Career Center | Family and Medical Leave Act still helps some, but not all

By Cindy Krischer Goodman / The Miami Herald In the struggle to balance our family and work lives, one law has made a giant difference for 35 million American workers -- the Family and Medical Leave Act. In February, the

Career Center | Q&A: Territorial co-workers shun working mom

By Karla L. Miller / Special to The Washington Post Q: After a restructuring, I was given a new position that is less work but requires me to assist my colleagues. They have refused my help, started excluding me from

Career Center | Is independent contracting right for you?

By Allison Ellis / Special to NWjobs David Robison was laid off from his full-time job more than a decade ago. Soon after, the Seattle resident began contracting as a user-experience designer -- and has never looked back. “Starting a

Career Center Blog | Workers want flexibility so badly, we're willing to sacrifice salary

A new survey just released by Mom Corps, a national flexible staffing firm, shows what many of us know anecdotally: Flexible work options are so important to many workers that they are willing to sacrifice a chunk of salary to

Career Center Blog | Are we in a 'mom-cession'?

There's been a lot of talk lately about the "motherhood penalty," and I think it's finally becoming tiresome for those of us who have careers, or are trying to, and also happen to be parents. Don't get me wrong --

Career Center | Let's get on board with paid leave for new parents

By Rex Huppke / Chicago Tribune We are living in the Golden Age of hypocrisy. There's an obesity epidemic, and we're baking hot dogs into pizza crusts. People spend tens of thousands of dollars on off-road vehicles that will never

Career Center | Work-life balance out of whack? Try these tips

By Dawn Dugan / Salary.com In today’s busy world, prioritizing between your work and your personal life can be a huge challenge. But studies show that a poor work-life balance can result in unhealthy levels of stress, unhappiness and reduced

Career Center Blog | Personal brand plus consulting: a recipe for flex success

The buzz on the parenting and work/life balance front over the past couple weeks has been about whether working women can "have it all." A provocative essay in the most recent issue of The Atlantic magazine written by former State

Career Center Blog | With planning, you can work from home this summer with kids

Last Friday, I was in the hall of my kids' school on the afternoon of the last day of the year. As the final bell rang and a collective cheer rose up from 500 kids free for the whole summer,

Career Center Blog | For Mother's Day, honor mothers by changing the workplace

On Sunday, mothers around the country will be showered with flowers, gifts and pancakes by their appreciative children and families. I will be part of this national lovefest, and I will enjoy it as I do every year. But I

Career Center Blog | Five reasons to commit to an unplugged vacation

As you read this, I should be thousands of miles away from Seattle, hopefully in the blazing sun under a palm tree, a drink in my hand, listening to the delighted squeals of my kids as they splash in a

Career Center | Job hunting while pregnant? Mum's the word

By Karla L. Miller / Special to The Washington Post Q: I am in the early stages of a job search and in the early stages of pregnancy. If things go well, when do I need to let potential employers

Career Center Blog | Making milk on the clock? Know your rights

After reading recently about the federal judge's ruling against a Houston mother who says she was fired after asking for a place to pump breast milk, I felt momentarily glad for the situation I faced when I went back to

Career Center Blog | Weather, sick days leave working parents snowed under

Nothing like a snowstorm to bring a smile to children's faces, fill the air with the smell of fresh-baked cookies and ... summon the two-headed demon of work-life balance and gender-role conflict. So it was in my house last month,

Career Center | How to balance single parenting, new job

By Marie G. McIntyre / McClatchy-Tribune News Service Q: I’m a single mother who has been unemployed for about six months. In my previous position, I had a flexible schedule which allowed me to easily attend school events or schedule

Career Center Blog | Job seekers: No need to highlight that work gap

I know a lot of people who are in the midst of dispiriting and anxiety-ridden job searches. Whenever I talk to one of these job-hunting friends, I hear the same questions over and over: Am I at all appealing to

Career Center | Does working make mothers happier and healthier?

By Jeannine Stein / Los Angeles Times Working mothers may be less depressed and healthier than their stay-at-home counterparts, a study finds. There may also be advantages to working part time as opposed to full time, as women who put

Career Center Blog | Post-recession dads: Less willing to give up breadwinner role?

When it comes to work/life balance, the recession has left more than a few working dads gun-shy. According to CareerBuilder's Annual Father's Day Survey, working dads are more reluctant to let go of the breadwinner role than they were

Career Center Blog | Are workers becoming more comfortable with flexibility?

A new national survey says yes. According to survey sponsor Work+Life Fit, Inc., which helps companies create flexibility programs, today's full-time workers are less worried than they used to be that having a flexible work schedule will affect their paycheck

Career Center Blog | When crisis hits home, should your job take a backseat?

By now, you've probably seen the video of U2 performing "Beautiful Day" at Qwest Field last Saturday. From a video monitor above the stage, Space Shuttle Endeavor Commander Mark Kelly sends his love to wife Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords via

Career Center Blog | Outrage of the week: On maternity leave? No home loan for you!

There are so many reports of maddening workplace and work-related practices these days that I've decided to create a recurring feature called Outrage of the Week. This week's outrage: [Photo by Flickr user Xbeckie boox] The New York Times

Career Center | NWjobs Career Makeover: Mother of two re-enters job market after years away

By Cody Ellerd Bay Special to NWjobs Julianne Hake was amazed by all that has changed in the job market in six years. The Seattle mother of two, 41, gave up her job as an account executive with Satori Software

Career Center Blog | A better Mother's Day gift for working moms (and dads)

What did you get your mom this Mother's Day? Flowers? Chocolate? Jewelry? [Photo by pizzodisevo] Barbara Kelley, co-author of the book Undecided, which I profiled last week, has a better idea: pressuring those at the top for change in the

Career Center Blog | Women: What to do if you're undecided about your career path

One of the drawbacks of having infinite career options is the indecisiveness that can ensue. Such is the plight of many young women today, writes mother and daughter team Barbara and Shannon Kelley in their new book Undecided: How

Career Center Blog | This just in: Work gets in the way of the rest of your life

I'm not a parent, but I have many friends, family, and colleagues who are. I hope that qualifies me as enough of a parenting ally to comment on what has begun to strike me as an irksome trend: the numerous

Career Center Blog | Leaving work early today? What's your excuse?

Perhaps you saw the CareerBuilder poll released last week about the weirdest excuses employees use for showing up late to work. [Photo by subflux] Among the tales of traffic snarls and faulty alarm clocks were gems like "My Botox appointment

Career Center Blog | ForbesWoman names Seattle ninth best U.S. city for working moms

For the second year in a row, ForbesWoman.com has culled, sorted, and ranked data on the largest U.S. metropolitan areas to produce its list of the 50 best cities for working mothers. [Image: U.S. Employment Service poster from 1940s] Seattle-Tacoma

Career Center | At your service: Companies offer busy workers a helping hand outside the office

By DeAnn Rossetti Special to NWjobs Amazon Fresh driver Mike Sylvester delivers groceries to Leslie Fischer of West Seattle, a mother of two who works full time. “My schedule is just crazy,” she says. She places her order at

Career Center | The perks -- and challenges -- of caring for a baby on the clock

By Lora Shinn Special to NWjobs Kim Radtke takes her son to work each Friday at the Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington. (Lora Shinn) Kim Radtke, 43, breastfeeds while composing e-mails at her desk. Radtke, a program manager at the

Career Center | Balancing act: Working from home with kids underfoot takes careful planning

By Michelle Archer Special to NWjobs BOO DAVIS The perks of working from home are undeniable: no commute, a relaxed dress code and the flexibility to tell the cable company to come anytime. But for every high of taking

Career Center | Creative moms find opening businesses that offer kids' stuff pays off

By Joy Jernigan Special to The Seattle Times Krista Means opened a children's-clothing boutique because she couldn't find a place to buy a cute baby gift in West Seattle. Carol Schiller started Baby Chaleco because she couldn't find a

Career Center | Mothers' work dilemma

By AMY JOYCE The Washington Post KEVIN CLARK / WASHINGTON POST Julie Ingoglia straps in Matthew, 2 1/2, for the ride to day care. She returned to work full time after both her children were born, though she hopes

Career Center | More new fathers are taking time off

By Liz Sadler The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Joe Anderton took a 6-month paternity leave after adopting Mia, 4, in China when she was 2 1/2. Mia waits patiently for daddy next to

Career Center | Hard at work in the career/life balancing act

By Cynthia Flash Special to The Seattle Times When Dena Fantle needs to help in her son's classroom, she doesn't have to worry about checking in with her boss or fighting traffic to get to the school. Fantle just

Career Center | Books about women and work cover career strategies, business launches and family-job conflict

By Seattle Times staff The Seattle Times --> Writers and marketers have discovered that if you slap together the words "women" and "work," you've got a pretty good target market. Every day seems to bring a new book. We've

Career Center | Who says 9 to 5 is normal? Local companies redefine the workplace

By Jolayne Houtz Seattle Times staff reporter ERIKA SCHULTZ Dust off your résumé right now. Because after you read this story, you're going to want a new job. If you worked for Michelle Rupp's insurance agency, you'd get an

Career Center | Escaping the cubicle

By Michelle Goodman The Washington Post--> MICHELLE GOODMAN Want to leave the cubicle life behind, but not really sure how to do it? Michelle Goodman, former "wage slave" turned successful Seattle-based freelance writer and editor explains how in her

Career Center | A new stay-at-home mom settles into a rewarding routine

By Taryn Zier Special to The Seattle Times My last day at work coincided with my husband's company party, where two very fit and hip stay-at-home moms talked about their recent marathons. When I was home with the kids,

Career Center | Support builds for 5 paid weeks of family leave

By Ralph Thomas Seattle Times Olympia bureau OLYMPIA — A bill to give workers up to five weeks of paid family leave — which would be one of the most generous benefits in the nation — was approved Monday

Career Center | Methods for clearing back-to-work hurdles

Beth Herrild and Carolyn Harvey, co-owners of the Bellevue consulting firm Quest for Balance, share some pitfalls that back-to-work moms often face — and tips for avoiding them. You've got a new job. And all your old ones. •

Career Center | Working it all out | Jumping back into the paid workforce

By Stephanie Dunnewind Seattle Times staff reporter Real Parents is an occasional series looking at the lives of ordinary families. A working friend gave Catherine Springman three tips when she rejoined the world of paid employment after eight years

Career Center | The guilt-free working mom

By Michelle Goodman Special to The Seattle Times JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES These days, it's rare to find an article on motherhood and work that doesn't pit the stay-at-home mom against the working mom, or claim that

Career Center | Lying down on the job not a vertical move

By Dana Standish Special to The Seattle Times David G. Bradley, the owner of the Atlantic Monthly, recently named James Bennet, 39, to be the new editor of the august magazine. Bradley said he chose Bennet because he had