It was a tough year for people seeking full-time jobs and that was reflected in the stories you all clicked on.

The biggest post for CareerDiva for 2011, by a huge margin, was the piece I wrote on how Corporate America was addicted to temporary workers.

Here’s an excerpt:

Corporate America has become addicted to temporary workers. They just love you guys. So much so, they’re spending all day with you and ignoring their full-time workforce family.

You offer the immediate high they need even though they may be trashed the next day when they realize not giving workers permanent jobs could ultimately do a number employee morale and the future success of a company.

The latest poll on the growing use of temporary contract workers comes from Right Management, a career management company that’s part of ManpowerGroup.

“As many as 41% of employers have used more independent contractors over the past two years,” the survey found.

And here’s a rundown on the nine other posts that got the most of you reading this past year: (more…)

If you doubt sexism is still alive and well in this world I want to share something with you. Say hello to the boxing mini skirt:

The International Boxing Association, or AIBA, decided this is what female boxers should wear for the upcoming Olympics, and actually sent these skirts to women who are competing now to wear to finalist bouts. Not surprisingly, the president of the sporting organization is a male and so are the 24 members of the AIBA’s executive committee who made the decision. Can you imagine what would have happened if there was one female on that committee. She probably would have screamed: (more…)

For many years now, we’ve all heard about the terrible nursing shortage in this country. The line has been, people who went into nursing would be thrown buckets of money and treated like royalty by the healthcare administrators wanting to hire them. That caused waves of workers to head to nursing schools.

Well, it turns out, promises of milk and honey were hype. Nurses are now being asked to take cuts in compensation and to work more.

A nurse told me a few years back that she thought all the hyperbole about a shortage was caused by the healthcare providers themselves in order to end up with an oversupply of nurses and thus be in a position to pay nurses less. I’m not much for conspiracy theories, but the end result she predicted is happening. (more…)

“Frankly, I am a woman, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with a woman as president. Women are just - I just don’t know if we’re cut out to lead.”

These words came from Molly Gordon, a Christian conservative from Iowa who was interviewed by NPR at a candidate forum in Des Moines yesterday.

Her words sent a chill up and down my spine.

Maybe you can brush off Gordon’s comments as just religious dogma. Clearly some extreme Christians may deem women in a poor light, and believe women should just follow their husband’s orders, but such attitudes are more pervasive in society at large than we want to admit.

Take Corporate America. Women are just not breaking that pesky glass ceiling. Today, all-to-familiar dismal numbers on women in leadership positions at the nation’s major corporations were released. And coincidentally, one of the longest-sitting female CEOs at the Fortune 500, Avon’s Andrea Jung, just received a pink slip. (more…)

There’s an article in the Wall Street Journal today about the former CEO of Olympus Corp., Michael C. Woodford, and how he was a big neat freak when it came to his employees.

When he was at Olympus, according to the story, “Woodford laid down the law about what personal items employees could keep on their desks—nothing but photos of family members and pets, as well as children’s drawings.”

This got me thinking of a guy I worked with at a newspaper in Florida who’s desk was considered a fire hazard. It was piled high with folders, paper, food, and lots of missing items from around the office, like the tape recorder I lent him which he was unable to find.

Despite all this, he was one of the best reporters in the newsroom, thorough and always on top of his beat. What if someone like Woodford decided to make him organize his space? Turns out, it wouldn’t be a good thing. (more…)

This week, Randolph Babbitt, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, resigned following fall out of his drunk-driving arrest.

It was a monumental fall from grace for a man who has had an impressive career. His FAA bio page has already been deleted.

It’s unknown what Babbitt’s drinking history is, but I thought this was a good time to look again at how drinking issues can impact your career.

If you’re caught doing something illegal as a result, in most cases, an employer can legally fire you. But if you’re an alcoholic, and your boss finds out, you may indeed have some protections against adverse actions by your employer, but they are limited, according to labor law experts.. (more…)

Reading business books, listening to leadership gurus, and even perusing the help wanted ads lately is like a hellish trip down jargon lane.

One of my least favorites is “critical thinker.” Everyone wants one of those it seems, even if you’re applying for a job in customer service, or as a registered nurse. And job postings including everyone from accounting clerks to Aflac Insurance sales people have to “think outside the box” these days.

There’s so much of this corporate lingo going around employees would like to annihilate them all. Which are most hated? (more…)

I used to work for an editor who would conduct editorial meetings in the middle of the newsroom, and while reporters and other editors were watching — men and women — he’d rub and adjust his penis often in plain sight.

I thought of this when I got a survey this morning about how women are embarrassed to use breast pumps at work.

It’s hard to blame the system for the lack of advancement by women in Corporate America and the workplace at large when we gals are our own worst enemies. If men were able to breast feed they’d be doing it out in the open while on the phone, holding meetings, and even at ball games. You know it’s true. Why are women so ashamed to do something so natural? (more…)

Newspapers and websites from around the globe published moving images this morning of Italy’s Labor Minister weeping.

Elsa Fornero is crying because she was unable to hold back her emotions while telling Italians they faced many austerity measures in the months and years ahead, including everything from boosting the retirement age by six years to pension cuts.

This from UK newspaper The Telegraph:

“We had to… and it cost us a lot psychologically… ask for a…” Ms Fornero said, but was unable to complete her sentence as she wiped tears from her eyes.

Mr Monti finished the sentence for her, speaking the word “sacrifice” that she’d been unable say.

I know many career experts tell employees and managers to keep their emotions in check on the job, especially women. Women are told to keep a stiff upper lip or risk being seen as weak. Well, pretending we’re just like the tough men in the workplace has done little for the advancement of women in Corporate America or in politics.

And during these tough economic times around the world, it’s refreshing to see a politician who seems to get how hard all these sacrifices workers are making really are.

Turns out, showing a little empathy goes a long way for your career and for the greater good. (more…)

There’s seldom good news lately when it comes to worker rights and the future of the American workforce. But yesterday there was a bit of good news.

Boeing Co. announced yesterday it would build its dreamliner 737 at its plan in Washington state. The company had threatened union workers in Renton, WA, who had gone on strike in the past, that it was going to take production of the jet to a non-union, lower-waged workforce at a plant in South Carolina. The threat caused a firestorm and the National Labor Relations Board stepped in calling Boeing’s decision a direct attempt to squash workers rights, particularly the right to strike.

Boeing’s turnaround marks an important victory for labor, that has been battered in recent years as jobs, particularly in manufacturing, have hit by cuts in wages, and have been outsourced to lower-cost nations.

“I think the Boeing case is a victory for labor, a small one but still a victory,” said Gary Chaison, professor of industrial relations at Clark University. (more…)