National Edition - February 25, 2007  Jobboom Partners With Salary.com Jobboom.com members will now be able to see just how much money their skills are worth or if they're earning enough in their current position. Jobboom and Salary.com are teaming up to provide Canadian job seekers with tools to evaluate job offers and see how their current salaries measure up. Be heard : Take the Jobboom Poll! How long do you plan to stay in the workforce? - I'm not in the workforce yet - Until it's time to raise a family - I'm aiming for early retirement - Until the traditional retirement age of 65 - I plan to work well past 65 To answer, visit Career zone, and check out the Your opinion matters section. Internet addict employee sues IBM This one's a real doozy, jam-packed with all the hot workplace issues: ageism, retirement, Internet use at work, mental health, and a handful more. One IBM worker sacked for entering an adult chat room is appealing his harsh punishment, claiming he should be treated equally-like the company's drug and alcohol addicts-in therapy, at the company's expense. (Source: CNN) Women's desks 'harbour more bugs' From nightclubs to subway stations, women's public washrooms are usually cleaner than their male counterparts. However, scientists discovered that the workstations of female employees were "germier" than the men's. Perhaps it's time reconsider grabbing lunch at your desk, the surface is 400 times more germ filled than the average office toilet seat. (Source: BBC) Fetish cafes cater to geeks Fetish cafes, the latest restaurant trend in Japan, are causing a lot of discussion amongst cultural pundits. Particularly the newest kind that features waitresses who dress up as office workers, or Office Ladies (OLs) and perform stripteases. Are waitresses dressing up as OLs feeding the unhealthy fantasies of the men who visit fetish cafes? Or do they help to reduce the incidences of sexual harassment that real-life OLs are forced to endure? You decide. (Source: Wired) Britons get the most laughs In a survey of European executives, the Brits claimed the position of being the funniest overall. Although many European executives surveyed preferred their own nationality's brand of humour best, the English were a nearly unanimous second choice. Italians were the next most popular choice with Germany running last, struggling to pick up votes. (Source: Reuters) 'Bad apple' rots the workplace We have all worked with one, the office "bad apple"- someone who doesn't do their share of the work, is unstable or bullies others. According to this article, one bad apple can "spoil the whole barrel" and can cause a downturn in morale or even destroy a good team. One suggested way of dealing with this is to move their desk, forcing them to work in isolation. The increased use of psychometric testing may also nip the situation in the bud, and the "bad apple" will not be hired in the first place. (Source: Toronto Star) Have you noticed? Apparently, the board rooms of top Canadian companies have a greater female presence, with a 50 per cent rise in employment of women executives in the past year alone. - The annual Rosenzweig Report on Women at the Top Levels of Corporate Canada found that 37 women now hold top officer jobs in Canada's 100 largest publicly-traded companies. - This is up from only 23 the previous year. - Of the 521 officers reported at these 100 corporations, 93.1 per cent are still men. - Six companies now have multiple women holding these high-level positions, but five of these companies rank among the smallest of the Top 100 companies. (Source: Canoe) February 28 Profectio's Power Breakfast Series: "As the World Searches" Toronto, ON February 28 YTA Lucheon Meeting - "Fostering a Culture of Innovation" Markham, ON March 3 "YES, The Future is Yours," 10th Annual Entrepreneurship Conference Montreal, QC March 4 - 6 Canadian Venture Forum Toronto, ON March 5 - 6 Cyber Security 2007 Toronto, ON March 8 Youth Career Awareness Fair Mississauga, ON March 19 - 21 Natcon 2007: National Consultation on Career Development Toronto, ON March 28 - 29 BioMedEx Quebec City, QC April 1 - 2 FITT Tenth National Conference Vancouver, BC April 15 - 21 National Volunteer Week Canada-wide April 20 - 22 Global Youth Service Day World-wide May 14 7th Annual Montreal Self-Employed Artists Conference Montreal, QC NOTICE: Jobboom and its sponsors do not necessarily endorse the opinions conveyed in the articles selected for this e-zine and do not assume any legal liability in consequence thereof. Comments: info@jobboom.com Research and editing: Austin Macdonald #noDossier#