Working with Soon-To-Be New Moms at Work

Spring is baby season and many offices may see a bump in expectant moms. Familykenkel offers tips on working with pregnant co-workers.

It should go without saying but it must be said anyway:

• Never ask an expectant mom how much weight she’s gained
• Never comment what she’s wearing or eating
• Don’t offer pregnancy or parenting advice if not asked
• Don’t touch the woman’s tummy without asking unless you are the dad and we are not joking
• Avoid any questions about planned or surprise pregnancies.

It’s okay to ask if she knows the gender of her child. It’s also okay to ask what names are being considered. But please, keep any negative personal thoughts about gender and names to yourself. Familykenkel also suggests asking if there is something you can do to help the expectant mom in the office. Maybe a run to the nearest deli for lunch. Perhaps she has a doctor appointment and needs her desk covered. Hopefully, the requests for assistance won’t be too many making colleagues feel taken advantage of. As the baby’s arrival time nears, make plans to take the mom out for lunch or host an office baby shower. Let her know that her job awaits her when she returns. Soon, the pictures of the baby will start circulating and those who want to see them can. Here’s hoping that baby season is a happy one for both soon-to-be mom and her colleagues and co-workers.

Power of Super Heroes

Super heroes can make the world better in the smallest and most significant ways.Familykenkel explores how the power of super heroes can make us feel like leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

Children learn to love super heroes from the time they are old enough to watch and understand TV. They learn how super heroes fight for the underdog and they learn how to treat people. Super heroes come in all sizes and shapes from humans to dogs. When kids don the costume of their favorite super hero they feel strength, compassion and powerful. Sometimes they feel powerful enough to battle a deadly disease they have like Miles Scott dressed as Batman. Super heroes can also be dad and moms, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and siblings.  It doesn’t matter if the super hero is five years old or fifty years old or older.

Familykenkel also realizes that adults like to dress up as their super heroes too. Just ask the thousands of comic book fans who meticulously dress up like their favorites every year for the various Comic Con fests. Everyone wants to feel they are powerful. Sometimes it just takes a Wonder Woman or Thor costume to make us feel that way.

Most Secure Large Cities in the U.S.

Where do you want to live today? The States offer many great small to large cities which we call home. Some are safer than others, though. Familykenkel shares the list of Most Secure Places to Live in the U.S., from the latest Farmers Insurance Group of Companies.

The criteria for the list includes:

Economic stability, crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, environmental hazards, life expectancy, motor vehicle fatalities, and employment numbers. Keep in mind that the survey ranked large cities with populations over 500,000. 

The top five cities are:

1. Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick, Md.

2. Grand Rapids–Wyoming, Mich.

3. Pittsburgh, Pa.                                                         

4. Austin–Round Rock, Texas

5. Cambridge–Newton–Framingham, Mass.

When looking at the complete list, Familykenkel sees three cities in Texas, three cities in California (two of which are in the Bay area), and two cities in Massachusetts. It is also notable that the top five cities have a positive employment outlook and affordable costs of living. If relocating to find work is in your future, why not take a closer look at what is available in your field for each of the cities on the list that interest you?  Families will find that there is great variety of activities for everyone to enjoy from the arts to outdoor fun. One other thing to consider might be finding a place to live outside of the city listed. Often, the commute is not that long and housing prices might be lower. 

If not planning a move, see if your city made the list. If it did, brag about it on social media. (Way to go Pittsburgh, PA!)

What We Learned from the Super Bowl

Millions of people around the world watched Super Bowl 48 on February 2 as the underdog Seattle Seahawks whipped the Denver Broncos. Familykenkel learned a few things from watching the game and shares them.

Goals are reachable. Seattleworked hard to get to the Super Bowl and no one on the team believed they didn’t belong there.

The underdog can win. Though they were not projected to win the big game, the Seahawks immediately grabbed the game by the Broncos’ horns and ran the ball all the way down the field for a touchdown in the first 12 seconds of the game.

Even though the NFL banned head butting, players’ heads were slammed in the ground, butted with shoulders, and bounced off the frozen field. We asked ourselves all night long if those football helmets are the best in the country at protecting brain injury from head trauma.

Every single person counts no matter who they are.  Denver QB Peyton Manning showed the world how gracious he is even after a crushing loss to stop and sign autographs for several fans waiting in the stadium hallway. Familykenkel noticed that Manning did not bypass one single person who asked for an autograph. Right down to the stadium beer vendor who was the first to ask for an autograph.

Tips on How to Find a Career You Love

Whether you just graduated from college or you’re a seasoned professional in need of a new direction, looking for a new career path can be daunting. You need to do your research and take a few things into consideration. The producers of Familykenkel did a bit of research on this topic and found a few interesting facts.

Think about your strengths and the skills you already have. If you’re changing your career the skills you gained from working can help you in your new career choice. You may be able to find something that is connected to what you did previously. Familykenkel came up with a few ideas for making a career change.

 4 Tips for Finding a Career that Inspires You 

1. Do What You Love-when you’re considering a new career think about the things you really enjoy doing. In some cases it’s possible to turn a passion into a career. Think about what you would be willing to do for free if you had that luxury. That may be a good direction to start.

2. Do Your Research-check out a few online discussion boards in an area you are interested in. LinkedIn has quite a few groups for various careers. Take a look at organizations connected to your interests and speak with people in that field.

3. Become an Intern-one way to see if you really are interested in a certain field is by becoming an intern. You will get an inside view of what that career entails. This way you can see if it’s for you. This will also give you an opportunity to meet people in that field, get advice and possibly a job opportunity. 

4. Find a Mentor-finding the right mentor can make a huge difference. Research shows that having a mentor is important when it comes to career success. When you start a new career it’s important to have someone to guide you. You can find a mentor by attending networking events and speaking with colleagues. When you come across someone you think would be a good mentor ask that person if they would like to get a cup of coffee. Let this person know you respect her and her work and that you would like the opportunity to run ideas by her from time to time. The relationship will evolve from there.