In the current job market, there are four different generations working, the first time in American history that this is the case. Each generation has a different way of communicating and different values and expectations.
According to Greg Hammill, a human resources specialist, there are distinct attitudes, motivational “buttons,” behaviors, habits and expectations identified within each generational group. Research has revealed that individuals communicate based on their generational background. Generational differences can affect hiring, the building of teams, motivating and managing people and, ultimately, increasing productivity. Generational differences can also result in misunderstandings, employee turnover, problems in attracting good employees and keeping employees loyal. Learning how to communicate with the different groups can eliminate a great deal of confrontations and misunderstandings in the workplace. Follow past the jump for profiles of the four generations sharing the modern workplace. Continue reading…
An interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal discusses the likely permanent loss of jobs during the Great Recession of 2009. Obviously, fields closely related to the credit and housing bubbles at the root of the current recession – mortgage brokerages, financial industry, home building etc. – have shed jobs which may never return. Also, jobs in industries that can be automated by ongoing developments in IT – secretarial, mailroom, etc. – are also probably gone for good. Add to this mix, the increasing practice of offshoring tech-enabled jobs to emerging, low-cost labor markets like China and India and it becomes apparent that it may take years for the US to return to employment levels seen pre-recession in 2006.
What was the one bright spot according to the US Labor Department? Jobs in the healthcare field. Training for service in the healthcare field puts you at the forefront of the career market for the next decade. Congratulations! 
I used to have a number of Elvis Presley LPs and 45’s (you old folks know what those are) that I played on my little suitcase phonograph when I was a kid in the early 1970s. But, I was never a huge devotee of Elvis Presley until I stopped to visit Graceland, Elvis’s home-turned-museum in Memphis during my third cross country trip; this time from California to New York in early 2003. The totality of his achievement in music and his impact upon popular culture is overwhelming when you see, first hand, the monumental display of his life’s journey amassed in one place. A subsequent reexamination of all his music blew me up into a true believer. Alas the King is Dead – Long Live the King! Over the jump, enjoy a link to a fantastic slide show of a young Elvis on the cusp of superstardom in 1956, courtesy of Huffington Post. Enjoy! 
I don’t know about you, but I am 
It was announced today that President Obama has reversed a deeply immoral and perverse policy that has been in effect for the last 22 years. For the last two decades, if you had AIDS or HIV, you were precluded from entering the USA. This neanderthal policy, according to Obama, was at odds with our efforts at becoming thought leaders in the fight against HIV. In light of advancements in treatment of HIV and AIDS it was even more silly for the US to continue the ban. It kept us in the company of notoriously regressive countries like Saudi Arabia and Libya. I support this change. How do you feel about this? Sound off in the comments. 
Well, its time to break out the horns, blowers, and noisemakers. Crack open a bottle of Champagne and reflect on the year that was. Auld Lang Syne to you from your favorite online education blog. We’ll see you here next year!!! Have a safe and happy New Year! 
I was born at the beginning of the 70s. It was a time commemorated by super huge collars on orange paisley, polyester shirts and high heeled, white patent leather, zip-up boots for menfolk. We think of the Flower Power generation, Viet Nam and the Nixon years as the 60s. Gordon Gecko’s “Greed is Good” ethos characterized the “Me Decade” known as the 80s and the 90s were the era of Bill Clinton, the OJ Simpson trial and Grunge Rock. So what do we call the first decade of the new millennium as we draw to the close of the 2000s? Follow me after the jump for some ideas and to leave some o’ yer own! 
I am a reader/commenter on a number of social action blogs and other online communities. One of the best parts about blogging IMHO is that you get to really become a member of a community of people. As part of any community, you get to learn of the perspectives, thinking and experiences of other like minded folks. One recent peek into the actions of other Americans yielded a somewhat heart rending sign of the times in our United States. An informal inquiry of mall Santas uncovered the impact the poor economy has been having on children. Follow me over the fold for some of what Santa’s Helpers have been hearing from the tots that cross their laps this year. 
I am disgusted with the passage of the Senate healthcare “reform” bill over the weekend. Besides the inclusion of severe restrictions on womens’ rights to abortions which sets back womens’ rights by 25 years, it also passed without any public option or Medicare buy-in. What’s left is a giveaway to the pigs at a trough that I like to refer to as the “death by spreadsheet” industry. Trying hard to believe the spin from Democratic leadership that this is an historic advancement and not a steaming pile of unmentionable garbage? Follw me over the fold for proof that the American people have just been royally screwed over.