I wasn’t looking to fall in love with Scrubby Ruettimann. Back in 2006, I had a full-time job and three cats. I was working for Pfizer and trying to save a struggling animal rescue. And I had a private desire to start a family. Ain’t nobody got time for another cat, I told myself. But…
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I just read an article called, Customers in Their 20s and 30s Are Defecting to Fast-Casual Restaurants Like Chipotle, Five Guys. First of all, people in their 20s and 30s are part of three cohorts. People in their mid-to-late 30s are late GenXers and Carter Babies. The definition of “millennial” changes every time someone wants to make…
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Nearly two months ago, SHRM published an interesting article. Base Salary Rise of 3% Forecast for 2015 U.S. workers can expect a median base salary increase of 3 percent in 2015 across all main employee categories and most industries, still below pre-recession levels, according to separate research findings by pay consultancy Hay Group and WorldatWork, an…
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It’s week four of marathon training. This isn’t my first rodeo. I know how the training schedule works, which is why I broke down and bought some new shoes. I know this seems like a boring blog post, but buying shoes isn’t a simple thing. Not only are there a bazillion products on the market,…
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This has been the travel week from hell, but it was worth it. I spent time with friends. (I mean real friends who exist in real life.) We sat in cars and talked about life. We sat in parks and watched squirrels. I had dinner with kids. We visited shopping malls, sat at dingy restaurants, and talked about stupid shit like…
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I travel for a living. I’ve been on planes since I was 25 years old. When I see people walking through airports with therapy dogs, I roll my eyes. You better be a veteran with PTSD or I’m calling bullshit on your small, adorable animal. Except I keep having these horrible experiences at airports, and…
DetailsFacebook brings out the worst in all of us, including me. I lived in St. Louis for seven years. My first HR job was at Leaf Candy Company. We made Switzer, Good & Plenty and Chuckles. It was a busy and vibrant factory, later featured in a Michael Moore movie when Hershey USA purchased the…
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Being a cop is probably the worst job in America. I am not writing this as a woman who is immersed in research and policy. (Clearly.) I’m writing this because I know a ton of cops — family, childhood friends, former colleagues who quit jobs in IT and HR and became cops — and the job sounds awful. I have…
DetailsMy friend, Don MacPherson, is awesome. Don is the founder and president of a company called Modern Survey — but who cares about his job? I count my blessings that our paths crossed back in 2011. He is a smart guy with a big heart who accepts my idiosyncrasies and encourages me to do better in life. I…
DetailsWhile I was out on vacation, I received word that my blog was recognized as one of The Best Work Life Balance Blogs of 2014. Of course. How perfect. It’s just link bait, but I was moved by what the article says about this site. “Ironically enough, Laurie’s blog may be the only work-life balance…
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