The "Terrible Ten" List

Being a baby boomer in the workplace can be very challenging. Why? Well, for one reason you have young-know-it-alls who come in and immediately get promoted over you. Then you have younger bosses who want to belittle you because you don't have the up-to-date technical skills they feel is necessary in order to do the same job you've been doing efficiently without them. Then you have downright DISCRIMINATION based on age, sex or race.

What gets on your last nerve when it comes to your workplace environment? What makes your skin crawl when dealing with the general public?

Johns Hopkins University teamed up with the University of Baltimore to find out what people thought about rude behavior and came up with a “Terrible Ten” List. 615 people were surveyed. See if your list matches theirs.

The complete list of "Terrible Ten" behaviors:

1. Discrimination in an employment situation.
2. Erratic/aggressive driving that endangers others.
3. Taking credit for someone else’s work.
4. Treating service providers as inferiors.
5. Jokes or remarks that mock another’s race/gender/age/disability/sexual preference or religion.
6. Children who behave aggressively or who bully others.
7. Littering (including trash, spitting, pet waste).
8. Misuse of handicapped privileges.
9. Smoking in non-smoking places or smoking in front of non-smokers without asking.
10. Using cell phones or text messaging in mid-conversation or during an appointment or meeting.

You see, this is EXACTLY why I’m so glad I work for myself these days!!!

What irks you?

Baby Boomers on the Move in Maryland

In addition to being the state where African-American baby boomers make the most money, Maryland now holds the distinguished honor of being the state where the first baby boomer has applied for social security.

61-year-old Kathleen Casey-Kirschling applied for the benefits on Monday. She will be eligible to receive her monthly checks in January 2008 after she turns 62. Casey-Kirschling is one of about 80 million baby boomers who will qualify for social security in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue says an estimated 10,000 baby boomers a day will become eligible for Social Security benefits over the next two decades, and the Social Security Trust Fund is projected to go broke in 2041.

So whose fault is this? Are politicians to blame for using social security money to fund unnecessary pork barrel funding projects? What about Corporate America Executives who mismanaged retirement funds? Or what about the wealthiest among us who have failed to pay their fair portion in taxes? My mother calls it “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Whatever you want to call it, the social security tidal wave is going to hit and it’s going to hit HARD.

We baby boomers put the MOST into the system, so we should get the MOST out of it.

When asked about social security, the nation’s first recognized baby boomer said, “I think I’m just lucky to be at the top of the boom. I am blessed to have been in this generation and really blessed to take my Social Security now.” Casey-Kirschling encourages people to collect retirement benefits whenever they are eligible to take them.

I’ll only be 84 by the time the social security trust fund goes belly up so I think I’ll be in Maryland where the wealthiest among us live.