Greater Milwaukee Jobs

Workplaces are awash in statistics. Surveys and studies pop up weekly on every issue imaginable – diversity, health, engagement and job satisfaction, to name a few. I approach such data with reasonable suspicion, not because I doubt the validity of the reports but because they are, to paraphrase Shakespeare, full of words and numbers, diagnosing nothing. Workplaces tend to be reactive, not proactive. Toss a startling data point or two into a manager's inbox, and that manager is likely to form an executive committee that will prepare a 10-point plan that will be revised 17 times. And in the end, the plan won't actually address the problem because nobody really understood the prob- lem in the first place. Much of the workplace data that gets dispersed is information without context, red flags that fail to point us in any particular direction. That's not the case with a new study called "Women in the Workplace 2015," a joint effort by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company. Using data from a survey of 118 companies and nearly 30,000 workers, the report shows that women are under- represented "at every level in the corporate pipeline." That, in and of itself, isn't revelatory, though it does give us a current snapshot of the situation. What the study does well is explain why companies continue to struggle with gender diversity. It looks at the ways women and men per- ceive the workplace and the career paths in front of them and, most importantly, it offers advice for moving for- ward. I imagine, even before I get to any numbers or recom- mendations, that some folks are rolling their eyes and saying, "Women have plenty of opportunities, everybody's on the same footing now. I'm sick of hearing about this." First off, you're wrong, women still face considerable obstacles on the path to senior leadership positions. Second, even if you think you're right and I'm wrong, you should read a report like Balancing Act Tech-savvy millennial moms work on their own terms see TECH-SAVVY . . . page 6 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • November 26, 2015 By Cindy Krischer Goodman Miami Herald (TNS) me keep and obtain a job." She graduated law school at 40 and is one of a team that tries cases. "I'm financially stable, and I'm going to keep working," she says. "I like my job, and I don't think it's time for me to retire. I want my kids' school loans paid off and to remain in the workforce. You have to fit in." Baby boomers are "having a lot of work done to stay competitive in the work- place," says Leigh Hope Fountain, spokeswoman for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. "It's very ageist, but it's the unfortunate reality." Private lenders are stepping in to finance nips and tucks. Graham Anderson, director of health care marketing at San Francisco-based Prosper Healthcare Lending, says the firm sets up relationships with plastic surgery centers. The lender's data show people in their 80s asking for loans for plastic surgery, including face-lifts, eyelid lifts and tummy tucks. "Health care lending has been around 30 years, as costs have grown dramatical- ly. A lot of that is due to deductibles rising under Oba- macare and general health costs going up," Anderson says. "People are spending more out of pocket for primary care than ever before. Because of that, lending is naturally moving into elective space," he says. "They have less medical income lying around to spend, and so they finance the procedure through a loan." Prosper's rates range from 5.99 percent to 36 percent depending on credit scores, with a term of 36 to 60 months, Anderson says. About a third of loans it has funded year to date were in plastic surgery, and the dollar amount per plastic-surgery loan in 2015 averages $8,157. Barry Noone has per- formed 1,800 face-lifts over a 40-year career, and the plastic surgeon says his practice among men is growing. The patient ratio used to be 20 women for every man, he says. Today, it's 15 women for every man. Boomer men "come in for eyelid and neck lifts quite a bit," Noone says. (He's had the eyelid surgery himself.) For women, "they want to get rid of what's known as 'rest- ing b---- face' – which is you look angry as the corners of your mouth start to droop." Physician Mark Solomon also says his male patients have to compete against a much younger population. One successful business- man "is the face of the com- pany, literally" and attributes his success to his appearance. "He's 70 and shows no sign of slowing down, but he looks like he's in his late 50s. He's got a lot of bang for his buck." Over 20 years, the patient has spent $30,000, Solomon says. Another patient "had this feeling they were trying to find someone younger," Solomon says. "We did hair restoration on him," at a cost plastic surgery . . . from page 1 Always give two weeks notice & A Q A. Despite your boss's parting comment, your abrupt exit may have no con- nection to your unsuccessful applications. Nevertheless, you have a right to know what's in your record, so con- tact the HR department and ask to have a look at your file. If it contains troublesome comments, see if they can be removed or revised. You should also ask whether company policy on references allows your aggra- vated boss to talk with potential employers. If so, explain your concerns, then see if the HR manager will agree to serve as a replace- ment contact. Despite your lack of notice, the company should have no desire to interfere with your future employment. At the same time, you should also consider the fact that job applicants tend to look for face-saving explana- tions for rejection. In reality, however, the true obstacle is often an inadequate resume or poor interviewing skills. Sadly, this shortsightedness can prevent them from cor- recting the actual problem. But regardless of the reason for your extended job search, I hope these worries have taught you a valuable lesson. Barring a serious per- sonal emergency, quitting a job without notice is rude, selfish and unprofessional. whichmade studying much more difficult. Because my grades began slipping, I decided to stop working and concentrate on school.When I resigned, I told my boss that I would be leaving the same day. He warned me that quitting without notice could make it harder for me to find another job. Since finishing school, I have applied for several positions, but I keep getting turned down. I think I'm being automatically rejected because my personnel record shows that I left without notice. Should I talk with someone in human resources? Q. I believe that I'm not being hired because of my last employment record. When I started that job, I was in college, so my supervisor gave me a schedule that was compatible with my classes. After she left, her replacement changed my hours, By Marie G. McIntyre Tribune News Service (TNS) Marie G. McIntyre is a workplace coach and the author of "Secrets to Winning at Office Politics." Send in questions and get free coaching tips at http://www.yourofficecoach.com, or follow her on Twitter officecoach see PLASTIC SURGERY . . . page 7 A publication of Conley Media Call Center Director: Cindy Shaske 262-306-5016 cshaske@conleynet.com Account Executive: Julie Sears 262-306-5008 jsears@conleynet.com Story Coordinator: Dan Muckelbauer 262-513-2626 dmuck@conleynet.com Production: Patricia Scheel 262-513-2690 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS Volume 18 • Number 12 November 26, 2015 To place an ad: Call us at 262-306-5008 or fax us at 262-338-5271 deadline: Noon on Wednesdays Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. 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