Talking Points

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”  —Theodore Roosevelt

Generation X: A study by the Center for Work-Life Policy finds that, despite being the smallest generation (46 million), Generation X might be “the most critical generation of all” for employers. Gen Xers are of an age (33 to 46 years old) that should put them at the prime of their lives and careers, stepping into leadership roles and starting families. However, their extreme work schedules (nearly a third of high-earning Gen Xers work 60+ hours a week), strong career ambition, the current­ economic challenges, as well as life choices are all factors that contribute to their high level of childlessness ­compared with other ­generations.

70% of employees admit to coming into the office while sick, according to a survey conducted by
Staples Advantage. More than 60% of employees felt compelled to go into work because there was “too much going on” or felt the need to “tough it out.”

Some push the envelope, some just lick it, and some can’t even find the flap.

more power = less likely to listen: A recent study claims the more power an individual has in the workplace, the less likely he is to take advice from others. The study, published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, found that, on top of not listening, decisionmakers­ often are wrong in their decisions. Researchers were surprised to find people in higher positions of power felt an overall confidence that led them to make decisions on their own both in areas where they were experts and in areas that were not part of their expertise, ­simply because they were powerful.

If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have the largest amount of money in U.S. coins possible ­without being able to make change for a dollar.