BlackBerry Use: Too Much Work or Just a Perk? Just before going to bed, you thumb through the inbox on your BlackBerry to check updates from work. You send out a few directives before turning in. Some would say you're getting a jump on the next day's work. Others say it's billable hours. Can you claim overtime for using your BlackBerry?

The Key for Workers: Be Open and Ready to Change

You'd better get used to change, says futurist Ed Barlow, because it's not going to go away, or even slow down. And, by the way, learning to speak Mandarin might not be a bad idea. Barlow is something of a professional prophet, president of a company called Creating the Future Inc. Last month, he spoke at the annual meeting of the Governor's Workforce Board about how onrushing trends are going to affect employment and the economy.

Businesses Offer Shorter Days, Relaxed Dress in Summer

Come the end of the week, Ken Springer would rather be fishing. Lucky for Springer, his employer, the Economic Development Council of the Bloomington-Normal Area, lets out at noon Fridays during the summer. Many employers are testing out similar flex-time programs, in addition to softening dress-code standards, during the summer months--end enjoying the results.

Computers Rule, but Workers Needed Who Can Deal with Them

Computers rule the workplace. Yet numbers have fallen off of students pursuing a career in information technology, and as a result, businesses are noticing a shortage of skilled workers in the field, according to a recent article in USA Today.