How To Avoid Down Sizing

Admit it. You think you deserve more credit at work, more respect from your co-workers and MORE money in your paycheck. Admit it. Your boss doesn't know how valuable you are to the company.

That may be how you really feel but, right now, most of us are just happy to have jobs. New labor numbers were just released yesterday and the employment picture doesn't look good. In the Peoria Metro Area, the jobless rate spiked back up to 9.6 percent in June, up seven-tenths of a percent from May and the highest it's been since the recession started. Nationally, statistics show more than 90 percent of the nation's largest metropolitan areas saw their unemployment rates jump from May to June, as well.

So, what can you do? Sometimes it's unavoidable. Companies are cutting jobs and there might not be anything you can do to save yours. But there also might be small changes you can make on the job that will give the boss the impression that you're a keeper. Here are some ideas from Woman's Own Magazine and "The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook : Work" about how to avoid becoming downsized.

Make Yourself Seem Indispensable - Master the jobs no one else wants. Offer to the do the billing, sort the mail, replace the toner, or clean out the office fridge. (One guy I know transferred out of his division at Caterpillar and took a position working three, twelve-hour, overnight shifts on weekends. Months later, most of the people in his old division are without jobs. He might not have the greatest hours but he's still got a job.)

Offer To Organize Social Events : Organize office parties, picnics and holiday gatherings. Become the "go-to" person and maintain a password-protected database of contacts and suppliers.

Propose Ways To Save The Company Money: Suggest that employees use second-day postage rather than express, turn off the lights in unused offices.

Get Your Name Out - Write an occasional article for the company newsletter or speak at a company event.

Start Wearing Glasses - You'll look more intelligent.

Okay, I don't know if that last idea is supposed to be a joke or not but it's on the list. I do have glasses and always FEEL more intelligent when I'm wearing them but I'm not going to put a lot of stock into that one. Let's say it's a joke because otherwise it sounds absolutely ridiculous!

Good Luck!

20th High School Reunion - Great Fun!

Was it wrong to have my 68-year old father drive my friend and me to our 20th high school reunion? Maybe. But it happened. I traveled to the Chicago suburb of Lockport this past weekend to meet up with the rest of the class of 1989 for a party that will be remembered for a very long time.

First of all, yes, I did have my dad chauffer us to the event. It seemed like a great idea at the time as I didn't want to have a few drinks and then get behind the wheel. Who knew how wild it would get? In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best idea. I did appreciate my dad's effort, but frankly, my "curfew" was too early. (Can you say high school flashbacks?) The event was supposed to get over at a certain time and that's when I'd arranged for him to pick us up. Of course, nobody, including me, was ready to go home yet and the party moved to a bar down the street. I didn't have a car there and wasn't prepared to call a cab. I barely had any cash with me and I didn't have any phone numbers. That's my only regret. That I didn't get to go out with the crowd afterwards.

Overall, the reunion was a huge success. There must have been more than 150 people who attended, many traveling from out of state. That's what was so awesome. A lot of people made a big effort to get there and, from the looks of it, they were glad they made the trip. In fact, so many people were there that I could only talk to a person for about five minutes before I had to move on and catch up with another. There were a few there I didn't even get to talk to .

If you have the chance to go to your 20th reunion, I highly recommend it. But prepared to stay out for the long haul .. and don't have your dad pick you up. :)

Back to the Grind

There are always a couple of signs that vacation is officially over. First of all, I got on the scale this weekend and was a little upset to see that I had gained six pounds while I was away. That's not to say I didn't enjoy every bite of yummy pizza, ice cream and pie that I consumed while I was vacationing but come on ....

The second sign is that I only got four hours of sleep last night.

Yep. It's time to reset the body and mind for "real" life. Whether I'm ready or not, life as I know it resumes. 4:00 am alarm. Work. Teach Classes. Drive kids to activities. Cook lunch/dinner for children who don't eat what's on the menu. Laundry.

Nooooo!!!!!! Not laundry. Besides relaxing on the beaches of Lake Michigan and watching the kids play in the sand, I think the best part of vacation was that I didn't have to wash or fold one piece of laundry.

The whole trip was great. The question is why don't we all take more vacations? I'm re-energized. I'm re-focused. I'm ready for anything. Well .. almost anything. My 20th high school reunion is coming up this weekend. Am I ready for that? We'll see. First I have to get rid of those extra six pounds ....

More on the reunion later ...

Back From Vacation .. Re-energized

I had a great vacation. My family - just the five of us - loaded up the mini-van and traveled up north to Traverse City, Michigan. We'd never been there, though, as a child my husband used to vacation in the area with his family. We stayed at a place called the Grand Beach Resort and it was perfect. We walked out of our hotel and right onto the beach. The kids played in the water and sand for hours. I went into the water, even though it was FREEZING!

We also visited the Sleeping Bear Dune. If you're ever in that area it's a must-see. We even did the climb up the huge dune and then the run down. It was awesome .. kind of like being a kid again.

It was quite nice to reconnect with everyone in my family. No friends. No other family. Bruce and I were the main attraction (besides the beach and Lake Michigan ... and mini-golf and the water slides) and it was nice. We almost didn't go because of the economy but I'm so glad we did. It was worth the money ... and so worth the 8 hour drive ...

Things You NEED To Know

I sort through a lot of news and information every day so I often come across alot of ... "Things (I feel) You Need To Know." Here they are: (and please weigh in with your own tidbits).

Middle-aged women want sexy reading. New research shows women aged 45-60 want to read books about sex more than anything else. The latest book I'm reading is titled "Flat-Out Sexy" by Erin McCarthy. Yep. Lots of sex.

Do you remember former figure skating champion and Olympian Nicole Bobek? I do. I loved watching her perform. She's now accused of being part of a drug ring in New Jersey. So disappointing.

Joyce Dewitt who played Janet on the TV show "Three's Company" was arrested last Saturday on suspicion of DUI. Too many drinks at the Regal Beagle?

A rural town in Australia has voted overwhelmingly to ban the sale of bottled water over concerns about its environmental impact. What do you think of this?

Did you know that men who dance well are more likely to attract women.

A recent study says workers who use the web for entertainment while at work are 9 percent more productive than those who don't. Why? People need quick breaks in order to maintain a high level of concentration. I highly agree!!!

44 percent of men surveyed in Men's Health say they sleep naked