Workers give performance reviews low marks

Performance reviews are commonplace in the workplace and they can be a big part of your career path, but a recent survey reveals that less than half of American workers find their feedback constructive.

The survey, conducted by Adecco Staffing North America, states that only 49 percent of workers feel their managers take performance reviews seriously and 24 percent believe their reviews aren’t given on a regular enough basis.

Love it

Finding pleasure during your pursuit for success is imperative to leading a happy life, says Catherine Nomura, co-author of “The Laws of Lifetime Growth” (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, $16.95). “Some people believe that success has to be hard-earned to be real and they are highly suspicious of any gains that come as a result of enjoyment,” says Nomura. “

Meanwhile, they continue to toil away at things that give them no pleasure, suppressing any hints of enjoyment. With a little ingenuity and the right attitude, you can find ways to get enjoyment out of even the most daunting tasks.”

Deep hurt

Lower back pain is extremely common among adults, but according to Dr. Charles Rosen, founding director of the spine center at the University of California at Irvine, the group with the largest risk of lower back pain is professional women between 40 and 50. “This appears in my practice to be by far the largest segment of our population to suffer mild to severe lower back pain,” says Rosen. According to Rosen, the reason is commonly due to improperly lifting briefcases or luggage from their trunks, or long commutes to and from work in a car.

Listen up

This time of year, there isn’t a recent college graduate in sight who isn’t biting his or her nails in anticipation of landing that first post-college job. Resumes are being frantically sent and follow-up calls are being made, but networking is what some experts will tell you is the key to closing the deal.

Ford Myers, president of the Haverford, Pa.-based Career Potential LLC, says networking isn’t as difficult as some may think. “You do not need to be a good ‘schmoozer’ to network effectively. In fact, the best networkers are often great listeners, much more so than great talkers,” he explains.

“Ninety-five percent of my clients land great jobs through their networks. So it’s not worth risking those odds to not be continually networking.”