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TAKE NOTE
DON’T CALL US, WE’LL CALL
YOU
There were a lot of last-minute legal maneuverings going on in an attempt to
block the federal do-not-call registry from taking effect. Telemarketers, obviously,
don’t like the idea of millions of home telephone numbers being placed
off limits to their calls.
But some of the top executives of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) aren’t
taking any chances and are playing it both ways. According to a report published
in the Chicago Tribune, while DMA was waging a bitter battle over the Federal
Trade Commission’s power to create and enforce the do-not-call registry,
the home phone numbers of 11 of its top executives were found on the list. Apparently,
they don’t much like getting those annoying calls either.
STRESS COSTLY TO WORKERS, EMPLOYERS ALIKE
Surveys find Americans work longer hours and take little leisure time off leading
to a high probably of work-related stress. Job stress, in turn, costs U.S. industry
an estimated $300 billion a year in absenteeism, health care costs and programs
to help workers manage stress.
The American Institute of Stress estimates 1 million workers are absent daily
because of stress. It adds that job stress is increasing dramatically.
What’s more, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York reports workers who
experience job strain—caused by heavy workloads with little decision-making
power—have double the risk of dying from heart disease.
NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS ON THE RISE
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) reports nearly two out of every five
current U.S. college students are at least 25 years old with most of these
students holding down full-time jobs. Between 1996 and 2000, the percentage
of 25 and older college students working full-time rose from 56 percent to
62 percent, DOE says.
One college spokesman says that when the economy is weak, more employees see
the need for advanced degrees to move on with their careers.
A weak economy is also credited with spurring interest in online courses. Workers
can spend a couple of hours a night doing schoolwork on their home computers,
even while putting in 40-plus hours a week at work. |
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