Warm Weather Work Attire

Ah, August. The dog days of summer, when the sun shines and the temps climb. It’s okay to relax your professional appearance a little during the summer, right?
The answer to this question, admittedly, isn’t always straightforward.
Your Workplace
What you wear to work should be determined, at least partly, by where you work.
For example, the vice president [...]

Single Women in Today’s Workplace

Women often have employment experiences that differ from those of their male counterparts, and the same can be true of single women and their married female coworkers.
More Work Required
Women in general face numerous career challenges.
Yes, today women run multinational corporations, state and local governments, and of course run for president. But, even though Hillary [...]

When a Coworker Has Cancer

Sadly, it’s an experience too many people have had, and one others will likely encounter. A coworker, someone with whom you share the majority of your waking hours, has been diagnosed with cancer.
Statistically Speaking
Despite medical advances, cancer remains a leading cause of death for both women and men, second only to heart disease.
According to the [...]

Keith Ablow: Work Stress and Your Sanity

Dear Keith: As much as everyone talks about layoffs, I guess I should feel as if I’m one of the lucky ones, but I’m all the more irritable because they are piling more projects on me at work. The threat of losing a job hangs over all of us who are left, so of course [...]

On Valentine’s Day

Ah, hearts and flowers. Chocolate and champagne.
As February 14th draws near, single-minded women may be less interested in career matters and more interested in romantic relationships—or potential relationships.
Before you mix business with pleasure, however, you’ll want to read “Dating a Coworker.” 
Love may be a many-splendored thing, but in this economy so is a job—and your [...]

On Dealing with a Worsening Employment Market

Unfortunately, the economic situation has not improved. In fact, January saw an increased number of worker layoffs.
More job cuts mean more job seekers, which, for those already looking for employment, results in increased competition. If this weren’t bad enough, the problem gets compounded by the fact that many companies have implemented hiring freezes.
It all translates [...]

On Going Back to School

A new year often finds people assessing their careers.
Unfortunately, this year, reflecting on your career might involve addressing significant concerns. Unemployment, layoffs or the possibility of layoffs, pay cuts, and benefits cuts have all been in the news. Indeed, it’s increasingly likely that you or someone close to you has faced one or more of [...]

On What Not to Wear to the Interview

As might be expected, the holiday gathering with my family this year included conversations about politics, the economy, and our various employment situations.
One of my sisters-in-law told a work-related story that’s worth sharing with SMW readers.
It was a typical day at the office when suddenly everyone noticed a young woman who looked like a hooker [...]

On Coping When Laid Off

Thanks to Rita Ashley, job search coach, for last week’s blog post about continuing a job search during the holiday season.
Unfortunately, this holiday season is likely to find more employees receiving pink slips, and these people, single-minded women among them, will join the growing ranks of job seekers.
When it comes to coping with a layoff, [...]

Domestic Violence in the Workplace

I read an article by Betsy Morris in Fortune magazine this week. The topic was domestic violence and how increasingly necessary it is for companies to become involved in order to prevent domestic violence from ending up on its doorstep. It’s a very important story that makes it clear that the workplace must be kept [...]