Workplace Buzz: Today’s Headlines

Have I Ever Worked? Excuse me?
Nervously I watched as he read my résumé. At last, he looked up, tapped his chin, and with a hesitant smile he summed up my life. Let's see. Married with five children, a master's degree and vast experience as a volunteer . . . but have you ever worked? I wanted to snap, "What do you think?" Common sense kicked in, and I explained that it was 20 years since I held a job. During my years as a stay-at-home household manager, the number of women entering the workforce expanded significantly. Bradenton Herald

Optimistic Job Market
Companies added staff in November at the fastest pace in a year and worker productivity rose at the strongest rate in four years in the third quarter, according to data released on Wednesday that lifted some recent economic gloom. U.S. private employers added 189,000 jobs last month, according to ADP Employer Services. The number far outpaced analysts' median expectation of a reading of 50,000, and had economists scrambling to raise their forecasts for the government's non-farm payrolls data to be released on Friday. Yahoo.com

Helping the Environment at the Office
Consider, if you will, the humble coffee mug - that's right, the one with the wacky slogan on it that you might be drinking from right now. By bringing a mug to work and using it, instead of chugging your caffeine fix from disposable cups, you can help reduce the 2 million tons of paper and plastic cups and plates tossed out in the U.S. each year. A forthcoming book called True Green @ Work: 100 Ways You Can Make the Environment Your Business, published by the National Geographic Society, is full of surprises like this. CNN Money