By Kelly Tanner

We could all be forgiven if the latest news on the economic recovery in the new year causes us to need an aspirin and a lie-down.

Initial flings for unemployment are back up an unexpected 36,000 new filings in the latest report, way over the expected 4,000.

But wait – maybe not. Those numbers may reflect November and December claims that states have been too backlogged to process before now.

On the other hand, other reports indicate that jobs are so scarce, those with shiny new degrees have chosen to go to graduate school to buy themselves time, and, hopefully, more opportunities.

Is it better in the UK? Apparently not. The Guardian doesn’t mince words – “Jobs Blow for Graduates As Companies Refuse To Hire.”

By Janet Stocks (New York City)

According to Cone, a leading strategy and communications agency, “Today, a company that directs its unique assets to have a significant and sustainable impact on society will strengthen reputation, employee morale and stakeholder loyalty in an engaging and authentic way.”

The 2008 Cone Study, Past. Present. Future. The 25th Anniversary of Cause Marketing, conducted in conjunction with the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, suggests that “The causes that companies choose to support often reflect national and international economic pressures and events.”

Unanimous global support for the Haitian Earthquake Relief efforts confirm the power of cause marketing in corporate teambuilding and fundraising. By harnessing the power of large workforces, corporations are “proving more nimble at addressing issues, such as natural disasters, than the government agencies or nonprofit organizations designed to manage the task.”

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Last week we discussed the need for today’s companies to support flexible work environments – like telecommuting, teleconferencing, etc. We’re all busy people, and the option to work from home when necessary helps workers boost productivity and take care of non-work-related tasks that arise during office hours.

On the other hand, working from the office presents some of its own advantages – not the least of which is a physical representation of work/life balance. While anytime-access to your workstation is great, the ability to take work into your home can cause its own kind of stress.

For example, it’s easy to take a long lunch and then make plans to finish that report once you get home in the evening. But of course, your evening could also mean making dinner, taking care of children, doing housework, and every other part of your life that needs to take place outside the 9-5 workday. The likelihood of finishing that report seriously diminishes once home and family responsibilities move to the forefront.

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Telecommuting has been possible for a number of years, but not until recently has telecommuting been feasible on a large scale. As knowledge workers make up a greater portion of the workforce, working from the office desk has become less of a necessity. On top of that, many of today’s families include parents who are both part of the workforce. These employees are growing to expect workplace flexibility in greater numbers.

We’ve recently discussed how, with the potentially rebounding economy, workers are going to expect more from their employees in 2010. Implementing a flexible work environment (or improving your company’s current telecommuting policy) is one way to retain your star employees.

More Productivity, More Options

As a leading producer of telecommuting technology, it makes sense that Cisco would be a leader in implementing the technology at its own offices.

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

In the past few weeks, a flurry of stories has been released revealing that employees are the least satisfied they’ve been with their jobs in decades. In fact, according to a report released today by The Conference Board, “only 45 percent of those surveyed say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61.1 percent in 1987, the first year in which the survey was conducted.”

One might think that with the US unemployment rate around 10%, and even higher in metropolitan areas, today’s employees would be happy just to have a job; however, according to Lynn Franco, director of the Consumer Research Center of The Conference Board, “Through both economic boom and bust during the past two decades, our job satisfaction numbers have shown a consistent downward trend.”

Franco and the other report authors, Linda Barrington and John Gibbons, say that job satisfaction is down in all age groups. Barrington warns, “The growing dissatisfaction across and between generations is important to address because it can directly impact the quality of multi-generational knowledge transfer – which is increasingly critical to effective workplace functioning.”