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WORK/MONEY EDITOR Lori Tuckett
work_money@tripod.com
Work and money are about as inescapable as death. For better or worse, I've always had them on my mind when I was 10, I wondered if my allowance was on par with my schoolmates' and clamored for a cost of living increase. Fortunately, I now get paid to worry about work and money every day.
My goal is to broaden our wage-earning expectations. Whether from insecurity, competitiveness, or sheer conditioning, we always come back to the age old questions: "Am I making enough?" and "Am I satisfied with my job?" But working has other dimensions. Do you have a "work spouse" or even know what one is? Well, stay tuned to find out.
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Letter to the editor:
Lori,
I want to start off the new year right, but I'm in a no-win situation: I hate my job and my boss is overbearing. Every time I turn around, she's glaring at me like I don't cut it. I'm the youngest one at the company (mid-twenties), but I'm no office slacker! I've been at my job for a year, but still haven't gotten a promotion, praise, etc. and the (older) person who started six months after me keeps moving up. What's the deal? Am I the victim of the Gen-X, slacker stereotype, of ageism, or both?
Alice Bradley
Alice:
It could be anything. Do you really want to venture into your boss' head? Then the best strategy is to start from within and reassess your work style from her perspective: Do you always arrive at work after she does? Do you leave before her? These things could lead her to believe that you're not exerting yourself, even though your shorter hours may be a product of super-efficient time management. Change your schedule if you need to, and somehow make it known that you're in the office working even when she's not. Sending e-mail at random hours is one trick (and you needn't leave home if you're connected).
You're the best judge of how much frustration you can take at work. If you decide to hang in there, then make subtle efforts to not be seen as a threat. Your boss may lighten up once she realizes that you are not angling to get her job. Here's a good site where disgruntled workers of the world unite: http://www.disgruntled.com/
Lori
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