Tag team, back again

Well O.K. so it’s not quite a team — just me.  That’s for those of you who can appreciate the lyrical flow of “Whoomp there it is,” which is looping through my head.  Anyhow, I’m back. 

Thank you to the loyal readers who’ve checked in during the time that I’ve been gone.  My apologies to those of you who’ve been searching for new content here.  The last couple of weeks have been busy, busy!  I just finished my finals and have returned to full-time hours at Goodyear.  Thank God!  

The semester turned out swell.  I discovered a love for history and blogging!  I’ve also learned some fantastic new skills.  I encountered a few stumbles along the way, but all-in-all I’m one step closer to graduation.  I’d say it was a success.

As I promised, I will touch back on the employee benefits topic that I addressed in my last post.  Visit later this week to read more.

Visions of candied apples dance in their heads

Hour by hour lawyers sacrifice their lives to serve their firms and their clients in exchange for high-paying salaries and lavish job perks, but a recent New York Times article has some weighing in on the value of those perks.

Statistics show that attorneys have the highest rates of depression and suicide of any profession, and it’s not surprising when their 60- to 80-hour work weeks strip them of personal lives.  Several law firms have resolved that the ramped-up services and bonuses made available to employees will increase job satisfaction.  However, I was disappointed to learn that many benefits are offered not out of genuine care for the workforce, but rather to attract and retain talent. 

“We’re in a war for talent,” Gary Beu, chief human resources officer at the firm of Kirkland & Ellis, said in the report. 

The Times article hit American Madness blogger Josh Friedlander’s hot button.  He chastized lawyers for living in a “state of denial and rationalization,” and Lynnley Browning, author of the article, for buying into the absurd trade-offs between employers and employees in American corporate culture.

Note on sharing comments

I’ve recently encouraged my blog guests to leave me with their thoughts about the few topics I’ve discussed during the past month or two.  A few of you have done so, and I hope to continue hearing from you. 

It was recently brought to my attention, however, that it’s not clear how to leave a comment when you’re reading a post from the homepage. 

Simply click the text just below the headline that says “no responses” or “X number of responses”. 

This will direct you to a comment form, where you can write your message, and a page that shows comments from other readers about the selected post.  Let me know if you have any issues by shooting me an email; my address can be found on the contact page.