That's it, I've got to give up the sunny life in California and move to Massachusetts, where life for the unemployed must be like living the high life.

In California, where I live and worked my entire life until being laid off in June, the unemployment rate is 7.7%. compared to the national average of 6.1%. I'm getting the maximum amount from the state in unemployment benefits, $450 a week, but it turns out I could be making double that if I lived and had worked in Massachusetts. I'm now putting my Oakland A's caps away and am on the hunt for a Red Sox hat.

"The Bay State," while much smaller geographically than "The Golden State," pays up to $900 per week, making it the highest paying state in the United States for unemployment benefits. Massachusetts has a 5.3% unemployment rate, which you'd think would be higher if employees knew how much they could collect if their companies are looking for people to go on the chopping block. Mississippi has the lowest payout, up to $210 a week, but has a 7.8% unemployment rate that is barely higher than California's. Looks like the jobless in Mississippi are getting the short end of the stick.

For those of you still employed and secure in your jobs, congratulations! You may be getting a raise next year. A survey by two compensation consulting firms revealed that businesses intend to increase employee pay by an average of 3.5 percent in 2009. But with good news comes bad news these days, of course, and the flip side is that these same employers are still intent on cutting jobs -- 26 percent of them plan layoffs next year.

If you're feeling secure, there's even more good news: Your raise will go farther. That's because economists believe the rate of inflation for 2009 will be just 1.5 percent. Still, you're not completely off the hook. A quarter of surveyed companies plan to raise contributions for health care. Overall, Big Business will be reducing benefits, and many don't intend to give bonuses.

Even if you're not on the receiving end of those raises, take some comfort. With this move, businesses are signaling their long-term confidence in the economy, believing that, hey, maybe the country won't fall into depression and Obama might actually do a good job. They're doing their part to get people shopping again and encourage lenders to reopen their coffers. Of course, that's faint consolation now if you've been axed or nearing the chopping block. But at least The Man is showing some mercy by not cutting back on everything.

Employers everywhere are tightening their belts in response to the current financial crisis. A good deal of employers are already past cutting travel and other expenses and are looking at payroll to keep costs in check. This complicates matters for any employee who is up for a raise right now, myself included. Thankfully CNN has a list of six benefits to barter for if a pay hike is out of the question.

The benefits compiled in partnership with Careerbuilder.com include the following:

• Time off
• Relaxed dress code
• Education opportunities
• Going green bonuses
• Flexible schedules
• Wellness benefits

I found this list to be quite useful since the timing on my negotiation for a raise is what can be referred to as unfortunate to say the least, and I may have to settle for perks rather than cash. While I am a big fan of using perks such as the ability to work from home, flexible schedules and a relaxed dress code to retain employees during good economic times they are a poor substitute for cash when expenses are rising. Have you tried paying your mortgage in casual Fridays? The banks aren't that desperate....yet.

Sadly with the bailout having little positive effect on the stock market it looks like employees looking for compensation will have to make do with perks rather than payment for the time being. Then again if you work for AIG, a recipient of government funding, the perks may be worth it!

Time and time again we focus on our salaries when thinking of how much we are valued by our employers, but the thought that money alone is the only incentive companies can use to keep employees is ridiculous. While everyone enjoys a good old-fashioned raise, many times employers can use other means to reward employees and improve job satisfaction. In tight times when even Uncle Sam is counting on an absence of raises, these methods are especially prudent. My Two Dollars provides employees and employers with some excellent ways to compensate employees without opening the checkbook too wide.

If there is anything I have learned in my 25 years on this planet, it is that everyone has different motivators, and the quicker you figure out what the appropriate carrot at the end of the stick is, the better your business or your career will go!

Providing employees with the opportunity to use flextime to better mesh their personal life with work is a great way to increase overall employee job satisfaction.

Other suggestions, such as sincerely thanking employees and paying for health insurance for the entire family, can be excellent ways of compensating good employees. Working in a non profit has made me well aware of how these non-dollar-focused benefits can make a difference in job satisfaction. I thoroughly enjoy the good amount of vacation and the tuition reimbursement that I have received over the past few years.

The American Electronics Association released a report last week as part of Earth Day celebrations making a strong case for telecommuting. The study found that if all employees in the U.S. whose positions allowed it worked from home two days a week the demand for gasoline would drop by 1.35 billion gallons!

The report also addresses many of the concerns managers have with their underlings telecommuting, dispelling several, and providing additional reasons for companies to support working from home. The strongest reasons other than cost savings are that working from home improves both employee retention and productivity.

For many employees, the technology to enable telecommuting is already available. Possibly one of the biggest hurdles is the need for a secure connection to the work network, known as a VPN, but in recent years these have become more common. Off the shelf solutions such as LogMeIn and GoToMyPC provide secure connections and are easy to set up, providing a link to a computer already on the network. This leaves just the need for a laptop, miscellaneous office equipment and a high speed Internet connection to complete the telecommuter's home office.

I would love to be able to work from home for a few days a week at my day job as a database administrator. I currently commute about 40 miles round trip, and while I carpool, I am still spending a nice chunk of my monthly take home on gas. In my case, the technology is all in place, and as for home office equipment, I'd be willing to use my own technology to work from home a few days a week. Unfortunately working from home is still looked at warily by my employer, though given the green initiatives in place at work; this report may be just what I need. I guess I'll be doing a mass emailing in the morning! I think I'll need support from the president to get this one green lit.

What do you all think? Do your employers allow you to telecommute? Why or why not? Let's hear from you.