Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. How should I handle customer complaints about my coworkers?

I work in an office with 10 coworkers and 2 bosses. There have been problems in the past with issues like backbiting and tattling. I really hate this type of behavior and have promised myself I would not participate in this type of behavior. I have never gone to the boss to “tell” on a coworker; I have always worked any issues out with coworkers, because I myself would hate to be “told on” and get in trouble for something I didn’t even realize I did. The bosses have told us to work things out amongst ourselves anyway. Thankfully, I haven’t really had many problems over the 20 years I’ve been at this office.

Today, though, I saw a client from our office in the community. She had scathing complaints about her treatment at the front desk of our office. (Two people work at the front, the rest of us in the back.) She really was treated poorly, and I feel compelled to do something about her complaint, but I don’t want to tattle to the bosses. However if I go just to the front desk women, I feel like nothing will change except they will treat me badly. I can take it if they hate me, but I don’t want our practice to lose any more clients because of this treatment. I know it’s happened before because other former clients have told me. I really care about our clients and want them to stay. Bottom line, I don’t want to tell the bosses, but they would probably care to know that their practice is losing clients. What are the chances of the 2 front desk women changing the way they treat clients if I’m the only one to say something to them? One has been there for 15 years, and the other, 8 years.

Slim to none, I’d guess. If you want to do something about it, you’ve got to talk with someone with authority over them. And that’s not tattling (a concept that doesn’t really apply here anyway); it’s telling your boss pretty important information that was shared with you that affects the business. When they told you to work things out among yourselves, that presumably referred to interpersonal issues, not to major business priorities or customer concerns.

You noted yourself that your bosses would probably want to know that the practice is losing clients and why. And of course — what business owner wouldn’t? Go say something like this: “Several clients have complained to me recently about their treatment by the front desk staff. I don’t think I have the standing to handle this on my own, so I wanted to simply relay their feedback to you.”

2. Discrimination in hiring

My question is about the possible existence of discrimination (likely some of it subconscious) in hiring. I’m an African American male in my late 30’s with Bachelors of Science in MIS coupled with prestigious certifications (PMP, ITIL, Cisco, Microsoft, Apple etc.) and 19 years of IT experience, 15 of which have been at a managerial level. I’ve also been accepted to a decent school’s college of engineering graduate program, although I haven’t begun yet because it’s expensive to get a masters and I’m unsure of the return on that investment. That being said, I’ve been with the same mid-sized company for quite some time and recently begun to dip my toe into the idea of working somewhere else (maybe somewhere with a tuition reimbursement program). I have a outstanding employment history and educational background but I’ve been getting rejection letters stating basically that I’m not qualified to be an IT manager or IT project manager when that’s what I do.

I tend to be on the positive “can do” side of thinking, I’m smart, competent, and have a demeanor that makes my customers and employees feel at ease around me. Lately my confidence has been starting to waver though because of these rejection letters before an interview. I’m not one to typically racialize things but it’s hard not to think something is up when you have a “usually” African American name and on most online applications they ask you what your racial box is. I don’t want to sound like I think I’m owed a job, but I only apply to things that are genuinely in my wheelhouse and I think I would at least make it to the interview pool of candidates. When you read about these blind experiments that African Americans are 50% less likely to be called for an interview and you know you’re employable with a strong and clean background, and it happens over and over again, you really start to wonder. So, my question for you is: is there a conscious or subconscious devaluing that can take place when a African American male applies for a managerial positions – a tax so to speak? I realize this can be a complex or awkward question to ask.

Ugh, yes. You’ve got two tricky factors in play here: First, that racial bias does still existing in hiring, and second, that the job market sucks.

On the first one, research is very clear that racial bias still occurs in hiring. It’s more likely these days to be unconscious than conscious — which actually can make it harder to combat, since people who are convinced they’re unbiased can be resistant to reexamining their own preferences.

But you’ve also got to factor in the second point: Loads of great, well-qualified candidates get tons of those rejection letters, regardless of race or other possible areas of discrimination. It’s a reality of the job market — great people get rejected all the time. And I think you might be taking the wording of the letters too literally — they don’t really mean that you’re not qualified; they mean that they’re talking to other candidates who they’ve decided are more qualified. (And sometimes “more qualified” really means “we had 30 great candidates and only time to talk to five of them.”)

So what do you do with all that? What I’d focus on in your shoes would be first making sure that your application materials are as kick-ass as they can be (since most people’s are lackluster, statistically speaking there’s a good chance that yours could be stronger too) and then networking the hell out of your network. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this, and good luck.

3. My colleagues don’t want me rinsing my breast pump in the kitchen

I recently returned from maternity leave to my job at a law firm, and am breastfeeding, so I need to pump twice a day. So far, they have done a fabulous job of accommodating this. I’ve been provided an empty office with a couch right next to my shared office, and have been told it’s mine to use whenever I need, for as long as I need. Until a few days ago, my routine after pumping was to pack up everything is my discreet, purse-like pumping bag; walk two doors down to our kitchen nook to rinse my plastic pump attachments in the sink; wrap said attachments in a towel; and bring them back to my desk.

Well, several days ago, one of my bosses pulled me into her office and said she had received complaints about me rinsing out my attachments in the kitchen sink, and asked me to instead use the sink in the shower room at the opposite end of my floor. She assured me that I shouldn’t feel bad, but “some people are just really freaked out by breastfeeding.”

Now, part of me feels badly that I made anyone uncomfortable, but the other part of me is rolling my eyes and thinking they need to get over it. Admittedly, I’m very desensitized to all things nursing-related. In addition to this being the second baby I’ve breastfed, I have many girlfriends and family members who breastfeed as well, so I’m around it all the time. Therefore, if I saw a coworker rinsing out pump parts in the sink, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash (here is what the attachments look like, in case you’re unfamiliar). However, I can appreciate that nursing has only recently re-emerged as mainstream, and some of the older attorneys and secretaries I work with may not be used to it.

What do you and your readers think? I don’t plan on pushing back on this, since the only real hardship it’s causing is an extra long walk to the other sink. I’d just be interested in your thoughts, and am very open to perspectives that differ from mine.

Lame, lame, lame. Lame of the people who complained, and even more lame of your boss to pass their complaints along to you rather than telling them that the company supports nursing moms and to get over it.

4. Can I ask for relocation assistance if I’ve already relocated?

I recently (one month ago) relocated to a large city in an effort to secure a job. I have an interview scheduled this week, and the job posting for this position indicates that relocation assistance is offered to the right candidate.

Can I/should I still ask for relo assistance even though I have already relocated? I am living temporarily with my brother until I can get a job and find a home. Wondering if I can ask for assistance to move closer to the job site since this is still a long commute from my brother’s house.

Generally no, relocation assistance isn’t retroactive. It’s provided to make it possible for you to move to accept a job. Since you’ve already made your move, it wouldn’t normally come into play.

Asking to use it to shorten an otherwise long commute could be reasonable, depending on how long of a commute we’re talking about. But it sounds like you’re planning to move out of your brother’s house regardless, once you have a job, so I’m not sure there’s an argument for relocation help here that is going to make sense to an employer.

5. Are these bad signs?

Generally, if the hiring manager does not ask for your references or does not give you a business card or does not return your thank-you email, are these all bad signs?

Nope, these are normal things that don’t mean anything either way. Some employers don’t check references at all, or reach out later in the process for them. Some people don’t even have business cards anymore, or don’t use them much. And thank-you’s aren’t typically meant to be replied to. So there’s nothing here to read into — and you will be much happier if you put this job out of your mind and move on, and let it be a pleasant surprise if they contact you.

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. I was promoted, but my former manager keeps asking me to do my old job

Two months ago, I received a promotion to a manager level position at my company. Prior to that promotion, I had been working as an administrative assistant to an executive in another department. Along with my promotion, I have moved to another department and work with a completely new team. While I love this change in my work, my old supervisor continues to ask me to do things for him that others on his team are more than capable of (e.g. processing invoices, scanning, etc.).

When I was initially promoted, I told my old supervisor that I would still be somewhat available to help out while he searched for a new admin assistant. However, I was under the impression that, after two months, he would have found someone else to fill my role. My current supervisor does not want me to be doing work for my old supervisor and has communicated that to him, but my old supervisor has ignored those requests. Regardless, I’m still being put in the middle of it. How can I approach this problem and solve it in the best way?

It’s totally reasonable to say you can’t help anymore, particularly since your new manager has directly told you that she doesn’t want you to. Just be direct: “My workload in my new role has increased to the point that I need to focus 100% of my time here, so I won’t be able to keep helping out.” And then if he ask for your help after that, just remind him: “Sorry, I can’t help out anymore, because of my workload over here.”

If you feel like it, you could also add, “But Fergus and Lucinda (on his team) can do those tasks well — maybe check with them.”

2. Why am good enough to train my new manager if I wasn’t good enough to get her job?

I’ve worked for a company for four years in the same department. When the department manager is not there, I’m the one in charge. I do all the work they do — scheduling, orders, inventory, etc. Each time the position for department manager has become available, I’ve had an interview for it. The first time I didn’t interview well, so I understand not getting it, but this last time the interview went great. I’ve always had great reviews and received a raise each year. While the position is open, I’m in the position of manager. Now they’ve given it to someone else yet again. I’m expected to train this new person how to do the job. It doesn’t seem very ethical to tell me I’m not right for the job, but good enough to train the new person to do it. I was also told by a higher up manager that I’ll still be basically in charge, but just not have the title. Help me understand this, and what are my best options to take?

Well, you can definitely be qualified to train someone in the basics without being the best candidate to actually lead the department; the basics that you’d relay in training someone are different from the work of driving the department forward, making judgment calls, and managing people. It’s not unethical unless they’re leading you along with no intent of ever promoting you. But why not ask for specific feedback about what you’d need to do in order to be a strong candidate for the role in the future? And meanwhile, since advancement in a particular role is never assured, why not also be looking at possible roles outside of your current company? There’s no need to confine yourself to only one possible path.

3. I asked my boss to lower my performance evaluation rating and now I’m in trouble

My boss recently did employee evaluations. He said he was open to feedback on my evaluation, which I thought would be a favor. I hadn’t taken a prescription medication that particular day (looking back, missing a dosage or not taking it right on time seems to make me more impulsive). He had given me a lot of average ratings, with some things to work on and some he thought I did a good job on. He had given me a slightly below average rating on attendance since I am sometimes late, but he had made a side note that seemed to make it not seem like a serious issue. I told him I felt like it needed to be lowered because I wanted to work on it–which I do. He agreed with me and bumped it down.

A few weeks later, he came to me with a letter that was sent to 3 or 4 of his higher-ups with specific dates of my tardies and the minutes of each. I was stunned he did it and baffled at the dates, frequencies, and minutes he had written down. I don’t necessarily doubt the frequency of them, but it seems like he went through a lot of trouble rounding to the nearest or later 5 minute interval. I’ve been trying to make a better effort since then. He included on the formal letter that future attendance problems could result in termination and had me sign whether or not I agree with it. It can be difficult to get to work on time sometimes because of my health and cognitive status (documented elsewhere). Would I have any recourse if he let me go?

It sounds like you inadvertently prompted him to take a closer look at the attendance issue, and in doing so, he realized that the problem was worse than he had realized before — and that he’s now taking steps to address it. It feels unfair because you’re the one who pointed it out to him, but — depending on the severity of the problem — it’s possible that his ultimate actions are warranted.

But the whole thing is weird. On your side, you didn’t need to ask to have the rating lowered in order to prompt yourself to work on it (you can work on something of your own volition, after all). And on his side, given how he discovered it, he should have acknowledged that you were trying to do the right thing in highlighting it for him — and probably given you a more informal warning rather than this whole formal write-up (unless the problem truly has a big impact).

As far as legal recourse: If you have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, the Americans with Disabilities Act would require your company to work with you to make reasonable accommodations for that disability as long as (a) you’re performing the essential functions of the job, (b) your company has 25 or more employees, and (c) the needed accommodation doesn’t cause them undue hardship. If you haven’t initiated that discussion with them yet, it might make sense to do that now (after reading up on the ADA to see if you’re likely protected by it).

4. I was required to take classes that my manager teaches at a separate school

I work at a school and am required to complete certain training programs. The training is taught by my supervisor or her assistant. However, I and others were required to take the courses after hours at a local college. We had to apply for grants for tuition and our supervisor was the instructor. She received a salary from the college for teaching these classes, which are normally taught in-house. The courses were specific for the school and not for outside use. Isn’t this a conflict of interest or at least an appearance.

It sure sounds like a conflict of interest to me. It would be interesting to know if your school’s administration was aware of the whole arrangement.

5. How to ask what portion of health insurance a new employer will cover

I’m looking to leave my first full-time job. My current job covers 100% of my health insurance premium, and I want to ask prospective employers what they cover before finalizing my salary so I don’t end up taking home less than what I make now. When in the interview stages would you recommend bringing this up (when/if they ask you about salary expectations, wait til you have an offer, etc.)? Also, do you have any recommendations on how to phrase this question?

That’s totally reasonable to ask. Wait until you have an offer, and at that point, ask for information about their benefits. If the info they provide you with doesn’t make this clear, then ask, “What portion of health insurance premiums do you cover, and how much do employees pay?” (No real need for special tact on this one — it’s a very routine thing to ask about.)

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. I hate my promotion — can I ask to have my old job back?

I have been with my current company for almost three years now, my first position out of college. The first two years, I was in another department. I really enjoyed my time there. I had a great reputation for being a hard worker. Every review I received was excellent, I enjoyed my coworkers, my boss, and the work. I was even promoted twice during that time period.

My company posted an internal position that seemed right up my alley in a different department. It seemed like the work would be exciting, and I would be able to utilize my degree. After telling and getting the blessing from my boss, I applied for and got the job. I even had quite a few of my coworkers recommend me for this position. The job is considered a promotion, and it came with a rather large pay increase.

Flash forward six months into the new job, and I hate it! I could write a book on everything I hate about it (the work itself, the psychotic boss, the lack of organization), but the point stands that this position is just not a good fit for me. I did not evaluate the job offer well enough at all, I just saw the money and the promotion and went for it. Lesson learned!

I have been actively looking for other work, but I really like this company, and my coworkers. I heard through the grapevine that my old position may become open again. Is there any way of approaching my current manager about going back to my old position?

Sure — although I’d start with your old boss rather than your new one. Talk to her, let her know that you miss your old job and that you’re regretting leaving it, tell her that you’re seriously considering throwing your hat in the ring for the opening, and ask what she thinks. If she’s enthusiastic, then your next step is to talk with your current boss. You’ll need to do a pretty serious mea culpa — as well as be prepared to deal with how this will play out if you don’t get the old job back — but it’s entirely possible that this could work out well.

That said, are you absolutely sure that you want to go back to that job rather than just getting away from your current one? It’s easy to feel pulled back to the familiar when you’re unhappy with a new job, but it’s possible that you should be doing a full-fledged job search for something totally new instead.

2. Interviewers who won’t allow real conversation

I recently interviewed for a position with a young manager who hadn’t been at the job for long herself, and it was pretty awkward. I tried using the typical strategies (make it a conversation, give examples about past job experiences that demonstrate strengths, ask questions about the job, etc.), but it was unlike any other interview I’ve had and felt so forced. She had a questionnaire in front of her and asked one question after another, and seemed impatient when I tried to expand upon an answer or even ask her a question (and I’m not that chatty!). I did my best to adapt, but there was really no chemistry between us and she seemed in a hurry to get it over with.

Is this poor interviewer behavior? How can I adapt when I come across an interviewer like this in the future?

Yes, it’s crappy interviewing. It might be because she’s inexperienced, but it also might be that the company is a fan of the BS style of interviews favored by some academic and government agencies, where — out of a totally misguided and wrong-headed sense of “fairness” — interviewers aren’t permitted to deviate from a list of questions.

If you encounter it again, there’s not much you can do about it. Interviewers who are determined not to engaged in a substantive, genuine back-and-forth and who seem annoyed when a candidate tries to are failing in such a fundamental way that they can’t be saved.

3. Bullet points in cover letters

What are your opinions on 3-5 bullet points in cover letters to match job description requirements to your qualifications instead of a block of text? For instance:

“My qualifications are a good match for this role:
* Experience with electronic materials: Worked for 5 years and published 3 journal articles on chemical deposition of semiconductor materials (C, Si, P) for electronic applications.”

There’s nothing wrong with bullet points in cover letters in general, but I have an objection to this particular use of them, because it looks like you’re just planning to use them to summarize your resume. Employers are already going to get this information from your resume, so don’t squander your cover letter by simply repeating that stuff. Use it to say something new!

4. I don’t want my address displayed on my time card for others to see

Where I work, we sign in our hours on a time card and are told to also put down our address every week at the top of the time card. My problem is that I’m not very comfortable with anyone who needs to sign in being able to flip through the time cards and see everyone’s address. Is this legal? Could I refuse to put my address where everyone can see it?

There’s nothing illegal about them doing this, but you could certainly explain that you’re not comfortable with it and ask for a different arrangement.

5. How do I list this on a resume?

In January 2008, I was hired by a temp agency to be a contractor at Company X, working alongside other contractors and employees of Company X. In January 2009, I was hired by Company X. Everything about my job responsibilities and who I reported to stayed the same. In November 2011, my whole department was outsourced.

How do I list this on a resume? I’d prefer to have 3+ years show there instead of 2+, and I’d prefer not to have an employment gap of a year to explain by leaving it off. However, Company X is massive and will definitely report my employment there as Jan 2009 through Nov 2011 if anyone asks.

Like this:

Company X                  Jan. 2008 – Nov. 2011
   Contractor – Jan. 2008 – Jan. 2009
   Teapots Administrator – Jan. 2009 – Nov. 2011