Santa will not be taking on extra elves at the North Pole this Christmas. The jolly old employer is expected to follow the trends of retailers nationwide who do not plan to load their aisles with seasonal help to assist holiday shoppers.

The Greatest Generation wanted workplace security and solid benefits. Boomers and Generation X wanted better pay, and Generation Y, more vacation time and workplace flexibility. As for Generation Z -- those "millennials" born in the 1990s or later, who grew up in the Internet age and will be entering the workforce in the decade ahead -- they want workplace connectivity.

Q: If a person is fired because of his attitude or behavior, what can he do to keep this from happening again when he gets a new job? A: First of all, kudos to you for asking the question. Far too many terminated employees learn nothing from the experience because they automatically blame others for their difficulties.