What Once Was
If you like the cable channel AMC’s clever series Mad Men, about Madison Avenue in 1960, you will love a current exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It features the work of Al Parker, a leading illustrator for Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Home Companion, and other women’s magazines of the period. In Parker’s oeuvre, one finds pony-tailed secretaries, dressed in their perky shirt-dresses, just the type that might work for the ad agency featured in Mad Men, as well as a look-alike of the beautiful suburban wife of the series’ protagonist. National Review

City Women and Their Paycheck
If you can make it here, you'll make it anywhere, as the old tune goes. For young women in New York City, a new refrain could be emerging: If you can make it anywhere, it's here. That's one possible interpretation of a new study that found that while men continue to out-earn women in the workforce both locally and nationwide, New York City women in their 20s are for the first time earning more than their male counterparts. Staten Island Advance

Looking at Labor Day
Vacations, 40-hour work weeks and a safe workplace environment are par for the course today. Employees get to take their lunches and go home at 5 p.m. What now are common rights in the workplace once were unheard of luxuries. People fought, children starved and working men and women died for what we now take for granted. To celebrate those people and their sacrifices, the country gets a whole day to party Labor Day. AlamoGordo Daily News

My son left for college last week. But instead of packing up his clothes and stereo and driving to a dorm, he and his father came by in a U-Haul and took everything from his room: furniture, lamps, rugs, clothes, TV, even the laundry basket. He moved into an apartment in Brooklyn, 20 miles from my apartment and a million miles from home.

Closing the Wage Gap
A quarter-century ago, U.S. women working full time earned a measly 59 cents for every $1 earned by men. The fact that they now earn 77 cents to the dollar is a peaked cause for celebration. Since 1963, the law has required equal pay for equal work, so what could possibly explain such a glaring disparity in annual median income? Experts disagree, their answers flavored by their ideology. But a big factor is that we still have, in reality, certain "female jobs" and certain "male jobs." San Francisco Chronicle

Bias in the Workplace
Invariably, as a presentation on the challenges facing women in the workplace concludes, someone in the audience begins the question with an anecdote. The anecdote is always a variation of the same theme: A young professional is the recipient of an inappropriate remark or question, or is witness to an effort at humor that is rooted in stereotype against a particular ethnic, racial or other group. Some young women recall awkward — and potentially illegal — questions about their dating life, or marital intentions, and even their plans for what they would do about work if they had children. Boston Herald

Pursuing Women Who’ve Dropped Out of the Workforce
ROBIN GUGICK MAYER had the qualifications, but couldn't find the job she wanted. She had been a corporate bond analyst at Prudential Securities for 10 years, then had worked at a smaller firm for five more. But Mayer had stopped working in January 2005 when her third child was born, and when she wanted back in, the headhunters she spoke to were reluctant : A woman who takes time off is a tough sell. Boston Globe

A few years ago I was in a job that I hated. Between my manager’s antisocial behavior and the long hours, I was always on the verge of getting up and walking out the door. I thought that all I had to do was get a new job and I’d be happy. Only when I did get it, the new job turned out to be the same as the old job. The same issues cropped up over the excessive hours, unsupportive managers and work that no longer stimulated me. Thinking that if I changed my job, all my problems would magically disappear, I went from one frying pan to another.

Working Women’s Progress
Are women making progress? Catalyst, the nonprofit women’s research and advisory organization, announced the following statistics for 2006:� Only 15.6 percent of corporate officer positions at Fortune 500 companies are held by women, as are only 6.7 percent of these companies’ top paid positions. � Women occupy just 14.6 percent of all Fortune 500 board of directors seats, and, at the current rate of change, it will take an estimated 73 years for women to achieve parity with their male counterparts on these boards. Boston Herald

Recalling One Women’s Rights’ Event
They came to Syracuse, N.Y., in September 1852 as a movement gathering steam: Two thousand people crowded into the city hall, electing Lucretia Mott to preside, a force in motion since the meeting that started the movement in Seneca Falls four years before. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, awaiting the birth of her fifth child, sent a letter urging women to refuse to pay taxes until they had representation in the government, advocating equal education for girls and boys and naming religious institutions as "our most violent enemies" for opposing any change in women's status. Susan B. Anthony, then a temperance movement worker, and Matilda Joslyn Gage were in attendance at their first women's rights event. WomensEnews.org

Boss Bashing
Workers are sharpening a new tactic in management-labor battles for supremacy in the workplace: boss-bashing.The technique has been around in one form or another for a while, but lately has seen increasing regularity and ferocity. It consists of publicly deriding top management in an attempt to influence public opinion and, ultimately, force the boss' departure. Star Tribune

As I transitioned from working a fulltime job outside of the home to owning a business run out of my home, I found there were things I loved and some things I was not a fan of.
Recently I have spoken with a number of friends that have switched jobs and are now based out of their home. I have been receiving mixed reviews and I am finding that others are feeling much of what I felt when I made the switch.

Looking at Unions
During my 34 years of association with the union movement, I have participated in many high-profile and even historic events - boycotts, strikes, legislative initiatives - that have helped to improve working people's lives. However, the achievement I recall most proudly and which for me epitomizes the deeper meaning of the union movement involved something far more prosaic: helping a group of workers get new chairs. The Register-Guard

A Better Policy
Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, who has been a true champion when it comes to promoting workplace fairness for women and minorities, got it exactly right when she told the state Senate Committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs that the measure would "set the state on the path to better policy to eliminate discriminatory wage disparities once and for all." Lawton's point ought not be missed. Nearly 80 percent of mothers of school-age children are in the paid work force, according to recent studies. But they are not paid equally. The Capital Times

What Jobseekers Seek
EARLY this summer, Joshua J. Pelton decided that he was meant to live in Orlando, Fla. So he quit his sales job in Detroit, packed his car with all the belongings that fit, put the rest in storage, and drove southeast daydreaming about sundrenched winters and packed nightclubs. “I didn’t have much of a plan, but I knew I wanted to be here,” said Mr. Pelton, 24, who, in his emphasis on where he lives rather than what he does there, is typical of his generation. New York Times

What you think you heard is not what I said or What I said is not what I think you heard or What you think you’re hearing is crazy stuff or I didn’t say that, What?...oh, never mind.

I had a favorite poster in the 70s. It was really quite plain. It had a black background with a picture of a four legged yellow stool and these words, "I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant," or it went something like that.

Making Headway…Slowly
One step forward, two steps back.You'd think that 87 years after women earned the right to vote and more than 40 years after the Civil Rights Act prohibited gender bias in the workplace, equality would rule. However, the battle for equal pay for equal work continues.There is a bright spot, though. The pay gap between men and women is decreasing. Women were earning 81 percent as much as their male counterparts in 2005 compared to when women earned about 63 percent as much as men did in 1979, according to a report conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Daily Times

Boomers and Gen Yers in the Workplace
They wear flip-flops to work, reveal personal information online, and see no reason why their work schedules can't be flexible. Ladies and gents, please welcome Generation Y now tap dancing around their boomer managers in the workplace. The mixing of these two groups - with Gen Xers wedged in the middle - is one of the hottest human resource topics, as employers struggle to attract and keep the valuable but unharnessed young talents of Generation Y. All eyes are on this emerging group who are destined to replace an aging workforce and match work culture to their cyber-hip lifestyle. But like all newcomers, Gen Yers have a thing or two to learn about fitting in before they turn things upside down. Boston Globe

Where Do You Fit in this Survey?
More than half of the working American population has suffered or witnessed workplace bullying, including verbal abuse, job sabotage, abuse of authority or destruction of workplace relationships, according to a new Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI)/Zogby Interactive survey. The WBI survey found that an estimated 54 million employees 37 percent of U.S. workers have been bullied at some point in their work lives, while millions more have witnessed acts of workplace bullying. Despite this epidemic-level prevalence, 45 percent of respondents said they never have seen or experienced bullying at work. Occupational Hazards

Joba Chamberlain is the new phenom pitcher on the New York Yankees. There is something downright sparkling about his ability. Better yet, there's something impeccably refreshing about his approach.

His mental approach, that is.

A reporter noticed five baseballs perched on top of his locker, each signifying a major milestone win such as double A ball, triple A and then as a Yankee. Joba alluded to the fact that it's a long road to the majors and he never wants to forget where he came from. Once they're in the majors, even for the fiesty, fiery Shelley Duncan (another new Yankee), the rookies are having fun and making their mark while vividly remembering the determination and perseverance it took to get there.

Multicultural Workplace
As globalization becomes a reality, more and more companies will employ people of every race, nationality, religious background, and age group. These people will work side by side in the same office building, others a hemisphere away. That's why if your company is still leading the "old" — read "white, male, authoritarian" — way, you're making a mistake. It would be great if you could magically fill your leadership ranks with men and women from different cultures, backgrounds and traditions. But if that's unrealistic, Juana Bordas says you can gain a lot by simply borrowing their techniques. Seacoast Online

How to Get Ahead
Everyone wants to be recognized for a job well done, but being identified as a true rising star at your company takes more than just showing up for work and delivering the goods. In fact, there is a right way and a wrong way to stand out at work, and hitching yourself to certain attributes and attitudes may mean the difference between becoming a shooting star or a falling one, according to Victor Becker, vice president of human resources for Phase Forward Inc. in Waltham. Boston Globe

A Community Helping Women Return to Work
A divorce or the death of a spouse can create drastic changes in one's financial status and emotional stability. A stay-at-home mother, who suddenly needs to look for employment, often discovers that returning to the workforce can be a difficult and frightening undertaking. This year, several Jericho staff members have created a program to assist Jericho school community women transitioning back into the workforce after being divorced or widowed. The Jericho Project for the Advancement of Women (JPAW), created by Marie Salerno, Nancy Saviano, Leigh-Anne Dunckley and Michael Rubino, will offer a series of classes to make the transition easier. Anton News

The day after Labor Day, like so many other students, I go back to school. But in my case, it’s been about 30 years between semesters. I left college in my senior year. I never thought much about finishing until I got my last job a year ago.

Scuttlebutt in the Computer Age
Office gossip, though rarely talked about or researched, has taken on new dimensions in this high-tech age, becoming a dynamic force that can build camaraderie but can also destroy work relationships or careers. The proliferation of instant messaging, Internet blogs and e-mail means rumors in the workplace spread faster and farther, and can do more lasting damage. USA Today

Workplace Errors
The title “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers” gave me pause. Women are present at all levels of the corporate ladder, and most of them are courteous, professional career women. The author, Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., notes that her list of workplace errors by women is the culmination of nearly a quarter-century of experience as a coach, trainer, human resource professional and psychotherapist. Springfield Business Journal

How Muslims View the Workplace
After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, many American Muslims encountered increased hostility in the workplace, both overt and subtle. But that has changed in the last few years, as more corporations have become increasingly aware of the need for religious inclusion. Lina Sayed's parents didn't want their 24-year-old daughter to face ridicule fresh out of school at New York University (NYU). Their concerns grew stronger after Sayed decided she would wear a hijab at her new job with JPMorgan Chase, No. 9 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list. Diversity Inc

As I’ve written in the past, working from home has its advantages, as well as disadvantages. For instance, quite some time ago, I bought the finance software Quicken in order to help me keep track of billing and invoices. The icon is on my desktop, but it’s been ages since I’ve clicked on it. The reason being, even with the tutorial, I have little idea how to navigate the program. Besides, taking time to figure it out means I’m not making money, so learning the program is low on my to-do list. When I used to work for a corporation, they would make sure the employees had ample training time to become acquainted with the computer programs we needed. Now it’s just me alone. I cannot pick up my phone, dial an extension, and say, “Little help, please.”

Questioning Workplace Practices
Executives at Toyota's manufacturing complex in Georgetown defended it as a "great place to work" in responding to a series of work-force concerns brought by a social justice group keen on unionizing the plant's workforce.The three-page letter takes issue with the recommendations offered last month by Kentucky Jobs With Justice. Those recommendations, which included the treatment of temporary workers and on-the-job injuries, grew out of a Workers' Rights Board hearing the group held in June. Lexington Herald-Leader

Smoking Ban
Employees who smoke are fast becoming an endangered species as companies ban smoking on all corporate grounds, including parking and other outdoor areas where smokers were once allowed to gather. It's a radical change from just a decade ago, when smoking was tolerated even if frowned upon. But now being a smoker on the job can even risk your job as more companies pass policies banning the hiring of smokers. ABC News

Making Friends at the Office
Most days, co-workers Natasha Burke and Zipporah Dvash spend their time together at the office. But as fast friends, the two also have a tight social life away from work. They've attended weddings, bar mitzvahs and dinners together. Dvash has even tried to set her colleague up on dates."We're a classic example of how friendships can be successful at work," says Dvash, 51, a public affairs director at the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. Burke, 34, handles community affairs. "Each of us has a vested interest in helping the other do well. We help each other. It's made our jobs so much easier." GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

One late Wednesday night I was doing my regular checks and balances of my expenses on-line through my credit union when I noticed something strange. My account was in the negative. Now my initial reaction was that it was some mistake and the next morning when I awoke everything would be corrected. The next morning I checked again and this time my account was even more in the negative. I immediately called my credit union to find out I had several pending charges on my account. The charges were outstanding debit charges all coming from Arizona. The problem is I live in Texas not Arizona and then it hit me all at once I was a victim of identity theft.

A Unified Effort
If you want to create a really useful invention, make sure you have both women and men on your development team. That’s the conclusion of a survey released this week by the National Center for Women and Information Technology on the value of patents. "Our data show that diversity of thought matters to innovation," says NCWIT Chief Executive Lucinda Sanders, who holds six telecom software patents. "We can say involving women is important because women are half the population and have good ideas, but our study shows the impact for companies." Forbes.com

A Political Effect on the Workplace
If you believe the data imparted in recent studies, American women are doing just great, thank you very much. A recent Gallup poll found that 57% of Americans believe women in this country have equal job opportunities as men, up from 49% in 2006 (1). The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) claims that women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men every year since 1982. By 2011, it is projected that women will outnumber men in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs by 10.2 million to 7.4 million. (2) One reason for this surge could be attributed to the “Clinton/Pelosi Effect.” If a woman can be Speaker of the House, or possibly the next President of the , then we must be doing something right. Philadelphia Daily News

Dos and Don’ts for the Office
Workers at Google can wear flannel pajamas to work. Lawyers on Wall Street aren't caught in anything less than a suit and tie. Employees at a high tech start-up opt for a business casual look, which means they wear -- what exactly do they wear? From the mailroom to the CEO's office, there is perpetual discussion regarding dress code in many corporate workplaces. Business appropriate, business casual, business professional -- what does it all mean? CareerBuilder

Being Out Earned in the Workplace
Women started graduating college at the same rate as men in the early-'80s -- and once the clouds of Aqua Net cleared from the air, things only have got better for the fairer sex. Women today outdo men in enrollment ratios and the number of degrees being earned. The more accurate terminology these days might be fresh women. But there remains one glaring inequality: men still out earn women in the workplace, even in positions of equal rank. Female graduates are entering a "real world" where they will cash less valuable paychecks than their male counterparts; they will work in fewer high paying jobs; and they continue to face criticism for even their best attempts at balancing maternal "duties" with their careers. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Sexual Discrimination
Citing a macho, frat-boy atmosphere in the sales department, up to 500 former saleswomen at EMC are considering a class action sexual discrimination lawsuit against the storage giant, should a judge open an existing case on Sept. 17. Alleging discrimination and harassment, two women filed a lawsuit against the Hopkinton, Mass. company in 2004. A judge for the U.S. District Court in Northern Illinois is set to hear arguments on Monday as to whether to allow other women who worked in sales at EMC from 2001 to 2004 to join the suit, the Wall Street Journal reported Sept. 12. eWeek.com

Considering Retirement
We have all heard the mind-boggling stats before. There are more than 75 million baby boomers, and every seven seconds another one turns 50. Surfing atop this huge demographic wave is some big money; in less than 50 years, Americans will transfer more than $40 trillion in wealth between generations. The numbers make for great sound bites and even better PowerPoint slides for planners and brokers. Forbes.com

I am completely stepping out of my comfort with my latest adventure. I had a light bulb moment a few months ago about organizing an event that would benefit a charity and at the same time coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month. As the owner of a language education company, teaching Spanish to children, I have not had any experience planning or hosting a large event. But I had an idea and I wanted to go for it. Reality soon set in, that I was in way over my head and just could not keep up with the publicity, marketing, and overall organization of the event.

Hotel Business Centers Becoming Obsolete
WITH its expansive views of Cape Cod Bay, one particular room at the Ocean Edge Resort and Club on Cape Cod is prime hotel real estate. But even though the resort has been running near capacity, this room is relatively empty most days. It is the hotel’s business center. As more travelers carry BlackBerrys and hotels install Wi-Fi, the traditional business center, with rows of computers and a front-desk attendant, are becoming obsolete, hotel executives say. New York Times

Cracking that Solid Glass Ceiling
A recent study by Catalyst, a Manhattan-based women's research and advisory group, found that gender stereotyping is still pervasive and leads companies to "underestimate and underutilize" women's leadership talent. Peter Handal, chairman and CEO of Dale Carnegie Training in Hauppauge, believes that women (and men) can excel in the workplace if they master certain key skills such as communication and relationship building. Newsday

Aging Gracefully
That massive slice of the American pie known as the baby boom generation is shuffling closer to senior citizenship with each passing year. If you identify boomers as those born between the palindrome-like years of 1946 and 1964, the oldest and youngest are now 61 and 43 years old, which means they're exactly the same age as Dolly Parton and Courtney Cox. But their youthful tresses seem to be the rule, not the Hollywood exception, of this generation, which calls to mind the recent Time magazine article titled ''The War Over Going Gray.'' In it, writer Anne Kreamer discusses the war going on between women of a certain age and the choice many of us make to color our hair. According to Kreamer, more women between the ages of 25 and 54 are in the workplace than ever before (twice as many as 50 years ago) and many more of us color our hair as well (65 percent of us according to a Proctor and Gamble 2005 survey.) The Morning Call

Dress for success and fake it ‘til you make it are phrases that need little explanation. And there is much truth to them. Recently, an acquaintance who knew I worked from home asked if I put on makeup and dress nicely every day. I thought it a curious question, but was forthcoming and replied, “Usually,” which is the truth. The only time that I do not put on makeup is when I’m absolutely certain I’m not going to need to leave the house for errands. Those are the days I tend to feel less like someone who is ready to meet the world head on and more like a slouch. My output on those days isn’t much different, but my mental attitude is.

How Abuse at Home Effects Workplace Productivity
THE disturbing reality of domestic violence has pushed what has become a significant societal problem out of the home and into the workplace. Employers need to get involved with helping workers who are domestic violence victims. Intervention by businesses is the right thing to do and, in the long run, it also can help keep the workplace safer.
One of the many ways in which domestic violence takes a personal toll on victims is how it reduces worker productivity. Toledo Blade

Career Strategies Found in New Book
John M. McKee, among the world's foremost certified business coaches and president and founder of BusinessSuccessCoach.net, today announced the release of his newest business title, "Career Wisdom" (paperback, ISBN: 9781587368288, $12.95 U.S.). Considered a must read for junior to mid-level professionals who seek upward career mobility, "Career Wisdom" provides aspiring businesspeople with more than 101 tactical, real-world strategies and guidelines for achieving their career and personal goals. CNN Money

Workplace Exasperation
If I ever got to the point where I believed my job was a dead end – that I could do nothing to succeed no matter how hard I tried – I would quit. I would go find another job or figure out a way to create my own business or career opportunity. Women apparently feel the same way. Every year, you read about the swelling ranks of female entrepreneurs and women who take jobs as consultants so they can be their own bosses. The percentage of women leaving traditional employment to pursue these options has dwarfed that of men for at least a decade. The reason is simple: Women just don’t think the workplace treats them the same way as men. California Job Journal

I believe that people are inherently good. And then as we grow older, being tossed and turned by varying environments, we develop iron shields to protect our hearts from being shredded and torn. In return, some of us become crass and insecure. Or cynical and neurotic. Or angry and defensive... I realized that that was me. I shake my head now. I should have known better. I'm still dealing with my tendency to compete. I shouldn't try to be better than the person sitting to me in my attempt to get ahead. Ahead to what? It wouldn't be worth trampling my way to the top as I stand isolated and cold.

Workplace Sins
The guy who takes full credit for a job well done -- albeit any help he received along the way. The "one-for-the-taking-and-focused-on-quick-ways-to-get-ahead" cougar lady. The hot-headed jerk that jumps down your throat at any sign of question or disagreement concerning his latest project. While most of us share a common goal of achievement and success in the workplace, we also know that there are ways to accomplish this ambition -- and ways to fall short. CNN.com

An Interview with Freedom in the Workplace? author
1. What important issue does this book, Freedom in the Workplace?, address that will interest ZNet readers? The book addresses the question of whether workers in the United States are free. I develop a notion of freedom focused on the workplace that illuminates the severe limits on workers freedom by illegal coercion against organizing unions and by low wage offers -- barely enough to feed their families -- that workers are pressured to accept. Older, sick workers are forced to stay in exhausting jobs in order to be eligible for their pensions. ZNet

Continue to Challenge Yourself
While many of her fellow Gen-Xers may be on their third or fourth job, Karen Fiore is still with her first post-college employer, 1800flowers.com. It's been nine years since the 32-year-old started there, and she still feels challenged by her work. The company says she's the rule not the exception. Forbes.com

Next week I am hitting the road to talk to women about the workplace issues that matter most to them and I need the women of Phoenix and Dallas to join me on the air. Wave to your friends and family in other cities(since Good Morning America airs nationally from 7am to 9am in all time zones) and still make it to work on time!

Monday, September 24 in Dallas at the Women's Museum

Start your Monday and your week off right by meeting me on the first stop of our tour, the Dallas Women's Museum. Bring your daughters, talk to me about your workplace challenges, and get a preview of the October Women For Hire Expo in Dallas.

Dallas is the city to kick off the tour and we know that we can count on Texans to set the stage for a phenomenal week!

Just click on the link to let us know you're coming : http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TakeControlOfYourLife/story?id=3604719

Wednesday, September 26 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix

Next stop will be Wednseday at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Grab your girlfriends, grill me on your toughest workplace questions, and add some excitement to the middle of your week.

Just click on the link to let us know you're coming: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TakeControlOfYourLife/story?id=3605042

Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. In Rochester, Latinas Unidas celebrates our Hispanic heritage all year long. Since 1993, Latinas Unidas has celebrated the accomplishments of 44 Latinas in law, medicine, education, business, homemaking and other fields. Each March, we bring together more than 200 girls to celebrate and confirm who they are and can be. In 2000, Latinas Unidas set up the Latina Woman Scholarship Fund to aid Latinas ages 25 and older with college, skill training and other resources to help them advance in the workplace. DemocratandChronicle.com

How to Dress for that All-Important Interview
Last week we talked about dressing for success with emphasis on the young male entering the workplace for the first time. Today I'd like to continue the topic in a very general sense, including everyone. Once again, there is a lot of acceptance in the workplace for "casual dress", or "business casual", and both terms, by the way, are on every oxymoron list on the Internet. The corporate community continues to buy into this "look" in spite of overwhelming evidence that it is almost impossible to manage and generally doesn't improve productivity. ScrippsNews.com

Looking at “How the Champs Do It”
You couldn't be blamed for rolling your eyes when American Express chief Ken Chenault says, "People are our greatest asset." CEOs always say that. They almost never mean it. Most companies maintain their office copiers better than they build the capabilities of their people, especially the ones who are supposed to be future leaders, and for decades they've gotten away with it. But now their world is changing profoundly - and at long last we're going to find out which self-proclaimed people-cherishers actually mean it. CNNMoney.com

I’ve been having a bit of frustration over the past couple of weeks. I know that I’m ready to make some positive changes in my career and in my life. The urge to grow beyond where I am is pulling at me. Meanwhile the urge to stay safe in my tried and true routine is very strong. It’s sort of funny that even though I know that making positive changes can have enormous benefits, doubts can still creep up. Part of why I feel such frustration is because I’m impatient to see results right away.

Short Changed
College women on the brink of graduation may be in for a rude awakening. While they have enjoyed majority status on campus and graduate with higher grade-point averages than their male classmates, young women still conspicuously lag in one crucial area: income earnings immediately after graduation. Newsreview.com

A Need for a Supportive Workplace
Members of a local cancer support group are rooting for ABC's "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts, who remains on the job while battling breast cancer. They only wish everyone had the same resources and support as Roberts, who credits her employer and co-workers with making a tough time easier. "I wish it was like that for everyone," said a 47-year-old Swartz Creek woman who attends breast cancer support group meetings sponsored by McLaren Regional Medical Center. Mlive.com

Legislation Looking at Workplace Bullying
In a coast-to-coast conference call Saturday a national expert on bullying in the workplace defended recently introduced legislation designed to address that very issue. Speaking to a near-empty meeting room in the Statehouse, Dr. Gary Namie, founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute in Bellingham, Wash., said passage of the "Healthy Workplace Bill" would make Vermont a better place to work. Rep. Leo Valliere, R-Washington, is sponsoring bill H.548 in the state Legislature. "The goal is to get employers to do voluntarily what they should be doing now," Namie said, trumpeting the results of a recent interactive poll conducted by Zogby International. TimesArgus.com

Does Workplace Problems Cause Death?
The study of 3,000 men and women published online in July by the journal Psychosomatic Medicine set out to examine the relationship between marital stress and coronary heart disease or death. Participants were asked what topics they fought over and whether workplace problems spilled into their lives at home. Men who said their wives came home from work upset were 2.7 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than other men. (Women weren't asked whether job stress affected them.) Los Angeles Times

Courage at the Office
An investment banker recently asked me what career malady I would cure given the chance. My answer? Fear. Regardless of your chosen profession, fear always stops you from getting where you need to go. It is a workplace illness that is all encompassing, and can attack at any point in your career trajectory (it can affect the minutiae of your day-to-day life: Preventing you from making a phone call or speaking up in a meeting; or it can affect your career overall: Keeping you in an unsatisfying job). am NY

Changing Demographics
As you look around your office, is everyone just like you? Probably not. The demographics of the American workforce have changed dramatically over the last 50 years. In the 1950s, more than 60% of the American workforce consisted of white males. They were typically the sole breadwinners in the household, expected to retire by age 65 and spend their retirement years in leisure activities. Today, the American workforce is a better reflection of the population with a significant mix of genders, race, religion, age and other background factors. Gaywired.com

A few weeks ago the cover of US News & World Report featured a story about working mothers and the new ways in which we are finding work/life balance. The New Mommy Trackon a lot of points near and dear to my heart - when I started PerkettPR, I had several objectives in mind. Not only did I want to build a unique and successful business, I also wanted to create an optimal work environment that was not offered by competitive firms in the space. I started a virtual PR firm at a time – a decade ago – when very few people were accepting work-from-home as a “real job,” let alone featuring it on the cover of national magazines.

Is it You or is it Them?
Searching for a reason that you aren't being promoted fast enough? Look in the mirror.
So suggests Gil Schwartz, a corporate executive writing in Men's Health. He says some people unwittingly sabotage their careers by falling into any number of self-created traps. Some workers, for example, think they work best under pressure and, therefore, leave everything to the last minute. Courier Journal

Legal Workplace Discrimination
A recent poll found that 77 percent of Republicans believe it is wrong for employers to fire people solely because they are gay.That statistic, from a poll conducted this summer by Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates, is encouraging. But in 31 states, it’s perfectly legal to fire someone because they are openly gay. Too many employers still reject job applicants based on sexual orientation. KansasCity.com

Bridging the Gap
Misti Burmeister used to commit lots of blunders when she tried to connect with older workers in the office. These communication gaps led her to create Inspirion Inc., a Bethesda consulting firm that promotes effective communication between older and younger generations in the workplace. Washington Times

This week I am on the road again with Good Morning America's "Take Control of Your Life Tour.” We have toured several cities throughout this past year, helping working women improve their lives - advising them how to ask for more flextime, encouraging workplaces to provide childcare and giving women the tools to fight for equal pay. This Friday, September 28 I will be making the last stop on the tour.

This time, I will be in our nation's capital examining how the Family and Medical Leave Act impacts working women and I want the Women of DC to join me live Friday morning! Not only will you be part of our live broadcast on GMA, but we're hoping this will be a good networking experience for everyone involved, to meet and speak with other women working towards more protection under FMLA.

If you are able to attend:

You must RSVP in order to be admitted to the event. Please email Alesandra.T.LaPointe.-nd@abc.com with your name, name of anyone else attending with you and a contact number for one person in your group.

Participants should arrive at 6am to the Russell Senate Office Building, which is just across the street from the US Capitol. The entrance is on Delaware Avenue, approximately 15 yards past the Rotunda entrance at the corner of Constitution Avenue and Delaware Avenue. We will not be able to admit people past 6:50am. Once you are in the location of the Russell Senate Caucus Room, we ask that you stay until the end of the broadcast at 9am.

Please bring as few items as possible, as you will need to go through security and we will not have a coat check. All participants will be given a blue "GMA Take Control of Your Life!" T-shirt that we'd like everyone to wear for this event. Coffee and light breakfast items will be provided.

Jealous Men
Apparently--you're not going to believe this, but I swear, it's true--there are men who don't like it when the women they date make more than them. What's more, there are women who really want to date men who make more than they do. No, really! There was a whole article about it in the New York Times! It's hard to overstate the fundamental silliness of this story. This is not a "trend", except insofar as this whole "women in the workplace" idea you've been reading so much about is really starting to take off. TheAtlantic.com

Is Instant Messaging Your Choice for Communication?
Today, business professionals have the luxury of choosing how to conduct business at any given moment. On average, working men and women are accessible via phone (office and mobile), pager, PDA, fax, and e-mail. Interestingly, with so many options available and at our disposal, professionals are increasingly choosing instant messaging to communicate in the workplace. Black Enterprise

Gender Identity and the Office
Last week, the Denver court rejected Krystal Etsitty's lawsuit against UTA, concluding - mind-bogglingly -that Americans with complicated gender identity and biology cannot be harassed, undermined or bullied at work. The idea that a transsexual-in-progress can't be a victim of sexual discrimination is bogus. If there's a group more vulnerable than women in the workplace, it's women who used to be men and men who used to be women. Salt Lake Tribune

By now I’m sure everyone has seen the movie The Secret. The first time I saw it, I was immediately changed. I finally internalized all the information I read and studied throughout the years. I finally realized that positive thinking wasn’t being Pollyanna and naïve. I was shocked to learn that I was programmed totally wrong if I ever wanted to become successful in life.

The Tech World without Women
Discrimination against women and minorities is putting the U.S. at a disadvantage in technology innovation, according to the chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley. Robert Birgeneau said of the top 50 university computer science department jobs in the U.S., not one is held by a woman of color. "How embarrassing," he said. "It's an astounding waste of talent in an increasingly competitive world." Birgeneau was the keynote speaker at a workshop on women in technology as part of the Emerging Technologies Conference being held at MIT this week. Computer World

Four Generations in the Office
Baby boomers may be learning something from Gen Xers and Yers in the workplace. Working Mother magazine says that there are four different generations of workers at most workplaces in the United States. It appears the younger generations are shaping the way companies do business and teaching their older co-workers about the importance of workplace flexibility. According to Working Mother's survey of companies, the younger workers strive to achieve a better balance between their jobs and life outside the workplace with family and friends. So, companies are starting to offer more family-friendly incentives to employees. The Salt Lake Tribune

Today’s Executive Assistants were Yesterday’s Secretaries
The role of the office secretary — now executive assistant — has evolved a lot since a California woman created the Executive Secretaries organization in 1938. Some still call themselves secretaries, though the preferred term is executive assistant. Many of the roles are the same, but there is more to being a CEO's right hand than knowing shorthand, said Melissa Ford, president of the Houston chapter of the group, which changed its name to Executive Women International in 1977. Chron.com

Things are getting busy. The kind of busy I forgot things could get. The kind of busy that makes me think I should make a “to don’t” list because it might end up being shorter. The kind of busy that means there are more colored flags vying for my attention in my inbox than I have seen in one place since the opening ceremony of the last Olympics games. It somewhat reminds me of the experience people describe when they believe they have been abducted by aliens. One minute I am standing outside the office in the morning holding my coffee and the next thing I know the day is over and I have been deposited outside the door completely spent but with only a shadowy grasp of what has actually transpired.