Suggestions for Stress Relief

Agreed, the economy absolutely stinks right now and all indicators show that recovery will be a very arduous task. Unemployment remains at record highs. Store fronts and large retail centers have tons of 'space available' signs. Restaurants who were neighborhood fixtures have shut their doors. Professional sports teams are struggling to fill seats (Tampa Bay had empty seats for playoff games) even when offering special deals. Broadway shows are offering tickets for $26.50 (Phantom of the Opera comes to mind). I imagine retailers must be cringing at the thought of what the upcoming holiday season will look like.

As I walk around my home community of Hillsborough NJ and as I also travel around Union County where my office is located, I continually see one thing on most every one's faces - STRESS. Please do not think I live in a glass house. I feel the stress as well, especially with an underemployed wife and my career being heavily based on employers adding to their existing staff. There are very few of us out there who have not been negatively impacted by the global economy and unfortunately, the further you are from the upper echelon economically, the longer it will take for the recovery to become evident to you.

How do we keep this stress from putting us in the hospital or even worse? It is not an easy question to answer but I do have some thoughts. Set aside time each week to clear your head. Whether it is as simple as scheduling time to take a 30 minute walk several times a week or planning an affordable evening out (perhaps Chinese takeout and a free movie by hitting the on demand button on your cable screen to save $$) or a weekly trip to the public library to browse reading material and unwind for an hour or two. If you are not employed or working part-time, take a few hours a week away from your job search to refresh your brain by doing some volunteer work. Find a free concert or art display to check out in your area. The point is, find a way to unwind a little and the results will be amazing.

Those employers who are actually hiring will sense stress a block away. While most do understand the issues we are all dealing with, they want to see you are capable of checking them at the door. My suggestions barely scratch the surface. Be creative! Find something simple to help ease the stress that is undoubtedly cluttering up your life!

Bleak Start to September

Many people have told me I focus on negatives rather than looking for silver linings and I have made a strong effort to reverse this in the past few years. Unfortunately, the news that was released today, 9/2/11, is very disheartening and there is not much silver left in the lining.

The New York Times just reported zero job growth in the U.S. for the month of August with much of the blame placed on the poor performance by our government in dealing with the budget crisis plus a very low demand for manufactured goods. As a professional recruiter, I assure you very few people are hiring right now but here is a quote from an expert which verifies what I have been preaching: “Business confidence surveys have uniformly pointed to businesses who are not laying off workers, but who are holding off on hiring while they wait for a clearer outlook — an outlook that became much cloudier and more volatile” beginning with the debt-ceiling battle in July, said Ellen Zentner, the senior United States economist for Nomura Securities.

It is against all my beliefs to rant about politics in my blog entries but this updated news is really getting under my skin. We need to contact our elected officials at all levels and urge them to put the well being of our entire nation ahead of their absolutely pitiful in-fighting! Democrats are fighting with other Democrats and Republicans are fighting fellow party members plus no one is listening to anyone down in DC best I can see. The leaders of all sectors such as banking, real estate, manufacturing, insurance, health care, etc. must start leaning on our government to get its act in gear and work toward a gradual but steady economic recovery. Let's hope that Labor Day weekend will be the start of a better economy for all of us!

Etc.

• October looks like it might actually bring normal weather to a lot of the U.S. Will this carry through to a more normal economy and job market?
• McDonald's is apparently toying with eliminating or reducing health care benefits for their employees. Should this happen, watch out America, things will grow ugly.
• Message to manufacturers of web cams: your overly sophisticated, highly affordable innovations may have led to the untimely loss of a Rutgers University freshman.
• Jobs are starting to open up but pay rates are still lagging far behind what many feel is fair and reasonable.
• Visited the New Meadowlands Stadium yesterday and learned know accommodations were made to feed proper meals to the 1000 or so support people needed to run the place.

Interesting Day

President Obama had some meetings scheduled for NYC tonight. Before heading into Manhattan, he took a side trip to the famed Tastee Subs in Edison NJ, one of the most well known yet nondescript eateries in Central NJ. He met with several small business owners for a brief time to discuss how his new bills would help struggling companies rebound. Selecting Tastee did not make a lot of sense as they have provided their employees with health care for decades and have thrived ever since their inception in 1963 and are busier than ever. Perhaps the White House thought the very shabby building would represent the scores of failing businesses across the nation but this is probably one of the most successful small businesses in the area stationed at one of the busiest intersections! Let's just hope that the end result will be prosperity for all small business owners and additional jobs to help fix the economy!

Are We There Yet?

Reality has slowly settled in for me and I am ready to admit our economy might never return to what we knew as normal although I believe we find find a new standard and work from there to gradually rehabilitate. Exactly when we will settle down is still a bit hard to predict. Whenever we seem to find ourselves we take another body check from unexpected sources. Theoretically, we are supposed to see light at the end of the tunnel sometime this year. Keep in mind we are almost at the midway point and I just do not see anything that indicates our free fall has ended.

Who's the Boss?

This is not an article about a sitcom which I never felt was worth watching on TV! It is about what to do if you appear to have multiple bosses giving conflicting directions and sending crossed signals. Such a situation presented itself to me early in my career and I have heard similar nightmares from both contractors and permanent placements many times.

Quite honestly, there is no simple solution to avoiding a power struggle among superiors or those who think they are superior. When you find yourself following the lead of your alleged boss but then getting raked over the coals by his or her delegates and/or immediate reports, you have just one place to go. Schedule a conversation with the person you are officially assigned to and ask them how to navigate this awkward situation. Sometimes, it is a simple fix but other times it will not go away.

Previously, when the economy was thriving, my advice would have been to start an earnest job search. For obvious reasons, this is not terribly feasible right now. The best solution I could give is to document every direction and criticism you receive and keep them handy in case you find yourself in a position to have to defend your right to remain employed.

Some Very Early December Rantings

For some unknown reason, I am ringing in December 2009 with both some early morning indigestion and insomnia. Of course, I am imagining everything from early onset of H1N1 ( makes me think of being dragged to see Star Trek/Wars) to the seasonal flu (dumb name) to a reaction to some medication changes to some unknown ailment waiting at the door........

Guess what? I figured out my problem! Indigestion was brought on by all the stupid decisions being made by our federal government which will undoubtedly mess up the economy even more resulting in more depressing employment figures to wrap up 2009. Insomnia was brought on by trying to figure out how to motivate my clients, who are desperately short handed to the point of barely being productive, to bring in staff (at least on a short term basis) to meet the needs of their valued customers without losing them to off-shore manufacturers. Also, I would sleep better if the unemployed populus became realistic about what it takes to jump back into the job market therefore making themselves more desirable to future employers once the fog lifts off our shoulders (yes, it has engulfed our heads and is working downward for now) and if I could bring employed folks to their senses about staying put until partial clearing replaces the fog.

Wow! Getting that off my chest was almost as good as a glass of ginger ale. Time to sign off and go find the Canada Dry!