Inaccuracies in Numbers of New Jobs Created

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Two more Census workers blow the whistle by John Crudele

You know the old saying: “Everyone loves a charade.” Well, it seems that the Census Bureau may be playing games.

Last week, one of the millions of workers hired by Census 2010 to parade around the country counting Americans blew the whistle on some statistical tricks.

The worker, Naomi Cohn, told The Post that she was hired and fired a number of times by Census. Each time she was hired back, it seems, Census was able to report the creation of a new job to the Labor Department.

Below, I have a couple more readers who worked for Census 2010 and have tales to tell.

But first, this much we know.

Each month Census gives Labor a figure on the number of workers it has hired. That figure goes into the closely followed monthly employment report Labor provides. For the past two months the hiring by Census has made up a good portion of the new jobs.

Labor doesn’t check the Census hiring figure or whether the jobs are actually new or recycled. It considers a new job to have been created if someone is hired to work at least one hour a month.

One hour! A month! So, if a worker is terminated after only one hour and another is hired in her place, then a second new job can apparently be reported to Labor . (I’ve been unable to get Census to explain this to me.)

Here’s a note from a Census worker — this one from Manhattan:

“John: I am on my fourth rehire with the 2010 Census.

“I have been hired, trained for a week, given a few hours of work, then laid off. So my unemployed self now counts for four new jobs.

“I have been paid more to train all four times than I have been paid to actually produce results. These are my tax dollars and your tax dollars at work.

“A few months ago I was trained for three days and offered five hours of work counting the homeless. Now, I am knocking (on) doors trying to find the people that have not returned their Census forms. I worked the 2000 Census. It was a far more organized venture.

“Have to run and meet my crew leader, even though with this rain I did not work today. So I can put in a pay sheet for the hour or hour and a half this meeting will take. Sincerely, C.M.”

And here’s another:

“John: I worked for (Census) and I was paid $18.75 (an hour) just like Ms. Naomi Cohn from your article.

“I worked for about six weeks or so and I picked the hours I wanted to work. I was checking the work of others. While I was classifying addresses, another junior supervisor was checking my work.

“In short, we had a “checkers checking checkers” quality control. I was eventually let go and was told all the work was finished when, in fact, other people were being trained for the same assignment(s).

“I was re-hired about eight months later and was informed that I would have to go through one week of additional training.

“On the third day of training, I got sick and visited my doctor. I called my supervisor and asked how I can make up the class. She informed me that I was ‘terminated.’ She elaborated that she had to terminate three other people for being five minutes late to class.

“I did get two days’ pay and I am sure the ‘late people’ got paid also. I think you would concur that this is an expensive way to attempt to control sickness plus lateness. I am totally convinced that the Census work could be very easily done by the US Postal Service.

“When I was trying to look for an address or had a question about a building, I would ask the postman on the beat. They knew the history of the route and can expand in detail who moved in or out etc. I have found it interesting that if someone works one hour, they are included in the labor statistics as a new job being full.

“I am not surprised that you can’t get any answers from Census staff; I found there were very few people who knew the big picture. M.G.”

When I received my Census form in the mail, I filled it out. Nobody had to knock on my door.

I answered truthfully about the number of people living in my household. But I could have just as easily dou bled the number. Why not? Didn’t Census ad vertisements imply that my community would get more federal money if the popula tion were larger?

I’m glad people are finding work with the Census. For some it’s the only work they have had this year and the chump change they are making for a few hours’ work is a godsend.

But wasting taxpayers’ money on busywork isn’t going to do much for the economy.

source: nypost

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Office tips: How to tell coworkers they smell bad

By Helen Richardson

People can smell bad for different reasons. I think the easiest type of bad odor to deal with is when someone wears too much cologne or perfume. If you have a good relationship with the person, you can take them aside in private at some point and explain that you are very sensitive to odors or that you have an allergy problem. Tell them that you like their taste in perfume (even if you don’t) but that it is too strong and that you have a hard time concentrating because of it.

If you don’t have a good relationship with the person and their perfume is overwhelming, it might be a better idea to talk to someone in Human Resources or someone who is closer to the person and see if they will help you by talking to the person about it.

If the person smells bad because they have cigarette smoke on their clothing, you might leave a small sample of a product that removes the smell of smoke on or in their desk. There are products like Febreeze or Ozone that do a great job of getting rid of the smell of smoke on fabric.

If the problem is body odor, that is a much more delicate issue. For one thing, different cultures have different ideas about what people should smell like. In some cultures, people don’t bathe as often and they don’t use deodorant. If the person is from a different country or culture as you, you are treading on thin ice by saying something to them about their body odor. I personally would avoid addressing the person directly and would leave it up to a supervisor or the Human Resources staff to decide what the best course of action to take is.

If the person is from your country and your culture and just doesn’t seem to wear deodorant or bathe enough, it is still a difficult situation. Someone might not know that other people can smell their odor. And it is a fact that some people genetically have a tendency to generate an odor when they sweat that regular deodorants can’t cover up or prevent.

If you don’t know the person very well, a small sample of a good deodorant left inside their desk is a good way to send the message. Maybe to soften the blow, leave the a couple of pieces of candy or a small gift so the person knows that you have good intentions and you’re not trying to hurt them. You could even include an anonymous note saying that you care about them and that they will do better in their career and with customers if they use this kind of deodorant.

Its a very difficult, touchy thing to have to do, but if you work in an environment where everyone is close together and there isn’t a lot of fresh air flowing through, someone’s bad odor can ruin your whole day.

source: helium.com

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More Workers Quitting Their Jobs

In TV-land, people may get their hustle on, trying to impress a boss like Donald Trump. But in the real world, large numbers of Americans aren’t waiting around for someone to say: “You’re fired!” Instead, an increasing number of U.S. employees are quitting their jobs, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The Journal says that in February, the number of workers saying “I quit” surpassed the number of employees getting laid off — the first time that’s happened since October 2008.

The Journal reports that two main factors are at play. First, unlike during the peak of the recession, when jobs were more scarce and people worried more about job security, workers today seem to feel that they have more employment options. Therefore, there is some amount of natural turnover as people simply quit to pursue other opportunities, or resign because they get frustrated about not getting expected promotions.

Additionally, other people are quitting due to low morale. Scores of workers have watched their colleagues get pink slips. Then those same workers still on the job are often asked to do more work to pick up the slack. Apparently, a growing number of people are saying: “Thanks, but no thanks” and deciding to voluntarily leave those jobs.

source: ybpguide.com

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