Workplace Buzz: Today’s Headlines

A Woman First
There is a very strong message in the movie thriller, “Silence of the Lambs” and I’m not talking about the one about how serial killers who devour their victims are not nice people, even if they top off the meal with a bottle of Chianti. It is the message about how Jodie Foster’s character, Clarice, deals with a non-stop set of male characters deal with her as a woman first, and a law enforcement professional second, if at all. The gauntlet Clarice endures is a parable for what many women experience in the work place. WebCPA.com

Gender Disparity
The New Year is a traditional time for predictions. So here are mine, for the workplace. I predict an end of work as we know it, of course. But don’t get jumpy - it’s not going to be here in 2008. It’s going to come sooner than later, as the next generation infiltrates the ranks of workers. The best way to be ready is to start adapting your thinking today, because the way we think about work now is going to become obsolete. Brazen Careerist

Hiring Slowdown
Fewer than a quarter of employers expect to add positions in the first quarter of the new year, almost the same as a year ago, according to a survey of 14,000 companies being released Tuesday. Twelve percent of companies said they expect to reduce employment in the three-month period starting in January, while 22 percent said they'll add jobs, according to the survey by Milwaukee-based global staffing firm Manpower Inc. CNNMoney.com