TresSugar

The "Employee of the Month" Award Goes to . . .

GiggleSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

You can't say he didn't get the job done. (Got your own funny photos of signs? Enter our Sign Language contest to win cash!)

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Employee Recognition Program Gets Realistic

GiggleSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 02:00:00 -0700

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

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Say What? Ex-Letterman Writer Says Hostile Work Environment No Joke

TresSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

"Was I aware that other high-level male employees were having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Did these female staffers have access to information and wield power disproportionate to their job titles? Yes. Did that create a hostile work environment? Yes. Did I believe these female staffers were benefiting professionally from their personal relationships? Yes. Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no."

- Nell Scovell, a female writer on the David Letterman show in the '80s, on why she left her "dream job" in less than four months as a writer on the show because of the sexual atmosphere there. Sexual favoritism, a subset of sexual harassment, creates a hostile work environment for women who are not having sex with higher ranking men by creating an uncomfortable sexual atmosphere in which it appears that advancement is predicated on having a sexual relationship with higher-ups. In 27 years, there have only been seven female writers on Late Night and Late Show. Scovell's dream? "I just want Dave to hire some qualified female writers and then treat them with respect. And that goes for Jay and Conan, too." As of today, there are no women out of the 50 comedy writers writing for Late Show With David Letterman, The Jay Leno Show, and The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien.

Boob Jobs Offered to Job Seekers - Hilarious or Horrifying?

TresSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Health insurance, an easy commute, flexible hours, or a simple paycheck might attract you to a job these days, but an understaffed health clinic in Prague is using free plastic surgery to lure doctors, nurses, and secretaries.

New employees who sign a three-year contract can choose between free breast implants, liposuction, or tummy tucks. Breast implants typically cost three times the average nurse's monthly salary, so it's a great deal!

Does this sounds like a good perk (pun intended)?

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Front Page: Domino's Workers Arrested For Spitting in Food

TresSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:00:14 -0700

Two Domino's employees have been charged with felonies after they filmed themselves contaminating food with spit and snot and posted the videos on YouTube. - New York Times
President Obama will head to Mexico today, his first stop on his Latin American visit. - Los Angeles Times
Spain's attorney general has come out against his country's attempt to prosecute six US officials for torture. - BBC News
Texas Governor Rick Perry suggested at yesterday's tea parties that Texas might want to secede from the union. - Dallas Morning News
A Senate panel will investigate whether the NSA has been violating wiretapping laws in recent months. - AP
The Obamas' tax returns show that the first family made $2.66 million in 2008, gave $172,050 to charities, and spent $933,000 on taxes. - Reuters
The sailors aboard the Maersk Alabama, which escaped pirates last week, have returned to the US. - ABC News
Nadya Suleman is seeking a trademark for the name "Octomom" so she can sell baby goods and a TV show. - E! Online

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Do You Think Bernie Madoff Acted Alone?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:35:27 -0700

Victims cheered as Bernie Madoff went straight to jail after pleading guilty to 11 counts of fraud. But is everyone responsible for the massive Ponzi scheme behind bars? Who knows.

Today in court Madoff described his crime in a soft voice. He said the fraud happened in the investment advisory side of the business and not in the other enterprises operated by his sons and brother. Madoff said he hired inexperienced employees to create false monthly statements, and transferred money back and forth from New York to London to make it seem like he was conducting securities transactions in Europe on behalf of investors.

Thinking back to the whistle blower who testified to Congress that he figured out Madoff had a scam in four hours, it's hard to think that nobody caught on to the decades-long scheme. Do you think Madoff duped his employees, family members, partners, government officials, and investors all by himself?

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6 Wacky and Weird Stories From This Week

CitizenSugar — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:00:42 -0800

Texas High School Team Wants to Forfeit 100-0 Win A Texas high school girls basketball team wants to take a loss for its 100-0 blowout after apologizing to the losing team and calling the game "shameful and an embarrassment."
British Nut Fired For Contaminating Peanut-Free Plant A British factory worker has been accused of sprinkling peanuts around a "peanut-free" food plant.
Snowball Fight Ends in Arrest Students at East Carolina University were subjected to pepper spray and one student arrested after a huge snowball fight got out of control.
Putin Painting Goes For $1.1 Million Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's sketch of a snowfall seen through a window, which was finished by a professional artist, went for $1.1 million at a charity auction.
Fishermen Survived Month at Sea in Icebox After their boat sank, two Myanmar fishermen survived almost a month in shark-infested waters by floating in a large icebox, in the middle of monsoon season.
Wal-Mart Worker Accused of Charging Low Prices After allegedly charging only $5.25 for more than $500 worth of goods, a Wal-Mart employee has been charged with embezzlement.

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You Asked: He Doesn't Have Boundaries

DearSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:00:00 -0700

Dear Sugar,

My boyfriend of three years supervises around 25 women. About eight months ago, we were out of town and he received a text message, which I picked up since he wasn't around. It was a very sexual joke from one of his employees, whom I already have issues with since she's constantly telling my boyfriend how she wants to leave her husband, which I find totally inappropriate.

I didn't say anything, but I checked his phone bills later and found that for the past year, he's been texting her 20 to 30 times a month! I confronted him and he assured me that they were all work related - even though some were in the middle of the night. I knew he was lying so I kept pressing him and went so far as to tell him that I had requested the transcripts from our provider. He went nuts, but admitted they were sexual jokes and comments. I was devastated. She's married; he's her supervisor and he was deleting them from his phone so that I wouldn't see them.

I told him to stop or I was leaving him. He told her that she could only contact him via cell if it were work related - there are office and lab phones and he has voicemail so there's no need to use the cell at all. She stopped contact for eight months, until finally she started up again. My boyfriend won't say anything else to her; she is very manipulative. I'm concerned they're going to fall back into the same pattern. We've talked about getting married, but honestly I don't think I want to continue with this man if he won't put up boundaries that make me feel safe. Am I wrong to feel this way?

- In Need of Boundaries Beth

To see DearSugar's answer, read more.

Dear In Need of Boundaries Beth,

Your boyfriend has been exchanging sexual innuendos with a married employee, so I think it's quite normal to feel uncomfortable by the situation. Although it's easy to mark this other woman as manipulative, keep in mind that your boyfriend is a grown man, and perfectly capable of putting an end to these texts. Needless to say, there are some deep trust issues in your relationship, and until your boyfriend can acknowledge your concerns, I doubt that they can be fixed.

Don't let him make you think that your concerns are irrational; you have every right to feel the way that you do. But likewise, don't allow yourself to continue your paranoid snooping. If you feel yourself wanting to check his phone bills again then, to me, that's a signal that your relationship isn't healthy. Since you know that you can't maintain a relationship without appropriate boundaries, then if this continues, I think you know what you need to do.

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Work-Sex Balance: Putting Japan in the Mood to Procreate

CitizenSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:30:13 -0800

With one of the world's lowest birth rates, it's not the first time the Japanese government has tried to get in bed with the people. In the '90s, a government-organized dating program failed to produce results - and, yes, by results I mean babies. But now it's turning to the already-married business class, hoping they'll have more children if employers ensure they're home in time for sex.

A new survey shows that the average couple in Japan has sex 45 times per year. That's less than half the global average of 103 times. Why so low? To find out, read more.

Citing lack of energy, more than one third of couples under 50 did not have sex in the previous month. With health experts warning that people are too tired for sex, the government is now trying to persuade employers to give workers more time "at home." That's certainly a euphemism!

Though some companies have already made an independent effort to minimize time in the office, the labor ministry is writing a bill that would exempt employees with children under three from overtime and limit their work days to six hours. While I'm sure more sex leads to more pregnancies (problem solved!), I doubt it would increase the number of planned ones.

Having time for sex and having time for kids are two major, and completely different, problems. Is it really a smart way to grow a population? Or should they do whatever it takes?

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US Youth More Confident in Social Security - Are You?

LibertySugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:01:29 -0800

Thirty-six percent of young American voters are at least somewhat confident in the US Social Security system, according to a new poll. While almost two-thirds of voters 29-years-old and younger do not have much hope for the taxpayer funded retirement system, the newest numbers show a rise in confidence. Less than a month ago, only 19 percent of voters in the same demographic were at least somewhat confident.

Right now, employees pay a 6.2 percent tax on their earnings of up to $102,000, while employers pay an additional 6.2 percent. Barack Obama wants to extend the tax to earnings above $250,000, still leaving earnings from $102,000 - $250,000 untaxed. Perhaps his plan to increase the Social Security tax on higher income has some voters more confident in the system's survival. Do you think Social Security will be around in one form or another when you retire?

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