Michelle Babineau of Boston, Mass. has been laid off three times in seven months. The dot-com veteran has been through it all: the conference with a terse manager and human resources representative; the company-wide announcement led by a weeping CEO; and the 'let-go' meeting at an offsite location. Her third job lasted five days. 'The CEO quit on the day I started,' Babineau said.Can they do that? Unfortunately, they can - and do. There are a few protections for employees, however. Understanding the implication of laws your employer has had to consider helps you to position yourself as well as... 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

Whether you're one of many workers in a row of cubicles or the CEO with the sweet corner digs, your office is the place where you are expected to create, inspire, come up with ideas and do your best work. But if you're spending more time in your office managing stress and frustration than you are doing your job, it could be time to inject a little feng shui into your day.Feng shui, an ancient art and science developed in China more than 3,000 years ago, focuses on creating a harmonious environment using the principles of natural energy flow. As Asian culture has become more popul... view article details

Most of us loathe the very idea of doing our U.S. personal income taxes, not because we expect to get fleeced each April 15 (or 16) but simply because we don't know an adjusted gross income from a standard deduction. For the many tax code illiterates among us, Salary.com has combed through the Internal Revenue Service website, taking inspiration from Sarah Young Fisher and Susan Shelly's book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Personal Finance, to come up with a checklist that may help simplify your tax-filing experience. Taxable and nontaxable income To get things started with the very basics, bel... view article details

From CNN Money and the compensation experts at Salary.com6. Market research analyst Why it's great If you want to know what the next big thing is, this is your field. Before launching a product or service, companies turn to market research analysts who collect and evaluate data about consumer wants, needs and buying habits. You get to work on a huge variety of projects: In a single day you might run a taste test on a new vodka flavor, evaluate a re-branding campaign for a hot dog and analyze political polling data. What's cool Testing products before they hit the market. You talk to lots of pe... view article details

The rules of performance reviews are changing. Not too long ago, management guru Peter Block said, 'The performance review is the company's opportunity to prove to you, once again, that they own you.' But as employees gain better access to information and assume more responsibility for managing their careers, the performance review is becoming another opportunity for you to demonstrate value to your company.The Purpose of a Performance ReviewPerformance reviews give employees and employers a chance to evaluate regularly whether they are happy with each other. The review is a meeting between yo... view article details

Updated laws and legislation protect members of the uniformed services from certain workplace uncertainties, allowing reservists and guardsmen to leave their civilian posts to serve their country without having to worry about job security, delayed compensation, revoked benefits, or other adverse employer reactions. 'Weekend warriors' in peacetimeNormally, a reservist voluntarily signs up for part-time duty, sacrificing two days a month for training plus 15 days a year for an annual tour, a schedule that has led some observers to refer to them as 'weekend warriors.' In addition, if the reservis... view article details

                        One of the biggest challenges facing employers is recruiting and retaining qualified, dedicated employees. Over the past decade, with unemployment levels low and the economy doing well, one of the ways businesses in many industries were recruiting the best possible talent and keeping those employees happy was by offering stock options. For the first time ever, the trend extended not just to top-level managers and executives, but to people throughout the organization.As a result, the ability to participate in an employee stock option plan became an integral part of many ... view article details

Working in a nonprofit organization brings both material and nonmaterial rewards. Although some nonprofit organizations do not pay (or are unable to pay) market wages, the benefits of working in a nonprofit often outweigh the drawbacks for many employees.In the United States, nonprofit or charitable organizations such as foundations, churches, arts organizations, universities, and even some hospitals, are exempt from federal income taxes. Although the range of their services is rather broad, these groups have in common a mission to provide a benefit to a constituency that is more important tha... view article details