Productivity @ Home

Keep Your Family Safe with a Carbon Monoxide Monitor

Out here in California, we're hearing a lot these days about the dangers of carbon monoxide and the importance of (and now a new legal requirement for) installing CO alarms. The new California law is designed to help protect families from what's often called a "silent killer". To help protect your family take note of the following steps:

• Install a carbon monoxide alarm on each floor and near sleeping areas.  CO alarms are the best defense against this silent killer. They are designed to alert residents before they are exposed to harmful levels, allowing them to exit their residence and get help. At less than $30, these alarms, which may look similar to a smoke alarm, are a smart investment in your health and the health of your loved ones.

Are You a Workaholic?

My name is Lisa, and I'm starting to think that I may be a...workaholic...

In truth, almost twenty years ago when I decided to step away from my career in Human Resources at the birth of my first son, it was largely because I realized my workaholic tendencies. I loved my job, but I loved my son more, and I wasn't sure about how to balance the giving of myself 100% to both of these competing interests. Our situation at the time enabled me to choose to be home full time, a decision I've never regretted for our family. I do know many moms though -- my sisters among them -- who work at amazing careers, making a true difference in our world and all the while giving the very best of themselves to their families.

Bridging the Generation Gap in the Workplace

Editor's Note: A huge thanks to Randy Hain for sharing today's guest article. Randy Hain is Managing Partner and Shareholder of Bell  Oaks (www.belloaks.com), a nationally recognized executive search firm. He has an established track record of leading successful searches and building teams in diverse industries and functional specializations ranging from individual contributors to C-level leadership. He has played the lead role in hiring, training and developing of one of the most successful search consultant teams in the industry, and has earned a reputation as a values-based leader who invests heavily in his colleagues, candidates, clients and the community.  He may be reached at rhain@belloaks.com.

 

Like many of my fellow business leaders, I do my best to stay current.  I embrace social media, read the latest leadership books and stay abreast of trends in the marketplace.  And from a workplace perspective, there is one particular conversation topic in full discourse across the country—Generation Y in Corporate America. It should be.

Over the next 15 years, we will witness the exit of almost half of our workforce, mostly from the retiring Baby Boomer generation.  With so much written about Gen Y’s challenges and overall lack of readiness to lead, we should be concerned … concerned enough to do something about it.

Lisa Likes: Google +

Yes, I'm there - I'm moved in to Google + and have been actively building circles, plus oneing (is that the correct verb?) and have even done one "hang out" with a group of friends.

So much has been written about Google +, and especially on the site itself (it's a favorite topic of conversation there!). So I'm not going to go into too much detail here other than to state a few of my immediate thoughts about this newest social media tool:

• Organizational re-do - I'm trying not to make the same mistakes I made on Facebook and Twitter. I'm carefully considering my placement of contacts into circles, with an eye towards keeping the content organized into usable streams
• Not overdoing it - I'm trying dilligently to not constantly be on the site. The fact that there is not actually a great iPhone app for Google + yet is actually helping with this - I do a lot of my "elective" FB and Twitter time on my phone... not having mobile access makes it easier to limit my time spent

Seeking Employment?

I seem to have a lot of friends these days who are looking for jobs. This economy is so difficult, and many people have been laid off, downsized or received major pay cuts. I also know a fair number of mom friends who are rejoining the workforce after having stayed home with children for an extended period of time.

Back in the day, I used to be pretty proficient on this topic. My Master's degree is in Human Resource Development and the first half of my career was working at Vanderbilt University at the Recruitment Manager, and then for Kaiser Permanente in that same capacity. When I "retired" in 1991 to stay home with little Eric, I had a corner office and a staff of eleven and spent my time managing my staff and recruiting for high level positions at the medical center.

Lisa Likes: LUSH Seanik Shampoo Bar

In another look at simple stuff that makes my life more enjoyable, today I want to tell you about a shampoo I'm really enjoying: the "Seanik Shampoo Bar" by LUSH.

Every time I'm in San Francisco or Cambridge, I treat myself to a visit to the LUSH store and try to pick out a new product to try. My last experiment was to pick up this gorgeous little solid shampoo. Honestly, I was initially sceptical. The price ($9.95 for a 1.9 oz bar) seemed higher than what I typically spend on my hair. Also, I tend to be a shampoo shifter - I don't typically use one particular brand. I also wondered if what looked like a solid (albeit pretty) blue lump could really lather sufficiently to cleanse my oily and very thick hair.

The nice thing about actually being able to shop IN a LUSH store is that they will test the product with you. No, I didn't actually wash my hair in the store - but the associate who helped me did instruct me on how to use the shampoo, how little it truly took to clean my hair (which helped take the cost factor out of the equation) and how nice the Seanik smells.

Tweet Your Way to Better Business | workingmother.com

Research

via www.workingmother.com

Another take at Twitter and business, but from a working mom's perspective.

Casual Friday: Slack or Shine?

It's hot in my office these days, so hot that I sometimes retreat to cooler parts of the home I also call "work" in search of a more bearable temperature to combat the heat put off by the laptop that is my most productive co-worker. This summer I've worked at the kitchen table, in the living room, on the couch and in the backyard.

While I've been galavanting around the house in search of cool, my home office has been falling into a pit of disrepair. It's been easy to put up with the stacks since I haven't been here this much, preferring instead to smash work into compact chunks and instead go play with my family. Summer's slightly slower pace has afforded me the luxury of cutting back a bit on work hours, and since I'm my own boss it's a blessing I've taken for granted. I find that those I communicate with in my work are also a bit more casual during summer, and that the pace of things is generally slower. Today, I'm thinking about how to best maximize upon that less frenetic tone of summer, and just how to take advantage of the roughly six weeks my calendar holds before things begin to get crazy again in late August. I have a few options:

1. Continue the way things have been going. Work enough to get by, but preserve the bulk of my time for family and fun.
2. Take advantage of the quieter pace to get organized and get ahead. Plan now for those crazy Fall months I know lie ahead of me. Get my office organized, get ahead on some financial records that need straightening, and stockpile some projects up front so that my pace will be more bearable in September.

I'm still pondering my answer, but I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Does your work or family life slow down during summer months, or are things as crazy in July as they feel in April? Is this a productive time for you, or would you prefer to go curl up on the beach with a novel? And do you find yourself struggling to balance family life and work this summer?