Although the electronic age has made it much easier to learn at a distance, the roots of today's distance learning courses are more than 100 years old. Some date distance learning back to 1889, when it was used as a way to provide learning opportunities for teachers who were unable to attend Montreal's McGill University during the cold winter months to study for their degree.Of course, technology has cranked distance learning up to new levels of complexity never dreamed of by chilly McGill students. While originally entirely paper-based, distance learning evolved to include radio broadcasts, s... view article details

  In 1993, President Clinton signed the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for childbirth, adoption, foster care, to care for a child, parent, or spouse with a serious medical condition, or if the employee themselves has serious medical condition. Who is covered by FMLA?The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division enforces FMLA. FMLA applies to all public agencies, including state and local governments, and local education agencies such as schools. In the private sector, FMLA a... view article details

Dear Annette,Do you have any holiday gift ideas for the office?SantaDear Santa,This is my favorite time of year, as thinking of gift ideas for others always reminds me of me. One December years ago I received an ostrich from a client after helping him survey his New Zealand ranch. I had to get rid of him after Dickie became allergic. The ostrich stayed for five years.Narrowing down the wish list is always so difficult. A year or two ago, the Mednikow catalog had a $575,000 diamond ring on its front cover, complete with a little cutout so you can try the ring on for size. Difficult to duplicate... view article details

While conducting my full time job search during a down economy immediately after graduating from college, I took a part time job working at a Staples office supply store to earn some extra spending money. It was there that my older co-worker Steve gave me some interesting career advice.As we closed down for the night on a Wednesday, we talked about our weekend plans. I told him that I was a little bummed out that my friends were all getting together on Friday night, but that I had to work, and then I was working again all day Sunday and wouldn’t get to watch football. Meanwhile, he said that h... view article details

'Stock mutual funds can be geared toward an investor's risk threshold. The more conservative investor would focus on lower-risk balanced funds that usually are composed of high-dividend-yielding stocks and bonds.' Anyone who's shopped for a mutual fund knows finding the right one can be harder than locating that proverbial needle in a haystack. There are so many to choose from. Remarkably, people seem to navigate the selection process somehow, because statistics show that most stocks held by the average American are purchased by way of a mutual fund. Mutual funds do the work for you'Certainly ... view article details

Thinking About Becoming a Dad? See If You Could Make It Through The Interview Process What if every potential dad had to go through a job interview? Can you imagine talking with the recruiter and hearing about the grueling work, long hours and (lack of) compensation that accompanies parenthood? Here atSalary.com, we imagine it going something like this:RECRUITER: “So, you’re here for the father position right?”DAD: “That’s right sir. But I have to admit I’m a little confused by the classified ad. It just says ‘self-starter and jack of all trades required.’ Can you be a little more specific abo... view article details

Creative Approaches to Layoffs  It's the classic layoff problem. Relief from bottom-line pressure on the one hand; and low morale, bad publicity, and the loss of talented employees on the other. In the face of an economic downturn they believe to be temporary, companies need to be resourceful in looking for alternatives to the traditional layoff. In the past, some large employers forced to layoff workers have pulled together some very creative approaches to this dubious issue. Consulting powerhouse Accenture announced a voluntary sabbatical program known as 'Flexleave.' Offered to about 1,400 ... view article details

Under Pressure Pressure. It can take many forms.Imagine you’re just 21 years old and a senior in college. You’ve got a massive final exam that accounts for the majority of your grade, and it’s the final class in your major. While you’ve invested considerable time and effort studying, you know it all comes down to this.Now imagine that you also play on your college’s basketball team, and you’re playing for the national championship. You’re down by 1 with a few seconds left, the crowd is going insane, and they swing the ball over to you. As you launch your jump shot in front of millions... view article details

“My meeting to ask for a raise went terribly.”Needless to say, this is about the worst thing you can hear after giving someone advice on how to negotiate, but once in awhile it happens. Like many things in life, a test of one’s character isn’t how they live their life when things are good, it’s how they react when faced with a challenge.Let’s look at a case study from the viewpoint of Kristin, a marketing assistant. There is a 3-step process for our company reviews:Fill out an evaluation formHave a review discussion with your managerFollow up with upper management to discuss compensationI have... view article details

There are three reasons why your credit card bill is so high every month. The first are the splurges: the plane ticket and hotel costs for your vacation; the $130 shoes you had to have; or that new flat screen TV for football season. The second are the lifestyle expenses. A few $60 dinners each week or that round of happy hour drinks on your coworker’s last day are common.The third expense is more insidious: low-cost, recurring monthly expenses that are a direct result of the digital age we live in. You probably pay $8.99 for Netflix, $9.99 for Dropbox, $4.99 for music streaming, $6.95 for web... view article details