If you’ve paid attention to the news following Steve Jobs announcement that he was retiring from Apple, you would have thought he was some sort of divine being. But is everyone overlooking his less than saintly deeds?

The Wall Street Journal wrote following Jobs departure news:

Every generation produces a few individuals whose will to restructure the world in their own image is so powerful that they seem to distort reality itself. They change the world, not always for the better—and that in the U.S. they often choose to pursue entrepreneurship and industry rather than politics is one of the uncelebrated blessings of American capitalism.

Mr. Jobs—who emerged from an uncertain childhood brilliant, charismatic and charged with an ambition that would make most mortals blush—is one of those figures, a fact recognized even before he reached adulthood.

PC Magazine asked:

What event could top an earthquake and a hurricane? Steve Jobs stepping down as Apple’s chief executive, of course.

And one publication’s headline about Jobs departure actually was:

Steve Jobs Retirement Causes Earthquakes, Rain and Hurricanes

Yes the guy revolutionized the technology we use today, but the narrative about his stewardship of Apple is missing some pretty bad stuff when it comes to labor pratices.

Apple’s operations in China, where most of the company’s products are now made, have been described as sweatshops. These facilities are so bad that last year at least 17 employees there killed themselves. But for some reason, Apple, and Jobs in particular, get a pass. If Walmart, Nike, Mattel or any other company had such skeletons in its operations’ closet, would the media and consumers be this kind? (more…)

Two hard-working fathers I respect told me this weekend that they chose family over work as Hurricane Irene barreled toward the Northeast, and both wondered if it would somehow doom their careers.

One dad who works for a regional power company told his boss he wouldn’t be able to come to work Saturday if he was needed because he wanted to be with his family when the storm hit. And the other dad, who works for a major technology firm, made the choice to take half a day off on Friday to help prepare his home; a decision his manager did not appreciate because a key project was due.

Neither man regretted their decisions, that I’m sure played out with many families along the eastern coast this weekend. But when you make such choices there are consequences; something working mothers know all too well. The Working Mommy Trap has been a fixture of the work world for decades, the only difference is now dads are also starting to fall into it; and it could be even more deadly fathers. (more…)

Trying to inspire workers to fight against real workplace or societal inequities can be an uphill battle. But complain about how women, minorities, or the disabled are depicted in TV shows, rap songs and movies, and you get a tidal wave of soldiers ready to charge against the entertainment industry.

I’m not saying such fights are useless, but sometimes they may end up reaping few rewards when it comes to discrimination in this country.

Recently, I’ve been getting tweets and emails of outrage from parents of disabled kids about what they see as slurs in the media; and today the big hubbub is feminist icon Gloria Steinem’s call for a boycott of a Playboy TV show. They’re all angry over how certain individuals are depicted and what’s said about them, but is their anger misguided, or better directed elsewhere? (more…)

Another profitable company with well-compensated executives wants its employees to give a little.

So it should be no surprise that there’s an unusual event going on right now — a massive strike by workers. About 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike this week because contract negotiations have stalled.

I say the event unusual because strikes in the country have been on the decline for years. The number of major U.S. strikes, including those involving 1,000 workers or more, fell to just five in 2009, the lowest level since 1947, when the Department of Labor first began tracking the data.

“The bottom line is that unions know the strike weapon just doesn’t work that well anymore, especially in a tough economy,” said Phillip Wilson, president of the Labor Relations Institute.

But for some reason, Verizon’s workers think it can work, or maybe they’re just so frustrated they don’t know what else to do. You see, the company is quite profitable right now but company officials say they still need major concessions from employees. It’s a familiar story many workers have heard before, especially during this downturn. Workers are seeing their pay and benefits cut, in addition to ongoing furloughs without pay, but all the while the top dogs keep padding their bank accounts.

In the case of Verizon, the top six executives at the company pocketed about $45 million in compensation last year. When you compare that to average wages at the firm for the rank and file that seems pretty extreme during tough economic times. Software engineers at the company, who are not unionized, make about $87,000, and customer service reps, many of which are unionized get $16.64 on average, according to Glassdoor.com.

Executives at Verizon make 20 times more than their top-paid employees, and nearly 60 times more than what their lowest paid workers bring in.

The pay gap between employees and executives has been growing for years now across all industries, but companies still want to extract more and more from the rank and file.

What if there was a company that limited how much more the head honchos could make compared to the little guys and gals? Am I crazy to even suggest this? Did I not have enough coffee this morning? Turns out, there is one such company. (more…)

Gals! Time to be obnoxious at work; and what ever you do, don’t let men be pleasant to you when you’re on the job.

I know, I’m promoting a decline of civility but that’s what two recent studies have found.

Women who are disagreeable earn more money than those who just go along. And allowing guys to open the door when you go into work in the morning is actually bad for gals in terms of how competent they’re perceived at work.

Now, don’t think being a bitch is going to get you as much money as it does bitchy men, but hey, we get the short end of the stick at work no matter what we do. A study by the University of Notre Dame lends further credence to the notion that being a good girl gets you little when you’re trying to further your bank account or career but (more…)

I know there are a lot of desperate job seekers out there, but is it ever a good idea to throw out the standard job-hunting playbook and do something crazy? Possibly.

This morning when I turned on my computer, I was greeted with an interesting tweet from @iJmeeks, or James Meeks in the real world.

hey @careerdiva i’m trying to get my career in order. take a look at my website i created to get hired hiremeaccenture.com

He calls himself “a sales and marketing guru” and wants Accenture, the consulting giant, to hire him. To that end, he put together a HireMeAccenture.com website and it’s pretty much his pitch to the company.

I think his strategy is anything but meek, which I love. But can it get Meeks the gig he seeks? (more…)

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to work yesterday, casting a vote in Congress and inspiring the nation with her recovery after being shot in the head in January.

But she returns a very different person both mentally and physically. According to a story in the Arizona Daily Star yesterday,

she can’t use her right arm, so she must write with her left. Her right leg has little feeling in it. Her hair is just growing back in from her last brain surgery in May, and she’s still working on her conversation skills.

The bullet traveled clear through the left side of her head, and in surgery to remove the fragments, some of the congresswoman’s brain had to be removed, too.

Giffords has received the best medical care, and her employer, the U.S. government and the people of Arizona, have been nothing but supportive. Unfortunately, for most employees being able to continue working despite a serious chronic illness is rife with obstacles, including an increase in discrimination. (more…)

We’re all upset with members of Congress because they have trouble playing nice with each other, even for the greater good of the nation. But maybe we should look in the mirror.

Elected officials don’t have a corner on the we-just-can’t-get-along market. I can’t tell you how many emails I get from readers, and even from friends, seeking advice on how to deal with a manager or coworkers who bullied them, undermined them, was jealous of them, gossiped about them, or took credit for their work. A CareerBuilder survey found that one in four workers felt bullied at work; and 27 percent thought people gossiped about them.

Yes, often it’s a boss we grumble about, but we can’t see eye to eye with our fellow cube mates either. Many of us don’t think our coworkers are very well behaved, according to a Monster poll. Here’s a list of what ticks us off about those workers in the cubicle next door:

> Coworkers who gossip: 35%
> Coworkers who don’t clean up after themselves: 25%
> Coworkers who are too loud: 14%
> Coworkers who text or email when they’re in meetings: 10%
> Other / none of the above: 16%

We might be expecting a lot from Congress after all. If we get on each other’s nerves so much, how the heck can we do our best on the job? (more…)