Which Halloween Character Is Your Boss Most Like? Two days until Halloween! I got the finishing touches to...

The survey, which asked participants to rank an applicant’s ability to perform a specific job based on pictures alone, found that while attractive women had an advantage in jobs with a “feminine” typecast, like secretarial positions, they were seen as less suitable for jobs like prison guard, tow-truck driver, mechanical engineer and director of security.

In a statement, lead researcher Stefanie Johnson, an assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado, said “In these professions being attractive was highly detrimental to women. In every other kind of job, attractive women were preferred. This wasn’t the case with men which shows that there is still a double standard when it comes to gender.”

The report also stated “We found that attractiveness is beneficial for men and women applying for most jobs, in terms of ratings of employment suitability. However, attractiveness was more beneficial for women applying for feminine sex-typed jobs than masculine sex-typed jobs.”

The new study comes on the heels of a variety of other recent reports on appearance and the workplace — one which suggested that women who dressed “provocatively,” felt more productive at work.  

Another, conducted by Newsweek, found that among nine employee characteristics, hiring managers ranked “looks” as the third most important trait. Newsweek also reported that 57 percent of the 202 hiring managers surveyed felt that unattractive candidates typically have a tougher time landing a job — even if they are well-qualified for the position.  

What do you think about all of this so-called “beauty-bias?” Let us know in the comments section.

For more on the role looks play at work, check out:

Provocative=Productive, New Survey Says

Professional, Not Provocative, Equals Productive, Say Employers

Nip/Tuck: Baby Boomers

Related posts:

1. Provocative = Productive, New Survey Says Need a confidence boost at work? A new study suggests that...
2. Professional, Not Provocative, Equals Productive, Employers Say A couple of weeks ago we told you about a...
3. Is “To whom it may concern” the kiss of death? Most job seekers know that, whenever possible, it’s best to...

Private sector employment rose by 71,000 last month, beating out June’s gain of 31,000, but still falling short of the 90,000 jobs that economists predicted would be added in July.  

Despite signs of a stagnant job recovery, though, the news wasn’t all bad. Overall, the BLS reports that private sector employment has increased by 630,000 this year. Positive numbers were also reported in industries like health care, which has added 231,000 jobs in the past 12 months, manufacturing, which has added 183,000 jobs since December 2009, and transportation, which has added 56,000 jobs since February.

Additionally, according to CareerBuilder’s own data based on number of job posting on its site, industries like sales, marketing, IT, customer service, skilled labor and entry-level positions have all shown sequential improvements this year.  

Other good news from the BLS report:

• For the third month in a row, the number of people working part-time because they could not find full-time work dropped.
• The average hourly wage rose slightly in July, from $22.55, to $22.59.

The BLS also put out revised numbers for the May and June job numbers, editing non-farm payroll employment for May from +433,000 to +432,000, and revising June’s change from -125,000 to -221,000.

For more information about July job numbers, check out this clip of CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson, from this morning’s Squawk Box on CNBC.

Related posts:

1. June Jobs Report Redux At first look, the BLS’s June unemployment numbers give a...
2. November job numbers redux In another indicator that the economy is healing, November’s overall...
3. April Job Numbers Redux This morning the BLS reported employment rose by 290,000 in...

To only add to the nuances of everyday communication, it appears that the ability to clearly express ourselves plays an important role in our perceived credibility — at least when it comes to our accents.

A recent study done by the University of Chicago found that native English speakers view those with a foreign accent as being less trustworthy.  The study found that the dialect distrust was not due to prejudice, but because those with accents were harder to understand. Participants in the study reported a small, yet definitive difference, between the believability of trivia statements when read by native and non-native English speakers.

On a believability scale of 1 to 10, the statements read by native English speakers were rated at a 7.5, while those read by speakers with a slight accent were rated at a 6.95, and speakers with a heavy accent were given a truthfulness rating of 6.84. It seems that the harder it is for us to understand someone, the less likely we are to trust what they’re saying.

The results of the study may prove alarming for workers and job-seekers with accents.

According to a University of Chicago press release on the study, “Accent might reduce the credibility of non-native job seekers.” Which in turn may make it more difficult for job-seekers with accents to land a job.

Though blatant accent discrimination is part of Title VII (the title of The Civil Rights Act that addresses equal opportunity employment) and is addressed in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission compliance manual, it is also specified that there are legitimate, business-related reasons for companies to require workers to speak clear English. Meaning that while it is illegal for employers to discriminate against workers with accents, they can legally choose not to hire a worker with an accent if it will interfere with the person’s ability to effectively do the job.

According to the compliance manual “Because linguistic characteristics are a component of national origin, employers should carefully scrutinize employment decisions that are based on accent to ensure that they do not violate Title VII.”

Though the article does go on to clarify that “An employment decision based on foreign accent does not violate Title VII if an individual’s accent materially interferes with the ability to perform job duties.”

But what about the regional accents here in the U.S.?  We have dozens of regional dialects, from the Southern drawl, to the Texas twang, to the “Joisey” accent, to MinneSOOHta and Boston’s “pahk the cah in Hahvahd yahd.” Aren’t these regional dialects just as difficult to understand? (As somone who went to college in Boston, let me say I had just as hard a time deciphering my professors’ Boston accents as I did high school math teacher’s Russian one.)

How do you feel about accents (of all kinds) in the workplace? Have you ever been misunderstood at work because of your accent? Let us know in the comments section, below.

Related posts:

1. Tax time dilemmas for workers and job seekers Tax season can be, well, taxing to say the least,...

The study, which polled close to 1,300 British professionals, found that 78 percent of respondents felt that the way they dressed was the most important factor in enhancing their work performance. Of the women who agreed that the way they dressed made them better workers, 53 percent responded that “dressing provocatively helped their productivity.”

Lisette Howlett, managing director of HireScores.com, tried to explain the correlation between provocative attire and improved work performance in a company press release. “I was curious as to why women feel productive when they dress more provocatively and having checked this out concluded that this is because it gives them a sense of empowerment which in turn makes them more confident in the office.  Indeed feeling confident and positive seem to be two key factors to high work performance, ” Howlett said.

Yet the number of women who feel that dressing provocatively can be equated with productivity seems unexpectedly high, especially given the recent case of Debrahlee Lorenzana — the curvaceous female banker who alleged that she was fired from Citibank for being “too sexy.”

After all, although Lorenzana made a case that the firing was unfair, the fact that her style of dress could be grounds for termination is, in itself, enough to spark a debate about whether dressing sexy at the office is worth the risk of losing your job.

And then there’s the argument that — while Lorenzana’s figure (whether enhanced or not) is decidedly not the concern of her male counterparts — it is still clear that she was viewed as a sex-symbol in her office; a  counterproductive stigma for a woman looking to climb the corporate ladder. It seems that, while feeling attractive may provide a short-term confidence boost, in the long-run exuding a sexy image can  have a negative impact on one’s career. 

“Dressing provocatively will absolutely backfire on women who want to be taken seriously in the workforce,” says Lizandra Vega, author of “The Image of Success: Make a Great Impression and Land the Job You Want.”  ”Women may think that it gives them a competitive edge over other ‘less sexy’ women, but dressing in a provocative manner will hinder a woman’s chances of competing for senior level, highly authoritative positions that their male counterparts are also vying to attain. Dressing provocatively is associated with being a bimbo rather than a smart executive who can make intelligent decisions. Women may be able to get away with provocative dressing for jobs that are support level jobs (to men), but it will definitely hinder crossing the line to senior level, executive positions,” she says.

Though provocative dressing may not be the best way to get ahead, that doesn’t mean that women should be relegated to baggy pantsuits and clogs at the office, for fear of being “too sexy.”

Indeed, says Vega, a happy medium can be determined. Below, she helps establish the line between clothes that flatter and clothes that flaunt, with these guidelines for looking pretty, polished and professional in the workplace:

• Keep skirt hemlines right above the knee cap
• Maintain shirt buttons closed just enough where cleavage is not showing
• Wear comfortable pumps with a heel that is between 1/2″-2 3/4″ high.
• Leave strappy sandals, peep toe shoes and slides for weekend wear not office wear.
• Wear hosiery at all times.
• Wear undergarments that adjust and maintain your body parts in their proper place rather than having them jiggle and bounce.

What do you think about provocative clothing and the workplace? Let us know in the comments section, below.

For more information on dressing for the job you want, check out “The Image of Success.”

Related posts:

1. Halloween costumes at work Halloween is only a few days away, as the terrifying...
2. Black and White: The New Power Couple? Black and white are classy colors in any situation, but...

Even if only for two weeks, the United States caught World Cup fever. That’s no easy task for a country notorious for not necessarily disliking soccer but basically not even acknowledging its existence. (Be honest: How many MLS games have you ever watched in your life?) But thanks to nail-biting games and awesome performances by Landon Donovan, Americans got caught up in the excitement. Workers were streaming the game on their computers or running to the break room to check the score. Some even put the game on projection screens in meeting rooms. It suddenly became inescapable.

You probably know that the World Cup is the single most popular sporting event in the world, so even after the U.S. was eliminated, millions of people kept watching. An article from The Associated Press highlights how workplace productivity during the World Cup is a quadrennial battle for employers and employees.

From the article:

“One study suggests the German economy, Europe’s largest, loses more than $8 billion in productivity, about 0.27 percent of gross domestic product, during the monthlong tournament. Surveys in Britain predict output losses there of $1.5 billion to $2.3 billion.”

In some countries, watching the game at work is just a given, as the article points out. In other places, workers are warned not to let the fun of the game interfere with productivity.

However, if you couldn’t watch the game during work, you probably tried to find a way to get updates. Perhaps you just wore one earbud so you could hear the play-by-play (and drone of vuvuzelas). Or maybe you feverishly refreshed a blog that was giving live updates of the game. On the surface, doesn’t it seem as if we’re a culture of multitaskers who can handle following a game and doing other work? Maybe not. Perhaps we weren’t meant to split our minds between work and other distractions.

In the last few weeks, Nicholas Carr’s book “The Shallows: Has the Internet Rewired Your Brain?” has made headlines. In his book, Carr looks at the history of written language and how people have absorbed information. His concern is that the Internet has turned us into a culture of skimmers. If TV news made the sound bite omnipresent, then the Internet, he suggests, has made paragraph-length information the most we’re willing to process. This review from NPR highlights one important quote:

“Dozens of studies by psychologists, neurobiologists, educators and Web designers point to the same conclusion: When we go online, we enter an environment that promotes cursory reading, hurried and distracted thinking, and superficial learning.”

That’s not to say the Internet is a waste of time, but how we use it might be forcing us to think we can process more than one task at a time when really we’re just skimping on all of our responsibilities.

Take this conclusion from reviewer Oscar Villalon:

“With ‘The Shallows,’ Carr attempts to snap us out of the hypnotic pull of our iPhones, laptops and desktops. He reveals why we’re suddenly having a hard time focusing at length on any given thing, and why we compulsively check our e-mail accounts and Twitter feeds and never seem to be able to get our work done.”

The World Cup takes up four weeks of soccer fans’ attention. Recently, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan’s hearings were streamed online for anyone to watch. Opening day for your favorite baseball team happens each year. March Madness dominates workplaces each spring. E-mail, phone calls, instant messages, text messages — they’re not going anywhere. And we’re convinced we can handle all of them, but can we?

Do you think you or workers in general have mastered multitasking? Or have we just convinced ourselves that we have no choice but to multitask because of increased technology? Perhaps fear of losing our jobs during a struggling economy is our main motivation for spreading ourselves too thin.

Related posts:

1. House passes jobs bill After a lot of sound and even more fury, the...
2. Before you fill out that March Madness bracket… Few things unite co-workers like a good, old-fashioned office pool....

-A woman filed a lawsuit  against Citibank, claiming she was fired for being “too sexy.”

-A Wisconsin woman was fired from her job as a dispatcher, after posting on Facebook that she was a drug addict — even though she was joking.

-And just last week, news broke of a Christian-school teacher who was fired for becoming pregnant before she was married.

Though wrongful termination laws vary by state, most states have adopted an “at will employment” policy, meaning that companies can fire an employee at any time, for any reason (and that employees can quit at any time, for any reason). The only concrete exception, of course, is if the firing is in violation of Federal Equal Opportunity Employment laws, which prevent employees from being terminated based on race, sex, age, color, religion, disability or veteran status. 

What do you think about these recent termination stories? Let us know in the comments section.

Related posts:

1. Fired for a Facebook Joke … Again Last week we wrote about a possible new trend where...
2. Social media guidelines in your job search and workplace Last week I was in a café when I overheard...

Since the Deepwater Horizon disaster on April 20, 2010, dozens of professions have been affected. From fishermen, to lifeguards, to those in the offshore drilling industry — many in the Gulf region will find themselves unemployed due to the spill.

Following are recent estimates on the effect the oil spill will have on jobs:

• According to a published letter written to BP by the Louisiana Governor’s Administration, more than 12,000 jobs could be lost in Louisiana alone.
• Houston, known for its concentration of large oil and offshore drilling companies like Halliburton and Cobalt International Energy, also has a reason to fear a hike in unemployment numbers; President Obama’s recently imposed restrictions on offshore drilling will suspend operations on 33 deepwater rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
• According to the Louisiana Mid-continent Oil and Gas Association, 180 to 280 employees work on each drilling platform per day. With 33 deepwater rigs projected to be idle for the next six months, that means thousands of workers may find themselves out of a job.
• The drilling ban will also affect exploratory drilling efforts off the coasts of both Alaska and Virginia.
• According to John Hofmeister, ex-CEO of Shell, the deepwater moratorium could cost up to 50,000 people in the oil industry their jobs in the next six months alone. The Wall Street Journal estimates the number could reach 75,000.
• Federal officials have closed off more than 30 percent of the Gulf of Mexico to fishermen, according to Discovery News. Although much of the Gulf is still uncontaminated by the oil spill, some cautious restaurants have begun rejecting all Gulf-Coast seafood shipments as a safeguard — which could potentially affect the ability of fishermen to sell their harvest.   
• As Florida approaches its tourism season, there is fear that the oil spill will keep vacationers away from the state’s beaches. USA Today reports that one Hilton Hotel in the Florida Keys received 50 percent fewer reservations last month than in did in May 2009. A drop in vacationers could mean job losses in popular vacation-destinations across the Gulf Coast area.

The only bright spot in the effect the disaster is having on jobs appears to be in the cleanup efforts, with a variety of sources reporting an increase in cleanup-related hiring.

• According to the Associated Press, thousands of candidates showed up for recruiting sessions for cleanup workers in Florida, Louisiana and Texas — though only a few hundred positions were available in each state.
• A keyword search of “oil spill” on CareerBuilder.com brings up 60 job postings, most of which have multiple positions available.

Regardless of any uptick in cleanup-related jobs, though, here’s hoping the spill gets resolved sooner rather than later.

Related posts:

1. January job numbers redux The BLS released January’s jobs report this morning, and while...

Lady Gaga pretty much has it all: an unstoppable music career, a fashion sense that consistently makes headlines and a killer body to boot.  Apparently, though, there’s one thing she is missing in her life: an internship.

That’s right; at the top of the reigning music queen’s wish list is an internship with London milliner Philip Treacy.  The hat maker, known for his exotic, wild designs that Gaga often rocks on the red carpet, confirmed that he recently received the superstar’s résumé and application for his internship program. (No word on whether or not she’s gotten the  job.)

Lady Gaga wouldn’t be the first celebrity to take on an internship role despite already being wildly successful. Rapper and record producer Kanye West did an unpaid stint at the Gap last year and hockey player Sean Avery interned at Vogue in 2008.  So forget what you know about internships being for college students; these celebrities confirm that it’s never too late – and you’re never too successful — to be an intern.  

If you’ve found yourself stuck in a career rut or you’ve always wondered what it’s like to work in a particular profession, there’s no time like the present. Check out our tips for intern-hopefuls of any age.  

1. Use your connections:  When applying for an internship, ask family and friends if they know anyone who works in the field you’re interested in.  As in any job search, an “in” at a company may help you land a job — especially if the company doesn’t have an established internship program.

2. Start your search early: If you think you’ll have time to do an internship in the fall, start looking now.  Companies with established internship programs often hire months in advance. Visit sites like CareerRookie.com for internship listings.

3. Check out  nonprofits:  Nonprofits often have limited budgets, making them especially receptive to the extra help an intern provides. Nonprofit companies require the same functions as for-profit corporations, so expect to find opportunities in human resources, research, communications and accounting.  

4. Find a mentor: Once you land an internship, find a mentor in the company — someone whose job you’d love to do or who knows the industry well.  Ask to shadow this person for a day or set up an informational interview so you can ask questions about the job.

5. Maximize the opportunity: Even if you spend a lot of time at the photocopier or getting coffee, make the most out of your time as an intern. Check out your surroundings. What is the atmosphere like? Do people in the industry seem happy? What are the hours? Also, don’t be afraid to ask for more responsibility. Say something like, “I’ve always wanted to try event planning. Do you need any extra help setting up the event tonight?” It never hurts to ask, and you’ll demonstrate your interest in the job.

For more information on internships for older workers, check out CareerBuilder’s article: “Older Workers Taking on  Internships.”

Related posts:

1. Ask The Work Buzz! Breaking into an industry with the ‘wrong’ background Here’s what Zaina‘s asking us: I am a hospitality senior...