European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes wednesday december 4,1991 Money matters Tough times can make Boss tougher workers caught in a pincer expert says by Karen Ball a labor writer Washington a hard economic times often embolden managers to lean a Little harder on their workers increasing Job stress already worsened by talk of layoffs and High unemployment specialists say. A people arc caught in a pincer. There is the fear of losing your Job and the degradation of keeping it a said Jim Green a labor historian at the University of Massachusetts. During the great depression in the 1930s, Many supervisors were abusive to workers knowing that they were too scared to quit Green said. If that a going on now its probably adding to stress made worse by the gloomy unemployment news from the recession because people Are probably wondering if their Job is on the line too experts said. A what you hear is a Boom out the door  nobody a Safe. There a that feeling out there a said John Dodds who works with the unemployed in Philadelphia. Low morale was a complaint of employees at a Post office in suburban Detroit where a shooting rampage two weeks ago left five dead. Just the week of the shooting when a 31-year-old fired postal worker killed four Bosses before taking his own life an employee was sent Home for whistling workers complained. The Royal Oak mich., shooting was the latest in a series of Post office shootings and prompted management to establish a nationwide hot line for worker complaints. Lou Eberhardt a . Postal service spokesman said postal employees stress was probably not any worse than that of factory workers. A stress is everywhere. Getting to work going Home if they did no to like the Foreman they d say take this Job and shove it Quot and move to a new town. That illusion is ending a labor historian Jim Green the wife the kids. Of course its worse if you be got people browbeating you. We done to condone that a Eberhardt said. If its any Consolation said management consultant Debra Benton the Boss probably frets just As much As you do if not More. A even the most successful even the most accomplished still occasionally Wake up at 3 . Thinking �?~1 Hope i done to get found out a a said Benton who owns a consulting firm in fort Collins Colo. A your Boss and your Bossy Boss everybody has it. For them its just amplified. They have a much bigger mortgage a much bigger ego. The stakes Are much higher when they  besides feeling trapped economically Green said americans probably feel hemmed in geographically. In years gone by frustrated workers could move to a booming Region of the country a such As California or the Southwest a hoping to find a better Job and living conditions he said. Those Boom areas Don t exist any Marci he said. A if they did no to like the Foreman they d say take this Job and shove it a and move to a new town. That illusion is ending a the historian said. America has become obsessed with work Green and Benton said. A life outside of work is less Rich. People Are less connected to their extended families. People have postponed having children they re less connected to other parents to their Community a Green said. A it used to be that work was something you did but it Wasny to your whole identity a he said. A with the kind of debt people Are incurring they re obsessed with their  Benton said one of the keys to controlling stress is realizing that its a Trade off. A if your Choice is to seek the Corner office you have to say of there a going to be some stress and pressure that comes with it a the management consultant said. Its also important to accept that the Job might not always be there she said. A your Security is As Strong As the emotions of your Superior a Benton said. A if you done to understand that and accept that As a fact when it hits you you can be devastated. A but if you accept it and say a that a life and i can have Security in myself not my Job a you can feel More in control. Of course All this is easier said than  with the Advent of the holidays stress in general can deepen Benton said because a everything is exaggerated. You have More fun and warm feelings everything comes to a head. A thank god we have january to give us a breath of fresh air so we can say a hey in be got a fresh  a forecast for hiring trend Best in 15 months Milwaukee up although the hiring Outlook nationwide for the first Quarter of 1992 includes an expected seasonal decline indicators Point toward a slight improvement in the Economy a Survey released monday said. The employment Outlook Survey released by manpower inc., found that is percent of 15,000 businesses in 474 cities would increase their work Force during the first Quarter while an equal number planned decreases. The surveyors said the remainder of those polled would hold work forces steady. Mitchell s. Fromstein president of manpower said the Survey found an Overall i percent projected decrease in the work Force which compares with the first Quarter of 1983, when the nation began to emerge from a recession. A the trend is promising a Fromstein said. A we Are seeing the Best hiring forecast in 15 months on a seasonally adjusted basis and a better Outlook than was present in the 1983  Fromstein said the four sectors that make up 60 percent of the work Force a durable goods manufacturing nondurable goods manufacturing finance insurance and real estate and services a had projected hiring increases higher than those in the same period of 1991. The poll found a net hiring gain in the South declines in the Northeast and West and a steady Outlook in the Midwest. Among the individual sectors the Survey found a an improvement in the construction Industry a a hiring Outlook from a year ago. Still a net decrease was detected with 24 percent of those polled expecting to decrease the work Force and 11 percent expecting an increase. A increases from a year ago in manufacturing of both durable and non durable goods. The Survey found 18 percent of employers in both categories planning to hire More workers in the first Quarter of 1992. A transportation and Public utilities would see Only its second negative Quarter in nine years. Of those polled 14 percent planned to boost work forces while 15 percent would downsize. A cutbacks in wholesale and retail As businesses get rid of seasonal employees. With 13 percent adding and 22 percent cutting the Outlook was still better than a year ago. A a Low level of hiring activity in finance insurance and real estate but still up from Early 1991. A limited opportunities in the education Field with 9 percent expecting to increase and 10 percent looking to Cut Back. A an Outlook similar to a year ago in the service sector with 19 percent expecting new hires and 10 percent planning to scale  affordable but buyers few agents find by Andrew moll1son Cox news service Washington a houses Are More affordable than they have been for More than 14 years the National association of realtors reported monday. A family with an income of $36,473 had 118 percent of the income needed to qualify to buy a $99,200 existing Home with a 20 percent Down payment in october the group said. That income level and that Price Are National medians a the Point at which half Are higher and half lower. Not since March 1977 have median incomes been so far above the level required in order to obtain a mortgage for 80 percent of the median Price of an old Home. New houses Are also Selling far below recent Levels said an economist at the Washington Headquarters of the National association of Home builders. Yet the most attractive combination of Home prices and mortgage rates in years has not attracted enough buyers agreed officials of the two Trade associations. A Homes Are not moving Quot said economist Dean Crist of the 153,000-member Home builders group. He said new Home sales figures which were to be released tuesday were expected to show that a when 1991 is done it will be the lowest year sales Wise since 1982, the Low Point of the last  a there Are Many families and individuals who want to buy a Home right now but can to because they done to have a Job or their employment future is Uncertain or they feel insecure about the Overall Economy a said Dorcas t. Helfant of Virginia Beach va., the newly installed president of the 800,000-Membcr realtors group. She and other real estate and construction executives emphasized the need to rebuild consumer Confidence when they met monday with president Bush. They said he and Congress should hurry up and pass an economic growth package preferably one that restores some of the tax Breaks lost in 1986 by the real estate Industry. Potential Home buyers can be discouraged by news that pleases Wall Street said Benny l. Kass a real estate attorney in Washington d.c., who is often called upon by Congress to testify on the consumer a Point of View. A the Stock Market went up when ism announced it would restructure itself and Lay off 20,000 people a Kass said. A but other people a pot All of them at ism a thought t could be the next one to lose my  a the possibility that mortgage rates or Home prices will keep dropping also makes some buyers hesitate Kass said. A a it a a shame a he said. �?o1 have a client who just Friday settled on a 6 percent one year adjustable mortgage with a maximum that will never go above 12 percent and yet i know other people who could afford to buy but wont because they re afraid they might lose their  the realtors report on resales of single family Homes showed a a median priced Home in october Cost $147,600 in the West $136,700 in the Northeast $88,200 in the South $76,800 in the Midwest and $99,200 nationally. A median family incomes were $37,910 in the West $40,150 in the Northeast $32,811 in the South $37,636 in the Midwest and $36,473 nationally. A at those prices and incomes principal and interest on an 80 percent mortgage would absorb More than 30 percent of a family s income in the West and More than 26 percent in the Northeast but less than 21 percent in the South and less than 16 percent in the Midwest. Nationally the mortgage payment would absorb 21 percent