Generation X Finance » Business

How to Negotiate Remote Work With An Employer

Jeremy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:43:35 +0000

Working Remotely is the Holy Grail for Many Workers

Travel is liberating. It allows us to experience places and cultural happenings beyond our wildest imaginations. It puts things in perspective and gives us countless stories to recant to friends and family members who want to know what it feels like to dip their toes in the ocean, live out of a backpack or suitcase, and visit outdoor marketplaces where fruit and vegetables are sold by the bushel and where independent artisans weave rugs, handcraft jewelry, and paint portraits under the watchful eyes of tourists.

Travel lightens our spirits while toughening up our skins. It teaches us to be patient and resilient and encourages us to live in the moment, a place often void of modern conveniences like BlueTooths and Cheez Whiz. Travel takes us to new spiritual levels, provides us with fresh sources of inspiration, and forces us to think outside the box and to improvise.

For those that are inexperienced, long-term travel can cause anxiety. There are a few reasons why people feel apprehensive. Work and family obligations can limit a person. Lack of financial resources can also damper an adventurous spirit.

Rather than forgo the trip of a lifetime, why not consider applying the skills and experience that you learned in the workplace to your new life on the road? You would be surprised at how easy it is to be an excellent employee from any location in the world.

Nora Dunn, a freelance writer and “professional hobo”, enjoys stable income while she treks across the globe. In addition to creating content for a number of websites and magazines, she has traded skills in order to secure accommodations. One of her most memorable experiences involved milking goats. She has also painted murals, led eco-treks, and landscaped yards in exchange for a place to sleep.

She offers this advice to fellow travelers:

Even if you don’t work in trade for accommodation, travel in general is an exercise in flexibility and having an open mind. It may not be a matter of life and death, but it will certainly affect your ability to “survive” the trip and come out the other side feeling fulfilled.

Negotiating a remote work location with your employer is far easier said than done. It often requires a positive attitude and persistence. Here are a few arguments to take to the boss:

Some people double their efficiency by removing distractions. You happen to be one of them. Your track record speaks volume. Not only are you a valued team player, you also know how to work alone.

Your people skills are exceptional. You know how to communicate with people from all backgrounds. You may even know a language or two that will help you with your travels.

You are irreplaceable. You know your position inside and out. There is no sense spending money on recruiting and training another individual when you can do your job from any corner of the globe.

Once you have agreed upon a plan, exceed expectations. Communicate frequently with your employer. Meet all deadlines and turn in quality work. There is no excuse for failed internet connections or downed phone lines. Have a backup plan just in case you run into any problems while abroad.

Living your travel dreams is possible with some assistance from your employer. Keep a steady stream of income available to fund your journey by coming up with a plan that allows you to work remotely. A week’s vacation in an exotic location pales in comparison to years of traveling and living in the country or countries of your choice.

Jeremy’s comment: As Charissa has explained, working remotely can be very rewarding. As you’re reading this I’m doing some remote working of my own. In addition to this blog I’m also a writer for About.com and work with Bundle as an editor, but guess what? I’ve been driving across the country over the past week while still using technology to work remotely regardless of where I am. It’s great! No longer am I bound to the office and I’m able to get all of my work done while enjoying the sights away from home. I know not every job has this type of flexibility, but it is becoming more and more common. At the very least, it might be something worth discussing with your employer if it’s something that interests you. The worst that can happen is they say no.

Charissa Arsaoui is a freelance writer for ChickSpeak, Buzzine, DisFUNKshion Magazine, Student Stuff, and a guest contributor for Wisebread. She loves thrift related topics and can spot a bargain a mile away.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

How to Negotiate Remote Work With An Employer

Seven Reasons Why Working from Home May Be Ideal For You

Jeremy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:55:41 +0000

Telecommuting is a practice being adopted by companies around the globe as a way to lower overhead costs and foster better relationships with employees. I wish telecommuting was an option with my old employer, but it still required a lot of face-to-face interaction. I did have a lot of flexibility and some benefits mentioned here, but not to the extent of being completely mobile. That being said, now that I am 100% self-employed I do have virtually all of these reasons to be thankful for. Even just a few weeks in, I can already feel the benefits.

In addition to greater flexibility, higher levels of productivity and overall job satisfaction, telecommuting is ideal for the following reasons:

Little to no face-to-face contact with a “boss”. Although communication is key, nearly all methods of “checking in” are virtual which increases efficiency and lowers stress levels.

More control over your work environment. You call the shots. If you produce better results while listening to 80s Hair Bands on your iPod, so be it! You can do your work from the comfort of your own home, the healthy buzz of your local coffee shops, or your outdoor patio or garden area.

A schedule that fits your needs not your employer’s. Take that extended vacation that you planned without your world crumbling around you. Attend your son’s Little League game without hassle from your boss. Get up early or stay up late finishing up projects according to your preference.

No unnecessary added expenses. Skip the commute, wear your most comfortable clothes, brew your own coffee, and make lunch from scratch using the items that you already have in your kitchen. Working from home helps you reduce costs and gives you tax breaks beyond your wildest imagination.

More variety in work assignments. Mundane tasks given to you by your “superiors” are delegated to people who work locally not remotely which give you the opportunity to complete several projects at one time.

You can raise your own children. Forget about daycare. You can tend to your little ones and still maintain balance between your personal and professional life.

Increased job security. You can juggle multiple streams of income efficiently when you work from home. By keeping yourself organized, you keep yourself out of the unemployment line and gainfully employed even if one endeavor doesn’t pan out.

No matter what your underlying reason for working from home may be, rest assured that more individuals and companies are considering the pluses of telecommuting and freelancing.

Explore your options and see what kind of arrangements can be made with your current employer before striking out on your own. You never know. You may ask yourself later on why you didn’t think about doing this sooner.

13 Job Websites & Boards for Freelance Designers to Find Work

Jeremy — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:14:55 +0000

Almost any type of freelance work is filled with its ups and downs. At times, you might find quite lucrative jobs that pay well for your efforts, while other work might have you burning the midnight oil for just a few bucks. That’s the downside of freelancing, as well as what creates the excitement of the work. Even with lower paying jobs, you never know what they might lead to down the road. Your hard work and effort might not seem like it’s paying off, but through dedication to your craft and word of mouth, you might be building future employment for yourself without even knowing it.

That being said, there is are a variety of differences among freelance design websites, and you don’t want to be wasting away your hours on work for a site that won’t provide returns on your time commitment. Here are a few sites you might want to check out, but, just as with any freelance work, it is important to practice due diligence and read plenty of unbiased user reviews before jumping into work with an unfamiliar employer.

Elance – This job board has a massive variety of jobs available from around the globe. Your biggest problem with this site might be sorting through the immense number of projects and picking the ones that will fit and pay you best. Their feedback, ratings, and summaries can serve as your guide in decision-making regarding the jobs on which to bid.

Freelance Switch – While not offering the variety and huge selection of Elance or some of the others on this list, sometimes that can make life easier. When I last checked the site, there were thirty job postings, ranging from freelance writing to logo and website design. At the time of this writing, a subscription to the site is $7 a month.

Freelancer – The web address for this site is still getafreelancer.com, but the site itself is now billed as freelancer.com. There is plenty of work here, but be aware, while membership is free, according to the site: “Freelancers pay 10% or $5 (whichever is greater) of the total bid/funds received.”

iFreelance – Depending on the level of membership you decide upon, monthly fees for this site can range from $4.69 (basic membership) to $9 (gold membership). However, according to the site, you pay no commission, and you receive unlimited leads on available projects. Consult their Member Benefits and Pricing page for further and current information.

Fresh Web Jobs – Offering full time and freelance work, Fresh Web Jobs might not have the huge selection of some other sites, however; the majority of the job openings have full descriptions and requirements. It appears that employers pay to post their job openings here, leaving users fee free.

Web Designer Wall – Focused purely on web design, Web Designer Wall is a smaller listing site. Similar to freshwebjobs.com though, the website seems to push its operating costs off onto the job posters rather than charging freelancers a commission, membership or subscription fee to apply for work.

Krop – This is a focused site for matching serious talent with real projects. This site is for professionals who have a well-established background in the industry. If you’re just breaking into freelance web design, this might not be the best place to start your search for work.

37signals – Check out 37signal’s Tech/Design Job Board to see what’s happening on the web design job front. While there are fewer available positions as compared to some other freelance sites, their postings appear to be with quite reputable (and often well-known) employers.

Guru – At Guru’s freelancer page, you can selection from a variety of technology-based positions. A quick scan of their easy to search database of available positions will give you a good feel for the type of projects out there as well as the compensation being offered for the work.

Craigslist – Of course I couldn’t leave this one off the list. Craigslist can be a great place to find just about anything – including freelance web design gigs.

Sitepoint – The Marketplace at SitePoint is a tad reminiscent of Craigslist. The site’s no-frills style classified listings are pretty straightforward and there’s a constant supply of new job offers coming through.

Authentic Jobs – Similar to Krop and 37signals, Authentic Jobs is geared specifically toward web professionals. Their site can be sorted by full-time, freelance or all available positions, the majority of which look for definite background qualifications and experience.

Odesk – There is much more than just freelance web design work offered at Odesk. Last time I checked, out of the more than 10,000 listings, more than 4,000 of them were related to web development.

About the Author

Kris is a freelance writer working for an Australian website that offers an easy comparison of credit cards with a large choice of cards featuring 0% interest on balance transfers and more. To read more of his writing about personal finance and money management hacks, check out their blog, The Credit Letter.

How to Become a Successful Secret Shopper and Supplement Your Income

charissa — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:07:45 +0000

Secret shopping has been given a bad rap lately. Websites that promise “to pay you to shop” and then make you jump through hoops or sign up for their sponsors’ offers have done damage to reputable companies like Strategic Reflections, Beyond Hello, and Jancyn, who are hired by businesses to evaluate the level of customer service that they receive when frequenting their stores or hiring their services. In fact, secret shopping scams are so prevalent that the people who ordinarily seek out sources of side income find themselves wondering whether a company is legitimate or not. This article serves as a primer for those interested in working as a secret shopper by dispelling the myths commonly associated with independent contracting.

FACT: Secret shopping is a real, reputable way to make extra money.

FACT: Secret shopping allows you to work around your busy schedule.

FACT: You are in control when you’re a secret shopper. You can accept as few or as many shops as you want and make as much money as you want.

Although it seems too good to be true, companies all over the globe are looking for people just like you to provide honest, objective feedback about the level of service that you receive at the businesses that you frequent on a regular basis. For a few minutes of your time, you can receive compensation for your efforts in the form of cash, free merchandise and services. A viable form of self-employment, secret shopping has its share of benefits.

Completed at a leisurely pace, secret shopping can supplement your income or take the place of a full-time job. Making use of your keen eye and observant nature, you can leave behind the nine-to-five grind and live the kind of life that you have always dreamed of. That is, if you heed the advice given here.

Throughout this article, I will address the topic of secret shopping and provide tips that will not only make you money but ensure that your hard work and efforts aren’t wasted.

Secret shopping is a legitimate way to make a living. With a little time and some carefully worded direction, you too, will be on the road to becoming a successful secret shopper.

What is Secret Shopping?

Secret shopping is an inexpensive way for companies to obtain accurate feedback on the people that they employ and the service that they provide. Big corporations hire secret shopper companies to observe their businesses so that they can expose problem areas and address customer concerns.

Secret shopper companies then assign projects to various Independent Contractors throughout their area and give them a time frame to complete their work. Project guidelines are either posted on the company website or sent to the shopper’s email account. Upon receipt of the shop, the company then compensates the contractor for their time and any of the items that they were required to purchase.

Finding the Right Companies to Work For

Websites stating that you can “get paid to shop” often require a fee to use their services and be registered in their databases. Do not consider working for a company that charges you! There are plenty of companies willing to hire you for free. Make sure to check out their websites:

Trendsource

Shoppers Inc.

Service Intelligence

About Face: World’s Premier Shopping Company

Jancyn

A simple web search will help you identify which websites are legit and which ones are not. Remember your objective. You are looking to increase your income not your expenses. Do not pay a fee to access databases containing secret shopping company information. Visit a free website like Walletboosters for an updated list instead.

Secrets to Success

Secret shopping is a wonderful way to earn income. If your current job isn’t as flexible and you would like it to be or doesn’t pay enough, adding a couple of assignments a month will surely help you in the long run. Working for more than one company will also give you better opportunities. This is especially true if you live in larger cities where secret shoppers are abundant.

Keeping Track of Paydays

Paychecks are usually cut once a month but some companies pay more frequently. It is helpful to learn what payday is for each company you work for. Keep track of the shops that you have completed and the pay for each one in a notebook or on a calendar. No one likes to work for free!

Also remember to have money up front to purchase items. This may be a requirement for a shop. Most companies reimburse you for your purchases. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you don’t have $10 to spend on lunch or merchandise from time to time, this is not the job for you.

Making the Most Out of Phone Shops

Some shops pay really well while others pay considerably less. Some shops must be done in person while others can be completed over the phone. It is best to do a lot of phones shops if you have free long distance or a fixed rate phone service. An exceptionally large phone bill will squelch any desire to do phone shops in the future. If you are concerned about this, it may be best for you to purchase a prepaid calling card or use a service like Skype or the MagicJack.

Super Supplies That Will Aid You in the Process

Having a few inexpensive supplies on hand will help you in the long run. Purchasing a cheap stopwatch is a necessity. Do not forfeit your reputation by not completing a shop correctly. It is better to earn less for a shop than nothing at all.

It is easy to get confused if you work for several companies. Record the due date of each assignment on the calendar. Also, make sure to list the shop’s fee and the company’s pay period on there as well. Keeping your glove box stocked with extra pens and paper will eliminate confusion. A pocket sized notepad that can be carried and written in discreetly is also a wonderful tool for you to have.

Owning a digital camera will give you an advantage because most companies require strict documentation of the things that you observe. Photo shops often pay better than others because they do require more work. The smaller your camera is, the easier it is to conceal. Keeping your identity anonymous is crucial and one of the most important things to remember when secret shopping. Never reveal yourself unless instructed to do so by the company that you are working for.

Every company has established its own criteria for assignments. In order to fill their needs, you must carefully read the instructions for each shop before completing it. Gather all the supplies you need before hand and pay attention to the time frame given to you to finish the shop. If problems do arise, contact the scheduler immediately. Remaining communicative with the company that you work for is an absolute necessity. Reliable internet and phone service is a must if you wish to work in this profession.

Make Big Bucks Referring Friends

Not every shop will fit into your schedule. That’s where your friends and family come in. By referring those to the companies that you work for, you accomplish two things. You give the people you’re the fondest of extra income and the companies that you work for will pay you a referral bonus for each eligible shopper that you sign up. Referrals=extra income. The more people that you refer, the greater the chance you have to make additional money.

A big push for companies to improve their procedures has caused the secret shopping industry to swell with opportunities. With a few simple tools, these tips, and the desire to succeed, you, too, can start a career as a secret shopper today.

5 Freelance Writing Websites That Pay Frequently

charissa — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:59:03 +0000

When it comes to making extra cash, the internet has a lot to offer its users. Online auction sites provide members with a place to peddle goods and services and social media networks like Twitter and Facebook make it possible to self-promote with ease. Those individuals with a knack for the written word can find legitimate, paid work-at-home opportunities online. In fact, those writers wanting to gain exposure and line their pockets with cold hard cash may find the following five websites useful:

Demand Studios. Write instructional articles on a variety of topics including: Animals, Arts and Entertainment, Computers, Health and Fitness, Home and Gardening, Sports and Recreation, and Travel. Paychecks are disbursed twice weekly to your PayPal account and top paying articles are worth $15 a piece. You can also select revenue share articles which earn significantly more over the course of a year and pay out once monthly.
Textbroker. Anyone can write for Textbroker. Search through their database of available topics and choose the one that best fits your interests and knowledge level. Write the article, submit it, and elect a payout once your account has reached $10. Payments occur bi-weekly and are sent to the PayPal account address registered on the site.
Quality Gal. Article topics are specific and require knowledge of hypertex, or linking back to educational and governmental websites. Due to the amount of work involved, Quality Gal pays up to $12 for each article that is approved. Once weekly, writers submit an invoice and QG submits payment via PayPal.
Content Current. Topics usually involve knowledge of Search Engine Optimization and require a specific word count. Significantly lower in payment than other websites, Content Current offers writers routine work and the chance to participate in Forum Boosting. Payments are received weekly through the writer’s PayPal account.
EDUBook. Unlike other websites, article topics are pre-assigned. Each member receives four to five articles at a time. Once that batch is completed, he or she can request additional assignments. Pay is $5 an article or $25 a batch and compensation is received electronically through PayPal once a week.

Aspiring writers needn’t go broke pursuing their literary dreams. While companies like Demand Studios and Textbroker exist, they do not offer the big payout that feature writers are accustomed to. They can, however, pay for groceries or generate enough extra money for a rainy day. Whether you are looking for an additional source of income or researching opportunities to leave the rat race altogether, becoming an independent contractor and working for the aforementioned companies is a wise move in any economy.

Keep in mind that as you become a more established freelance writer you may find many writing opportunities by marketing your services directly on many of the blogging job boards or sites like Elance. But in order market your services you really need to have a solid portfolio of work to show prospective clients, so using the sites listed above are a great way to begin building your online writing portfolio.

Brush Up on Your Job Skills and Performance So That You Can Keep Your Job or Get a Raise

Jeremy — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:31:06 +0000

Now is Not the Time to be Complacent in the Workplace

When you sit down and look at your finances you’re probably mostly focused on expenses and spending. How much money do you spend on housing, groceries, insurance, and even taxes? What is often overlooked is income. Without income none of the aforementioned items will even matter. Just like you can change your spending habits to reduce expenses there are things you can do to help you increase your income. If you are just doing what it takes to get by in your job you could be setting yourself up for fewer opportunities and lower income in the coming years.

If you aren’t regularly looking at your own job performance, skills, and advancement opportunities you are severely limiting your earning potential. This job market is competitive and if you aren’t living up to your expectations or find yourself in an industry that is declining it should be no surprise that you could potentially be without a job. When that happens you’re obviously dealt a devastating financial blow that could set you back years.

Job Skills

Start by taking a look at your job skills. Would you hire someone with your skills to do the job you’re doing? Are you current with computer and other technical skills required for your job? Do you need more training? Does your job require specific certifications? Your career isn’t static and the tasks you need to complete are always changing. Your employer will generally offer basic training required to do the job but above and beyond that it may be up to you.

Some employers even offer reimbursement for outside training so that is the first place to look. Other times it may be out of your own pocket so you need to consider the benefits of additional training. Would obtaining that certification or touching up on certain industry skills make you more valuable to the company? These small improvements to your skill set may be the difference needed to keep your job during a downsize or losing it to a new college graduate who is current with the latest skills.

Job Performance

This area can be a bit subjective but you should take an honest look at your performance. Put yourself in your supervisor’s shoes. What kind of review would you give yourself?

Do you show up on time?
Do you do all that is asked of you?
Is your work completed by the deadline?
Do you put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay?
Do you cut corners?
Do you like your job and does it show?

Job performance is more than showing up, doing what is required without messing up, and then going home. If you are familiar with the movie Office Space you probably remember the manager at the restaurant requiring the servers to wear a certain amount of flair on their uniforms. The manager regularly addresses Jennifer Aniston’s character for wearing only the minimum and encourages her to wear more like her co-worker. She later proclaims that if he wants everyone to wear 38 pieces to just make the minimum 38.

The point is that you can only do the minimum and still maintain your job, but is that really what you want to do? You don’t have to be over-the-top and obnoxious about doing more than the minimum like the waiter with a million of buttons on his uniform but your boss will notice if you do a little bit more than the minimum. At the same time you will also be noticed if you are known for just doing the minimum when the company is looking to cut costs or introduce new talent.

Job Security

This one can be harder to examine but it is important to understand your true employment situation. Are you working in an industry that has been facing hard times recently? Are you in a rapidly expanding industry? Aside from the broad economic aspect take a look at your individual employer. Is the company operating at a profit? Is the company local, national or global? What are your chances of advancement within the company?

These questions can paint a picture of how secure your job actually is. Clearly there will always be unforeseen circumstances that can make even a seemingly secure job become obsolete, but by understanding where you stand can give you an edge in spotting potential troubles. This advanced warning can give you a jump start in looking for new opportunities in the event you do lose your job.

Have a Backup Plan

You need to have a backup plan in the event your source of income is drastically reduced or eliminated completely. What this means is to have a course of action established to minimize the impact of this situation as little as possible. The first thing you should be concerned with is your emergency savings. Ideally you would have enough money saved up to continue paying the bills for a few months with little or no interruption. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case. If you don’t currently have an emergency savings I would recommend opening a free high-interest savings account today and start by funding it with just $25. Then, set up automatic deposits so that you can build up your savings without even thinking about it.

Next, have a plan for getting back to work as quickly as possible. Keep your resume updated. The last thing you need in the event of a job loss is spending the better part of a week trying to write a new resume and cover letter from scratch before even being able to apply elsewhere. Being prepared will allow you to get into the hunt for a new job as soon as possible. Not only that, but if it’s been a while since you last wrote a resume it can be difficult to go back and think about all of your past achievements and skills that you would want to list. So, if you regularly keep it updated you’ll be sure to include everything you can to make you look good to new employers.

Finally, it is important to maintain contacts. Keep the numbers of old co-workers or acquaintances that could have an inside track to open positions. These people could be your best resource when it comes to finding a new position. They know you and what you’re strengths are and can be great referral sources. Thanks to the power of the internet this is easier than ever before. One way you might want to start is by creating a profile on LinkedIn. This is a professional networking site where you can connect with old colleagues, classmates, and even post your resume and look for jobs. Remember, a lot of times it’s not what you know, but who you know.

The Zurich Mantra on Beating the Recession

Jeremy — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:30:25 +0000

This is a guest post by Nicholas Bate, author of the new book Beat the Recession: A Blueprint for Business Survival. He is author, designer and facilitator for the ground-breaking ‘Personal Excellence’ seminar, a program used as the basis for cultural change in many organizations, in addition to many pioneering development concepts in leadership, team-building and sales training. Nicholas Bate is passionate about supporting people to ensure they realise and release their true and full potential.

For more information on Nicholas Bate, his books, and his seminar, be sure to visit his blog.

The other day I spoke in Zurich on Beating the Recession. As always, I tend to emphasize there are three possible routes:

Accept that the recession has simply highlighted what was inevitable and get out and put your resources, time, energy and people into something else. Mind-blowingly awful to execute short-term, but the only long-term viable option. Throwing money at it is well, generally, money down the drain.
Diversify. Spot what the markets are doing and provide. This could help you implement 1, above.
Get better at what you do. If you know your model is valid, then get better at what you do. And this can work well with 2, above.

To illustrate the power of 3: Get Better, I’ve created a simple simulation whereby delegates get a short period to run a company ’in recession’ and then apply various factors and notice the immediate turn-around. These factors are rarely common practice. For the group I spoke to, I wrapped them up into what I called the Zurich Mantra:

Z: Zen-like clarity of purpose and process. In many organizations and for individuals, purpose has become vague and processes have got worn. Improve both, you improve results.

U: Unstoppable desire to improve. Kaizen or never ending constant improvement. If you want things to be better, you need to better. Good is no longer good enough. Raise standards and results will improve.

R: Review and rehearse. In business we do not spend enough time doing either. Once we do, results improve.

I: I own the problem. Leadership is a mindset not a job title. Make It happen; never walk by a quality issue.

C: Chain-react teach this stuff. I encourage each delegate to go and quality teach these ideas to just two people. And each of these two, to quality teach two more people. Soon everybody has got it. That improves results.

H: because HOPE in a recession is not strategy.

How to Keep Your Job While Unemployment is on the Rise

Jeremy — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:16:03 +0000

5 Tips to Help You Increase the Chances of Keeping Your Job

Unemployment continues to rise, and jobs are getting harder to come by. The national average is approaching 7% while many areas are being hit with unemployment rates of about 10% already. Think about that for a minute. One out of every ten people you know are likely to be without a job. If not now, but possibly in the near future. Of course, if you work in an industry that’s already being hit hard, this may already be the case or even worse.

So how do you make sure that you’re not that one out of ten without a job? Unfortunately, in some positions or with certain companies, nobody is safe. But there are many situations where layoffs are more selective, and by taking the initiative to make a few good decisions, you can improve your chances of keeping your job when it comes time to let some people go.

Make Yourself Available

If your company has already let some people go, that means there’s just as much work to be done, only by fewer people. Those who still have a job will need to pick up some of the slack. This means that you should be making yourself available to take on additional tasks or help with projects that you might not have otherwise had to do. While nobody wants to take on more work for no additional pay, in times like these it pays to be someone who offers to help.

When you take the lead and offer your assistance when asked, you increase your value to your boss and employer. You become someone that they can count on, and this will likely play a role in determining who they can afford to let go if layoffs are on the way. Of course, this is a double-edged sword. It is possible that in offering up this additional help, your boss may begin to take advantage of you and pile on even more work. You don’t want to be put in that situation either. But in times like these, you need to weigh the options. Get burdened with more work and be thankful you have a job, or refuse to do more work and risk losing your job.

Let Your Boss Know What You’re Doing

Just doing good work alone isn’t enough. Your boss is probably just as stressed out, if not more about uncertainty at work and the possibility of cutting workers. They probably aren’t completely in-tune with everything you’re doing, and unless you bring issues up with your boss directly, they may go unnoticed. This doesn’t mean you should burden your boss with your every little accomplishment, but you need to let him know you’re out there and getting things done.

It doesn’t take much either. Just shooting a quick email updating your supervisor about the completion of an assignment, or informing them of something that would make them happy since it reduces their workload or stress will go a long way. The bottom line is you want to have regular communication, whether big or small. Again, when it comes down to deciding who needs to stay and go, the more visible you’ve been to your superiors, the more likely the perceived value in keeping you on.

Network With Others

Networking can not only help you keep your job, but it can prove very valuable when it’s time to seek out a new job. Your personal connections matter, and if you’re a loner in the office, your chances of retaining your position when others are perceived to be bigger team players begins to drop. You don’t have to go out for drinks with the entire office every day after work, but you should make an effort to connect with your co-workers. This can improve your relationship with others, and even translate to improved performance in the office.

You should also consider joining any professional organizations that relate to your job or industry and take part in local networking events. Again, this alone might not save your job, but the connections you build will help you find new work through the connections you’ve made. If time is a constraint or you don’t have many local networking opportunities, you might want to check out an online service like LinkedIn where you can search, find, and network with friends, co-workers, and other industry players from the comfort of your home.

Be Conservative

I’m not talking about political affiliation here, but your work style. When companies are struggling and doing their best to make ends meet, there isn’t as much room for error. If you’re someone who regularly pushes the envelope and tries new or radical ideas, it might be a good idea to tone things down a bit. It isn’t that thinking outside the box or trying to be innovative is bad, it’s just there is little room for mistakes in this type of environment.

When companies are rapidly growing and healthy, it’s almost encouraged to think this way, but when your job might be on the line, it’s time to ratchet down and stick to the core values of the company. You might argue that being innovative and coming up with a great idea could also save your job. And it’s true, if you come up with something or take the company in a direction that saves or makes money, you could be seen as a hero. But if you fail, you’re seen as the employee who went out on a limb and messed up. It’s all about risk and reward. Taking a risk might yield a big reward, but could also accelerate your departure. Being more conservative in times like these could prove to be the better course of action.

Don’t Complain

Above all, don’t complain. Are you ticked off that Sally was assigned a task that you were expected to do, or mad that someone threw out your leftover cake in the break room? Now is the time to bite your tongue. Don’t make a big deal out of petty stuff. If you are seen as someone who whines or complains, you’ll become part of the office gossip. It doesn’t pay to make a big deal out of things that don’t directly affect your job security.

Obviously, if something is being done that’s wrong, against policy, or directly affects your performance, that’s one thing. But if a co-worker does something annoying, or your boss assigns you a menial task, it’s probably in your best interest to suck it up and go on with your business. Everyone is stressed out, but don’t be known as the guy or girl at the office who complains about everything. You’ll surely be noticed, but not in a good way.

Two-Thirds of Corporations Don’t Pay Taxes – Nothing More Than Political Hogwash

Jeremy — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:28:03 +0000

Are Businesses Getting Out of Paying Taxes or is it Just a Good Story for the Media and Politicians?

One of the big stories last week was from the Government Accountability Office study that reported that two-thirds of American corporations didn’t pay any taxes in 2005. Of course, a statement like this is sure to create a lot of media coverage, and people who are against business immediately cried fowl.

The first thoughts that come to mind are big evil companies shuffling their money through various tax loopholes in order to avoid paying taxes, but is this fact or fiction? Luckily there some people out there who understand the realities of how businesses operate and can paint a clearer picture of what is really going on.

A Good Business Should be Structured so It Doesn’t Pay Taxes (Or Pay as Little as Possible)

What the layperson doesn’t often understand is why most businesses aren’t taxed. A lot of it comes down to the double taxation of corporate profits. If you recall from Business Entities 101, a corporation is a separate legal and taxable entity. This means that corporate profits are taxed at the corporate level, and when disbursed to business owners or shareholders in the form of dividends, are taxed again at the personal level. Clearly, business owners want to avoid having their profits taxed twice, so they will structure the profits to be paid out in a way that minimizes or eliminates this. One common method of doing this is to shift the corporate profits into salaries as opposed to being paid out in dividends. The money is still being taxed, but just at the personal level.

Steven Malanga from Real Clear Markets discusses this in an article today. He mentions something by Kevin Hassett from Bloomberg:

Kevin Hassett, in a Bloomberg commentary, explained that most small businesses are now organized in such a way that many prefer to take their profits as an owner’s salary and pay taxes on the wages. It’s not that they aren’t paying taxes, as the headline incorrectly says, but rather that the money is not flowing to the government through the corporate levy.

But what about “big” businesses? Obviously they can’t shift all of their income into salaries in order to eliminate corporate income taxes, so how do you explain that? Again, Steven points out that even in a good economic year such as 2005, a lot of businesses weren’t making money, thus had nothing to tax.

Even in good times, there are plenty of losers in a dynamic economy. The BLS’ Business Dynamics Survey, for instance, shows that in 2005 there were 7.3 businesses that were contracting for every 7.6 that were expanding, including 1.3 that were closing their doors for every 1.5 that were starting up. Large businesses were hardly immune to this kind of tumult. For every 5.8 jobs added by firms with more than 500 employees, other firms that big eliminated 4.9 jobs. Among those hit hard in 2005 was General Motors, which despite $193 billion in revenues wracked up a $10.4 billion loss and cut its workforce.

As you can see, even during this time frame, there were almost as many businesses doing poorly as there were businesses doing well. Of course, the sensational headlines you’ve read over the past week make it sound like every corporation was thriving during 2005, so the fact that two-thirds didn’t pay any taxes appeared to be shocking.

Sales Do Not Equal Profits

One of the easiest ways to draw attention to your headline is to throw around millions, billions, or trillions in sales while alluding to the fact that corporations don’t pay any tax. To the average person, they see this as a company making billions of dollars and not paying a single cent in tax. Of course, when you hear about these big numbers, they are almost always talking about gross sales or revenue, not taxable profits.

Just look at the General Motors example above. If you walked up to someone on the street and told them that GM had $193 billion in sales and didn’t pay any taxes, you’d probably have 9 out of 10 people act shocked and disgusted that a big company can get away with it. Even though they had nearly 200 billion dollars in revenue, the media will fail to point out that they also had over $203 billion in expenses which resulted in an over $10 billion loss. Without an actual profit, there isn’t much to be taxed.

From that same article by Steven:

As Michigan Senator Carl Levin, a frequent critic of corporations, said of the study, “Twenty-five percent of the largest U.S. corporations [those with more than $50 million in revenues] had $1.1 trillion in gross sales in 2005 and yet paid no federal income taxes.” That statement suggests that Levin is either trying to mislead us or that he has made it into the world’s most exclusive club, the U.S. Senate, without knowing the difference between earnings and sales.

Again, we heard this $1.1 trillion number thrown around quite a bit last week, but what does it mean? There is no context here. Ok, so larger companies had over a trillion in sales, but what was the actual profit from these companies? Of course, including this information would not be as shocking as just arbitrarily tossing out an unfathomable number like $1.1 trillion.

As I mentioned earlier, most businesses are streamlined to the point that actual profit margins are very small. They may be selling billions of dollars in goods but only seeing a profit margin of a couple percent.

The difference, of course, can be enormous. For one thing, many industries have extremely small profit margins because as soon as it gets too easy to make a buck in a free-market system, you’re sure to get plenty of competitors crowding in, driving down your margins.

Many businesses we regard as successful operate on small profit margins. After paying $5.8 billion in taxes in 2005, Wal-Mart earned $11.7 billion—a nice chunk of change. But those earnings were on revenues of $312 billion, a mere 3.4 percent net profit margin.

A Business Isn’t That Different from You and Me

Take a look at your own tax situation. Do you do things that minimize your income tax bill? Whether it’s putting money into an IRA or 401(k), deducting property taxes, or claiming your children as dependents, you’re obviously going to take advantage of any tax break you can get so that you pay the least amount of taxes as possible. The same thing goes for a business. The owners are already having their salary taxed, so they are going to try and minimize the impact of having their profits taxed yet again.

Of course, it’s always easier to complain about companies that make money, call them evil, and exaggerate facts to fit your agenda. And I’m sure there are a few companies that get a little liberal with their accounting or tax-saving measures, but a lot of individuals do the same thing in an effort to reduce their taxes.

But it’s up to you to believe what you want. If you want to believe everything the media says and chastise businesses because some numbers make it look like businesses are scamming the tax code, go ahead. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but at least try to make it an informed opinion rather than let the media make it for you.

Stupid Woman Sues Over Apple’s iPhone Price Cut

Jeremy — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:46:44 +0000

According to the Associated Press, a woman is suing Apple for $1 million over a $200 price cut. The article doesn’t call her stupid, but I gladly will. If you recall, only a few months after Apple’s mega-hyped iPhone release, they decided to cut the price of the new product by $200 in addition to stopping the production of the lower end 4 GB model.

Apple Tries to Please Customers

Price cuts are nothing out of the ordinary, and although Apple did reduce the price relatively soon after the launch, they were understanding and provided some form of reimbursement. For those who purchased an iPhone within 14 days of the price cut, Apple issued a full refund of $200. In addition, for those who purchased an iPhone prior to this, Apple gave people a $100 Apple Store credit. They were under no obligation to do so, but in an effort to keep customers happy, it was a good move.

A Good Example Why You Should Never be an Early Adopter of Technology

This is a perfect example of why it almost never pays to be one of the first people to own a new piece of technology. The price issue is obvious–technology products are prone to rapid price declines. Sure, two months is a bit quick, but any time you purchase a new phone, television, computer, or other device, it won’t be but a few months before prices begin to come down as new products enter the market.

In addition to the obvious pricing issues, new technology is often riddled with problems. As devices become more complex and require more software to run, there are going to be obvious glitches and bugs in the first models. So, not only do you risk paying a premium for being an early adopter, but you are likely to find yourself with a product that has issues that will be addressed in later models.

Where do You Get $1 Million in Damages?

Back to the news story with the lady suing for $1 million–how do you get off demanding so much money? You purchased a new product right out of the gate, and a few months later it comes down in price. So, you get a $100 credit to offset some of the cost, but you still aren’t happy, so the right thing to do is sue the company for a million dollars? Give me a break!

According to Li’s lawsuit, filed on Sept. 24 in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, the price reduction injured early purchasers like herself because they cannot resell the product for the same profit as those who bought the cell phone following the price cut.

Oh, boo-hoo, you can’t buy something and turn around and sell it on eBay for a quick buck. This lady is a consumer, not a distributor, so her ability to resell the product for a profit should have no bearing on the case. Even so, did she really think she would have been able to purchase enough of the phones to actually make a profit of $1 million, which she is claiming as damages? I highly doubt it.

I wish I knew how easy it was to get rich, because over the years I have purchased a lot of items that subsequently went on sale or became cheaper shortly after I bought it. If I had known that every time I buy something brand new that comes down in price in a few months warranted a $1 million lawsuit, I’d be sipping on a martini in a 24k gold-rimmed glass while lounging on my private tropical island as I write this.