Business Watercooler Stories

Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007 | 2:19 a.m.

ALL SMILES AT WORK: Labor Day. It's the one holiday set aside solely to honor the working American stiff. But is that long weekend more like an escape from 9-to-5 than a simple day of rest?

As it turns out, life isn't so bad for Joe and Jane Lunchpail. Three in five Americans say they are "very happy" with their work, according to a nonscientific survey conducted by hourly job Web site SnagAJob.com.

Those most likely to whistle while they work were employees living in the West, Hispanics, and married people.

Western workers benefit from better cultural attitudes toward work-life balance, SnagAJob.com founder and CEO Shawn Boyer theorized about the findings. Also, "It seems that Hispanics tend to refer friends and family into the workplace," leading to greater job satisfaction, he said.

As for why married workers are happier, that's anyone's guess, Boyer said.

The survey also found that more than half of hourly workers consider their job a full-time career, not just a step toward a salaried position, and almost 40 percent reported a household income of $50,000 or more.

The telephone survey was conducted July 31 to Aug. 8 and included more than 1,000 employed adults.

COME ALL YE GRADUATES: A few industries will open their doors the widest to this year's crop of college graduates making their first foray into the working world.

Entry-level workers will find the most opportunities in the following industries, according to research by MonsterTRAK, the student division of employment Web site Monster.com

- Business operations, human resources and financial services. This sector offered almost one-quarter of all job opportunities for entry-level applicants.

- Sales and marketing. Brand and product marketers represented the fastest growing segment in the category.

- Architecture and engineering. Naval architects and marine engineers were most highly sought by employers.

- Computer, information technology and mathematical. Jobs in programming and computer maintenance and support are among the most desired.

- Office, administrative and customer support. The most popular jobs include administrative assistant and customer service representative.

MonsterTRAK rated the top five industries by monitoring the number of entry-level positions posted to its site from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007.

TOUCHDOWN FOR TEAMWORK: With the fantasy football season about to kick off, some employers are about to suffer a penalty to their bottom line.

Companies will lose up to $435 million a week paying workers who are distracted by their virtual sports teams, according to an estimate by employment consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

The firm's figures rely on data from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association and West Virginia Wesleyan College showing that 17 million Americans play fantasy sports annually, with the average participant earning $80,000 a year. The typical fantasy football player spends an estimated 50 minutes at work each week managing their teams, totaling $32 a week per player based on the average salary. Plus, the football season lasts 17 weeks.

Companies should resist the urge to clamp down on workers' access to fantasy sports Web sites, however, said CEO John Challenger. The dampened employee morale that would result from such a ban far outweighs the lost productivity, he said.

Employers should instead encourage workers to join a company-organized league, which can boost workplace collaboration, Challenger said.

"It would be shortsighted to lord over your people and prevent them from personal time, especially when it's tied in with other members of the company," he said.