http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/jobs/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Seven-simple-things-good-bosses-should-do/ Who wants to work for Ken Grenda? Us. (Shhh, don’t tell Penbo.) The Victorian businessman recently sold off the transit operations arm of his family-owned business Grenda Corporation, and his employees were the winners. Most got around $8500, while a few lucky ones scored as much as $30,000. Now that’s what we call great boss material. Sadly, that sort of thing doesn’t happen to most of us. But there are things bosses can do to make life better both for employees and the company bottom line. After all, a happy employee is a productive employee. Bosses of Australia, are you reading this? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Seven-simple-things-good-bosses-should-do/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Seven-simple-things-good-bosses-should-do/#item7653 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-big-fat-aussie-myths-about-australia/ As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-big-fat-aussie-myths-about-australia/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-big-fat-aussie-myths-about-australia/#item7605 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-kids-are-alright-tony/ Tony Abbott’s claim this week that only the “right kids” should be encouraged to stay in school misunderstands the jobs market, the needs of business and is not in the best interests of our kids. It‘s true that not all young people want or need to go to university and they shouldn’t have to. But gone are the days when young people could finish Year 10 and walk into a job or a trade without qualifications. Our economy has changed and employers increasingly desire higher levels of education and deeper levels of understanding. Think about the skills required by today’s mechanics, electricians and plumbers. Technical, computer and environmental changes mean these sorts of trades have become more complex and require a higher level of vocational skills. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-kids-are-alright-tony/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-kids-are-alright-tony/#item7277 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/having-a-secure-job-is-not-a-luxury/ Sometimes a change creeps up so stealthily that you hardly notice how far it’s gone. That’s how I feel about insecure work, something that used to be restricted to small part of our workforce, but has now spread, like the crown of thorns starfish, to trap millions of Australian workers. Today, the reality is that 40 per cent of Australians are in some kind of insecure work. That’s the combination of people who are casual (which is a quarter of the workforce alone), on short-term or other contracts, and in labour hire, as opposed to the normal definition of permanent jobs – with all the conditions and entitlements that come with them – that were the norm until a few years ago. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/having-a-secure-job-is-not-a-luxury/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/having-a-secure-job-is-not-a-luxury/#item6837 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-now-out-of-work/ I’m not sure exactly where the ‘back room’ is. But it must be big. If you’re reading this on a computer in an office, you might even be in the ‘back room’. And if you are – according to most politicians and media commentators – you are basically useless and easily dispensable. Feeling good about yourself? In the budget this week, the NSW Government announced it would abolish 5000 public service jobs. Not any particular jobs, just a general cull of ‘head office and back room’ workers. The terrible loss of steel-making jobs in the Illawarra drew widespread concern just a couple of weeks ago. But announcements of cuts to the public service are usually met with something between ‘whatever’ and ‘triple it!’. Unless it’s your job in the firing line, which is why public sector workers and their unions have been a bit toey lately. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-now-out-of-work/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/out-of-sight-out-of-mind-now-out-of-work/#item6682 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/oops-im-the-boss/ About seven years ago I came into the office on a Thursday to discover that I was the boss.  My appointment would be announced the next day, and I would start on the Monday. I would be heading an organisation which had 245 staff. Many of them were among my best friends. A couple of them I didn’t much care for. Some of them I had never met. I’m writing this today because my Punch colleagues have designated this Friday as Boss Day, and they wanted a piece about what it’s actually like to be the head honcho. And anyway, someone has to stick up for the bastards. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/oops-im-the-boss/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/oops-im-the-boss/#item6585 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-flying-kangaroo-need-not-be-a-flying-panda/ “There Is No Alternative” was a favourite line of Margaret Thatcher’s whenever she was trying to push one of her ideas on to the public. The “TINA” philosophy has become part of the armoury of governments, big corporations, and others who want to convince us that we are naïve, ill-informed or stupid when we try and question the wisdom of their decisions. Qantas is the latest example of a major company trying to convince us that There Is No Alternative to its plans to shift its operations offshore, and to cut about 1000 jobs here in Australia. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-flying-kangaroo-need-not-be-a-flying-panda/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/The-flying-kangaroo-need-not-be-a-flying-panda/#item6544 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sacked-steelworkers-we-will-not-abandon-you/ Alongside coal, steelmaking has dominated the Illawarra economy for the better part of a century. The industrial landscape of Port Kembla continues to define the lives of the people that work and live in its shadow, the people that I represent in the federal electorate of Throsby. When I left high school in the early eighties, the Steelers NRL team was still running around in the top flight (before merging with St George), and many of my mates took up apprenticeships with the company that sponsored the famous scarlet jersey, BHP Steel. We were a steel city, a proud working-class town, just like our sister city of Newcastle. In many respects we still are. But just like Newcastle and in the other manufacturing regions around Australia at that time, the ground was already shifting under our feet. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sacked-steelworkers-we-will-not-abandon-you/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Sacked-steelworkers-we-will-not-abandon-you/#item6545 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sisters-should-ask-for-pay-rises-themselves/ Twenty years I’ve been in the workforce. That’s 20 years of deadlines, jumping on planes, working late into the night and, ultimately, furthering the fortunes of companies and proprietors who are decent enough – sorry, lucky enough – to have me. During those two decades, how many times do you reckon I’ve asked for a pay rise? Most years? Biannually? Nope. Just once. Not a savvy thing to admit, but a quick ask around friends and colleagues reveals the same: Women don’t ask for pay rises. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sisters-should-ask-for-pay-rises-themselves/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/sisters-should-ask-for-pay-rises-themselves/#item5173 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-weird-things-we-do-to-put-bread-on-the-table/ As far back as I remember, I was never really interested in going to work or keeping a steady job. At the age of 20, I had graduated from University with a degree in Bugger All, and I had planned to be a dog walker for the wealthy – preferably for randy lonely old women living in the Eastern Suburbs and who didn’t have time to walk their terriers between yoga and brunch. When I ended up in the hospital after one day of walking ‘Max’, I came to two conclusions: First, never interrupt a dog mating; Second, I needed a new job. All this got me thinking about what my perfect job would be. Unlike all my other friends with a BA, I had no interest in working at a bank. So instead, I decided I would help save the planet. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-weird-things-we-do-to-put-bread-on-the-table/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-weird-things-we-do-to-put-bread-on-the-table/#item4970 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 As Australia Day descends, the great Aussie annual introspection starts. We ask questions about who we are as a nation, how does our history stack up, where are we heading and what our values are. We even have debates about whether we should have Australia Day at all. Of course, having a bit of a national conversation with ourselves isn’t a bad thing. It’s healthy to ask questions. And there can be some spinoffs. A bit of navel gazing by Australians lead to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki‘s mini-thesis and why belly button fluff is always blue (true blue that is, or is it green, Karl?). But as healthy as questioning is, it is important to know to have a good amount of evidence on side to really get a handle on things.