The bitter January cold should have most people insight clutching their warmest blanket. So cozy up next to the fire with these top five stories from Talentmgt.com for the week of Jan. 5.
1. 6 Reasons to Not Say ‘Caucasian’ (from Diversity Executive): Let's talk about what to call white people — a tricky subject even though there really are no deeply offensive, racially traumatizing terms that can compare to others used for people of color. Columnist Susana Rinderle has more.
2. Panera: Protecting the Crazy to Bake Competitiveness: Panera Bread's CEO supports innovative ideas no matter how odd they sound, and in turn watches his company’s worth expand like rising sourdough. Editor Kate Everson has more.
3. More Stay Interviews, Fewer Exit Interviews: The stay interview is a productive tool needed in managers’ tool kits — though managers must heed important distinctions to be successful.
4. Mindfulness: A Key to Productivity at Work: It might be time to reconsider the power of mindfulness to counteract some of the common issues often encountered at work, according to author Sharon Salzberg.
5. 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Workplace Happiness: Instead of making the usual glum commitments about taming bad habits, why not focus on what will really make you happy at work and in life? Blogger Dan Bowling has more.
In Other News …
Here's a job that pays $140,000 a year, requires well more than 40 hours a week, including some weekends, and requires a highly specialized skill. No, it's not a banker or a lawyer; it's also not a CEO.
Justin Friend made about $140,000 last year as a … wait for it … welder, according to this profile in The Wall Street Journal.
For those of who you don't know what a welder is — and, admit it, you're out there — welding is a sculptural process that joins materials together.
After high school, Friend, whose parents are both university professors, opted against a traditional four-year college degree in favor of a two-year technical degree in welding. The choice is highly divergent considering the overwhelming encouragement high school students receive to attend traditional four-year colleges.
But as The Journal story point out, as more students go into heavy debt and skills shift in the economy, it's become more practical for students with special technical skills to forego the traditional path. Read more here.
Also, things about negotiating your boss doesn't want you to know, via Business Insider. Read here.