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…
DetailsIt seems like the whole world is shocked and saddened by the loss of Robin Williams. Makes sense. Death in any form is awful and scary. When I heard about Robin Williams, it made me think about the veterans who take their lives. His death made me think of all the drug addicts, alcoholics and…
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I have family members who can’t find work because of arrest records and felony convictions. They haven’t served time in prison, but their lives feel like prison because they are locked into a cycle of low-wage jobs (and no savings) due to non-violent offenses in their past. Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner (aka Carlos…
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