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  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 08/20/2012 • 0 Comments

    Mothers Who Work Full Time Are Healthier Than Other Moms

    Moms who work full time are healthier at age 40 than stay-at-home moms, moms who work part time, or moms who have some work history, but are repeatedly unemployed, according to new research from University of Akron Assistant Sociology Professor Adrianne Frech.

    Frech, and co-author Sarah Damaske of Pennsylvania State University, examined longitudinal data from 2,540 women who became mothers between 1978 and 1995. Accounting for pre-pregnancy employment, race/ethnicity, cognitive ability, single motherhood, prior health conditions and age at first birth, the research reveals that the choices women make early in their professional careers can affect their health later in life. Women who return full time to the workforce shortly after having children report better mental and physical health, (i.e., greater mobility, more energy, less depression, etc.) at age 40.

    "Work is good for your health, both mentally and physically," Frech said. "It gives women a sense of purpose, self-efficacy, control and autonomy. They have a place where they are an expert on something, and they're paid a wage."

    Rather than fueling the "Mommy Wars" debate, which pits stay-at-home moms against working moms, Frech believes that a recently identified group—she calls this group "persistently unemployed"—deserves further attention, as they appear to be the least healthy at age 40. These women are in and out of the workforce, often not by choice, and experience the highs and lows of finding rewarding work only to lose it and start the cycle again.

    "Struggling to hold onto a job or being in constant job search mode wears on their health, especially mentally, but also physically," Frech said.

    According to Frech, working full time has many benefits, while part-time work offers lower pay, poor chances of promotion, less job security and fewer benefits. Mothers who stay at home may face financial dependence and greater social isolation. Persistent unemployment is a health risk for women, as stress from work instability can cause physical health problems.

    "Women with interrupted employment face more job-related barriers than other women, or cumulative disadvantages over time," Frech said. "If women can make good choices before their first pregnancy, they likely will be better off health-wise later. Examples of good choices could be delaying your first birth until you're married and done with your education, or not waiting a long time before returning to the workforce."

    Frech says there is hope for young women, who she advises to get an education and build a work history before having a first child.

    "Don't let critical life transitions like marriage and parenthood mean that you invest any less in your education and work aspirations, because women are the ones who end up making more trade-offs for family," Frech said. "Work makes you healthier. You will have the opportunity to save a nest egg. Also, should a divorce happen, it is harder to enter the workforce if you don't have a solid work history. Don't give up on work and education."

    (Story materials from the University of Akron.)



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 07/02/2012 • 1 Comments

    Women, Should You Feel Guilty About Success?

    The Atlantic's cover story this month by Anne-Marie Slaughter has erupted with passionate discussion about the trade-offs women make with careers and families. It's a great article (warning to all those who say they don't have time to read—it's a long article), and one that I feel many in the meetings and events industry can relate to. 

    In a follow-up blog entry, Debora Spar, president of Barnard College, writes about a 2011 commencement speech by Sheryl Sandberg, a person that Slaughter writes about in her article. 

    "As the president of Barnard College, though, I must take issue with her characterization of Sheryl Sandberg's 2011 commencement address," Spar wrote. "Far from reproaching young women for failing to try harder, Sandberg enthusiastically urged them to seize their potential, their energies and their ambition. Not only were our students deeply inspired by her words, they were inflamed by her passion and by her obvious concern for their lives and careers."

    Sandberg is Facebook's COO, and she was telling the students be ambitious and to push harder, Spar writes. 

    "Like Slaughter, Sandberg also tiptoed into the treacherous area of guilt," Spar wrote. "But while Slaughter's piece focuses on the more obvious guilt women face both in leaving their children to attend to their jobs and leaving their jobs to attend to their children, Sandberg spoke more obliquely about the guilt women feel even in taking jobs that might, someday, force them to make these trade-offs."

    Spar goes on to comment about how men don't feel this guilt, or at least they don't show it. According to her, today's woman is obsessed about trade-offs and misgivings. 

    "I worry, frequently, about the swamps of guilt my students will encounter," Spar wrote. "I worry about the quest for perfection that we, their teachers and role models, have so lovingly thrust upon them. And I worry that we are not giving this generation of young women what they really need: a promise that they will be all right."

    The jobs in our industry are predominately held by women. As meeting professionals, they're being asked more and more of their time, especially as meetings are being recognized as primary economic and creative drivers. Because of this, trade-offs are certain, but should you feel guilty about them? And if you're a mentor, what advice are you offering to young women entering the industry?   



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 03/21/2012 • 0 Comments

    Corporate Executive: Not a Desired Job Anymore

    We talk a lot about getting a seat at the table, being part of the C-suite, etc. However, maybe we should be talking more about how to be an entrepreneur or freelance worker. 

    According to a survey of more than 1,000 people, more than half aspired to be entrepreneurs or work as an independent, while not a single respondent aspired to be a corporate executive.

    The results of the Intelligent Office survey point to an evolution of work styles and the development of a different type of worker that is defined by a desire for mobility and flexibility typically found in the entrepreneur and/or independent business owner.

    “We believe there is a paradigm shift happening in our culture as it relates to work style,” said Tom Camplese, COO for Intelligent Office. “We have been watching this shift take place over the course of the last few years at Intelligent Office by talking with entrepreneurs, business owners, and mobile executives on a daily basis. The Work IQ survey put this into hard numbers.”

    Additional highlights include:

    • Nearly 65 percent of survey participants desire to work as an entrepreneur or independent
    • 61 percent of people surveyed desire more flexible work hours than the traditional 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    • People are looking for a new balance—work hard/play hard; Nearly half of the respondents want a work hard/play hard work-life balance
    • Technology remains an invaluable resource to more than 45 percent of the respondents
    • Overwhelmingly, people aspire to have more mobility in their work life
    • 66 percent responded that they aspire to have a laptop or tablet that affords them freedom and mobility

    “What we continue to hear from people is that they increasingly need and expect services that will help them grow and be more successful, but they want those services to match this new work style—flexible and mobile,” Camplese said. “Overall, they are seeking more balance and freedom in everything, including the services that support their business efforts.”

    Do you agree with these findings? Would you rather be an entrepreneur/independent than a member of the C-suite? Or maybe that decision isn't mutually exclusive? Please let us know in the comments.  



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 03/01/2012 • 0 Comments

    Happiest States of 2011

    This year's Academy Awards lacked a sense of serendipity or surprise (aside from Sacha Baron Cohen's red carpet stunt) and didn't include many films that connected with me. No, I didn't watch the awards show live--I was at the Aulani-A Disney Resort in HAST, the time zone that includes Hawaii--and by the time the broadcast was to air, I'd already heard about the winners and the results didn't sound too interesting. Even a film that could at one time be viewed as an underdog, such as The Artist (c'mon, a b&w silent film in 2011?!), was in reality the odds-on favorite of the evening.

    Even though the latest batch of Oscar recipients may have been bland, I've got another list of winners for which you can surely get up-in-arms and root for a favorite: the Happiest States of 2011. Turns out, Hawaii finished in the top slot. Following my first soft steps with aloha this past week, I'm not surprised at this result. I do, however, wonder if Hawaii is simply so nice that the world's best cinema of the year can't approach competition.

    A killer generalization, sure, but I'd like to think happier planners, suppliers and attendees = happier event. Following are the top 10 U.S. states as ranked by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. 

    1. Hawaii (corporate meetings, live TV broadcasts, weddings--I experienced or heard successful examples of all of these events taking place at Aulani last week)
    2. North Dakota (<shrugs>)
    3. Minnesota (while in Hawaii, I met so many people that originated here...happy follows happy)
    4. Utah
    5. Alaska
    6. Colorado
    7. Kansas
    8. Nebraska
    9. New Hampshire
    10. Montana



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 01/31/2012 • 0 Comments

    Yoga on the Road

    Run down? Need to stretch after 2 hours crammed in economy?

    Do yoga at the airport.

    Yup, your next layover at the San Francisco International Airport could be much more relaxing thanks to the venu's newly unveiled yoga room, Reuters reports. Low lights, soft colors. The perfect room to decompress.

    Airport Director John L. Martin called the room, which opened last week, "another leap forward in providing our travelers the opportunity and space to relax and decompress on their own terms."

    Planners, can you imagine having a more perfect quiet room to allow you to slip away for 5 minutes, breathe and stretch? Hold your next event at the airport and maybe you can work private yoga room access into the deal.

    Thumbnail (CC) Tom Mooring not actually at the airport :)



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 08/24/2011 • 0 Comments

    More Flexibility Sought in Workplaces

    Employees place such a high premium on workplace flexibility that 33 percent of them say they would seek employment elsewhere if it wasn't offered—57 percent would be less satisfied with their job, and 45 percent would feel less productive.

    The latest Mobile Workforce Report, published by iPass Inc., showed some other interesting (though, not surprising) results. Of the 3,100 employees surveyed worldwide, 75 percent of employees work more hours due to workshifting (flexible work schedules that enable employees to work wherever and whenever they want). More than half (55 percent) work at least 10 or more additional hours each week as a result of their more flexible schedules, and 12 percent work 20 or more additional hours.

    The report found that 38 percent of employees work before their commute, 25 percent work during their commute, 37 percent work during lunch and 37 percent work at night—each and every day.

    Workers reported that workshifting allows them to be more productive and efficient, with 79 percent reporting increased productivity and 78 percent reporting increased efficiency. In fact, 64 percent of mobile workers also reported improved work-life balance and more than half (51 percent) felt more relaxed because of flexible work.

    “Even though mobile workers are putting in more hours, we are starting to see the pendulum swing back to the center on disconnecting, with 68 percent of mobile workers disengaging from technology occasionally to spend time with their families,” said Barbara Nelson, chief technology officer at iPass. “It appears that the mobile workforce is getting a better hold on their work-life balance.”

    The report also found

    • 47 percent of mobile employees work from home daily, 99 percent at least occasionally. 88 percent of mobile workers report working from the road, 84 percent from a coffee shop and 77 percent outside using a city-mesh Wi-Fi at least on an occasional basis.
    • 40 percent would like a more flexible work environment—even with 95 percent of employees stating that their employers currently either encourage or tolerate workshifting.
    • During vacation, 97 percent of mobile workers stay connected to technology (up from 93 percent in 2010). Nearly all (94 percent) did so at least partly for work.
    • On vacation, 69 percent checked into work at least daily, while 93 percent checked in at least weekly. 41 percent checked in multiple times per day.
    • 52 percent connected during vacation to make sure they didn’t fall behind on work, weren’t overwhelmed upon return to work or to ensure completion of a work project.
    Does your workplace offer flexible work options? Are those kind of options important to you when you seek a job? 


  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 07/12/2011 • 0 Comments

    Work Blamed Most for Unbalance

    Who, or what, do you blame when there's a work-life balance conflict? 

    A new study by Elizabeth M. Poposki, assistant professor of psychology in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, is the first to explore day-to-day experiences in attributing work-life balance blame. Her research examines individual incidents of conflict and tracks how blame for this conflict is attributed.

    Only 3 percent of those surveyed blamed both work and family for conflict between the two. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed blamed work, not family, for conflict. Twenty-two percent blamed only their family role. Five percent blamed external factors other than work or family for the conflict, and only 6 percent blamed themselves for the conflict. There were no gender differences in how blame was assigned.

    Individuals who attributed conflict to external sources rather than blaming the conflict on themselves were more likely to experience anger and frustration following the conflict. According to Poposki, anger and frustration on the job are related to many negative workplace outcomes such as employee theft. Preventing such emotions may benefit both employees and employers.

    Focusing on reactions to the work-family conflict, Poposki found that the order in which events were scheduled was an important factor in attributing blame as the second event, whether work or family related, was more likely to be blamed than the first. This type of conflict might be avoided on both the work and home fronts, she says, by scheduling events in advance. Last-minute office meetings and drop-in visits by relatives were highlighted by those she surveyed as blame targets.

    The 269 participants in the study worked an average of 45 hours per week. All held bachelor's degrees and slightly more than half had received graduate degrees. With an average age of 43 years, two-thirds had spouses who worked at least part-time.

    "A lot of research on work-life conflict exists, but most provides an overview which averages many experiences rather than exploring single incidents and reactions to these incidents," said Poposki, who is an industrial-organizational psychologist. "This study is valuable because focusing on details helps us better understand the mechanisms and processes of conflict. This understanding may be important to future studies of the negative emotional reactions to work-family conflict including anger, frustration, shame and guilt.

    "The Blame Game: Exploring the Nature and Correlates of Attributions Following Work-Family Conflict" was published in the peer reviewed journal Group & Organization Management.

    (Story materials provided by Indiana University.)



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 06/28/2011 • 0 Comments

    Three Types of Worker Burnout

    Chronic work stress and a perceived lack of recognition are prime drivers of worker burnout, according to a new study conducted at the University of Zaragoza in Spain. 

    "The prevalence of the disorder is increasing in our country and poses a serious problem for society because of economic losses and health consequences," said Jesus Montero-Marín, lead study author and senior researcher at the Aragon Institute of Health Sciences.

    Identifying three burnout profiles (frantic, unchallenged and worn), the study—published in BMC Psychiatry—shows the sociodemographic and labor variables associated with each of them. 

    "The profile 'frenzy' is associated with the number of hours of work," Montero-Marín said. 

    A person who devotes more than 40 hours per week to their work has an almost six times greater chance of developing burnout, compared to someone who works less than 35 hours per week. Such employees usually have a high involvement in their office, great ambition and high work overload.

    A worker engaged in monotonous tasks, prone to boredom and lack of personal development is more at risk of developing the profile "unchallenged." Management staff and services has an almost three times higher probability of belonging to this group.

    "Worn" usually appears in people with a long history in the same company—they end up neglecting their responsibilities, given the lack of recognition they perceive. Thus, a worker with 16 years of service in the same workplace has a five times greater risk of developing this type of profile, compared with one that has less than four years of service.

    Whatever the kind of burnout, workers experience emotional exhaustion, cynicism or lack of efficacy on the job. In general, the researchers believe burnout is present if a person has at least one of these three traits.

    Apart from the factors that cause burnout, a person's social environment can act as a counterweight to it appearing in the first place. 

    "Having a family, partner or children can act as a protective cushion, because when people finish their day at work they leave their workplace worries behind them and focus on other kinds of tasks," Montero-Marín said.

    With regard to a person's academic level, people at the two opposite ends of the scale suffer most from burnout—those who have had little training and those with the highest levels of studies. This can be explained because people with little education usually take jobs that require fewer qualifications, and in which they receive little recognition. However, Ph.D.s with long careers also end up burnt out, because they "feel they are investing more in the job than they get in return."

    (Story materials provided by Plataforma SINC and AlphaGalileo.)



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 06/27/2011 • 0 Comments

    Flex Schedule Key for Working Moms

    Women who return to work after giving birth are more likely to stay on the job if they have greater control over their work schedules, according to a Baylor University study. Researchers also found that job security and the ability to make use of a variety of their job skills leads to greater retention of working moms, while the impact of work-related stress on their physical and mental health causes greater turnover.

    "Having a flexible schedule is an important element necessary to decrease working mom turnover, because it can be used when work demands arise," said Dawn S. Carlson, Ph.D., study author, professor of management and H. R. Gibson Chair of Organizational Development at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. "When confronted by one or more job demands, a flexible schedule provides working moms with alternatives for meeting those demands while caring for their newborns. When working moms are better able to control their work environment and adapt, work-related stress is less likely to become a family issue."

    According to 2008 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 71 percent of women with children under the age of 18 were working or looking for work, and nearly 60 percent of women with young children were employed. Yet, a large number of mothers who return to work after childbirth subsequently leave the labor force. Very little is known about the factors that play a role in women's work decisions after childbirth.

    The transition back to work is pivotal for a new mother, and this study offers important insight into the understanding of how a job can either contribute to or detract from the mother's decision to stay with her employer after she returns to work, Carlson says.

    The researchers surveyed 179 full-time working mothers in North Carolina with an average age of 31 years. Of the group, 72 percent was white, 27 percent was black and one percent was Asian. The majority, 79 percent, was married. They worked an average of 39.7 hours per week and planned on returning to work 30 or more hours by four months postpartum. The duration of maternity leave was six weeks, but only 48.1 percent reported having paid maternity leave. Among the new mothers, 40 percent reported that the recent birth was their first child. For the study, they completed an interview survey at four months postpartum, eight months postpartum and 12 months postpartum.

    Job security also plays an important role in decision-making. When job security is high, workers are not distracted by worry or exhausted by strain. Instead, they are able to engage more fully in responsibilities inside and outside the workplace.

    "Job security heightens motivation and energy, particularly for mothers who are sensitive to the security of their jobs after returning from maternity leave. When working mothers believe that their tenure with an organization is not at risk, they will have more energy and other resources with which to fully engage and perform both at work and at home," said Merideth J. Ferguson, Ph.D., assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Baylor and a co-author of the study.

    Results suggest that employers may be able to promote beneficial outcomes through systematic attempts to increase the use of a working mom's skills by cross-training her for multiple functions. Mental and physical health play an important role in retaining working mothers and deserve attention, such as through employee assistance programs, support systems or more integrative work-life initiatives, Carlson says.

    "Although further research is needed, the results of this study indicate the impact of job characteristics on work-family relations that play a role in the mental and physical health and retention of working mothers as they make the pivotal transition back to work after childbirth," she said.

    The study is published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

    (Story materials provided by Baylor University.)



  • Posted by Jason Hensel at
    12:00AM 06/13/2011 • 1 Comments

    Take Back Your Lunch

    It's hard to take a break for lunch—to physically leave your desk, go out and eat with your co-workers—because a lot of us are overburden with work. 

    But as we've mention before, staying at your desk for lunch is bad for you. Stepping away from the desk is not only good for your physical health, it's good for your mental health, as well. 

    Now there's a new movement to help workers get back on track. Every Wednesday during the summer workers are encouraged to take a collective lunch break. 

    The Energy Project created Take Back Your Lunch in order for you to "step away from your desk, turn off your phone (if you dare) and commit to a lunch hour of renewal. Go to the park with friends, take a jog, read a book. You'll be re-energized and refueled to tackle the rest of the day."

    Sounds great. Who wants to join me for lunch Wednesday?



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