Ask a Manager

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

1. My old manager won’t hire someone to replace me

I have been very lucky to get a great job in a different department at my current company. Right now, I am in the transition period where I am still working in my old department and am training people to learn my job when I leave. The problem is that my old supervisor doesn’t think that he should hire someone new to do my job. I am training two existing employees, who both have full-time jobs in other departments, to do my job. I strongly feel that my old job requires a full person to do and shouldn’t be split up and pushed off onto two people who already have full-time responsibilities.

I haven’t voiced my opinion with the old supervisor because I feel it’s not my place since I am leaving. Also, my old supervisor has not asked me at all about my job duties or anything to do with the transition, so I haven’t felt like volunteering my opinion. Should I bother talking with my old supervisor about this or should I just bide my time until I am out?

That’s really your call, since your manager hasn’t even bothered to check in with you. If you would feel better saying something, then do — ask to meet with your manager to discuss the transition, update him on where your projects stand and what you’ve trained your coworkers in, and mention your concerns about the feasibility of getting everything covered by people who already have full-time jobs. And then after that let it go — you’ll have fulfilled your obligations by speaking up, and then it’s up to your manager to decide how to handle it. (It’s also possible that your manager has other plans that you don’t know about, such as pulling back on some of the work or eliminating large chunks of the role, or of hiring someone down the road. It’s also possible that he doesn’t, of course — but again, your obligation ends once you’ve pointed out the concern.)

Read an update to this letter here.

2. Is my manager undermining me?

I am the youngest VP in my group and one of five reporting to a single manager. I have been at the company for 4 years. In the past year, I’ve had 4 different bosses. The most recent is permanent and started five months ago. Five months before he joined, I got my first chance at managing when two new associates were assigned to me.

I have taken my responsibilities as a manager very seriously and did my homework before they joined, so I was prepared. It has been an incredible learning experience, and I think I have grown as a professional successfully. My team has been very strong since the beginning. We’ve been responsible for large projects which my reports have been directly involved in. Essentially, I think I do a great job managing them.

My new boss has recently started giving them independent high-profile projects. In both cases he “asked” if I was ok with him assigning them and agrees I should be optional on calls for the topics, but it is a red, or at least yellow, flag to me. I generally have pretty good business intuition so I don’t think I am being paranoid. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m 27 or the only woman reporting to him, but he hasn’t done it to others and I feel that this is a bad sign and going to undermine my ability to manage my team successfully, or at least undermine their respect for my authority (which I’m cautious with anyway being the same age). I don’t want to seem alarmist, and since there’s nothing REALLY crossing the line, I don’t feel comfortable bringing it up with him directly. Any advice what he may be doing and how I can regain control?

Well, there’s nothing inherently wrong with your manager talking directly to your staff members about work, as long as you’re basically in the loop about it. It doesn’t always make sense to have the person in your shoes be the middleman; sometimes it makes more sense to do what he’s doing. Or, other times, yes, it could be problematic. I don’t know which is it is here, but why not ask him about it? You could say something like, “I wanted to ask you about the projects you’re assigning to Jane and Bob directly. Do you have concerns about having me manage them directly on those, or is there anything else you want me to be doing differently? I wasn’t sure if that indicated any concerns about my management of them.”

Also, keep in mind that unless you are different from every other manager ever to walk the earth, it’s pretty unlikely that you’re doing a “great” job managing yet — you’re five months in, and it usually takes people years to get good at managing. The first year or two is usually pretty iffy. That doesn’t mean you’re a disaster or that it has anything to do what what’s going on with your boss — but be very aware that this isn’t something you’re going to master in five months. Most of us are still working on it, even many years in. I’m not saying this to nitpick, but because (a) you’ll do a better job if you’re aware of this, and (b) it’s worth getting feedback from your boss on what you could be doing better, both in the context of your concern here and more broadly.

3. Do I have to be paid when I’m on-call?

At my place of employment, each person in Customer Service is required to carry an emergency phone. Between 7pm and 7am M-F and on weekends during off season, any calls go to voicemail, where our customers are advised that if they leave a message they will be charged $100. If a message is left, we call them back and place their order.

During peak season on Sundays between 10am – 3pm, we are required to be dedicated to the phone and answer it when it rings just as we do on Saturdays. However on Saturdays we are in the office and get paid for the five hours of work. The only difference between the two days is one is at work and the other at home.

Can my employer not pay me for the five hours I have to be dedicated to the phone and computer on Sunday? There reasoning for not paying an hourly wage is that you may not even get a call. My answer to that is, if I was in the office and I don’t get a call, I still get paid.

Yes, they can do this, because of the difference between “waiting to be engaged” time and “engaged to wait” time. When you’re in the office, you’re “engaged to wait,” meaning that you’re required to stay at your workplace and can’t use your time freely. When you’re at home on Sundays, you’re “waiting to be engaged,” meaning that you can use your time relatively freely and are off-duty (until a call comes in, at which point you’re engaged and need to be paid for the time spent on the call).

4. I’m being penalized for things I have no control over

I work for a very large repair service. They provide my van, and they stock it with repair parts that they decide I should have. If I do not have a specific part on my van that is needed to complete a “first time solution” and have to order the part, and then return a week or so later to complete the job, I am penalized with this as “not providing the customer with a first time solution (FTS).” This is a rated score in my annual performance review. All these parts that I ordered to complete the task lower my performance score. There is also a statement attached with this performance score that if I do not reach and maintain a FTS of at least 75-80%, I will be disciplined, including possible termination, if I do not correct the poor performance score.

I feel that this is not ethical or legal that I am graded on a task that I have no control of. I was denied a pay raise only because of this one low score and may even get fired for it in the future.

While this is certainly unfair and ridiculous, it’s not illegal. Employers are allowed to have unfair rules and set you up to fail as much as they want. But I’d ask your employer specifically how they want you to provide “first time solutions” in cases where they haven’t chosen to stock the needed repair parts on your van. And if their answer isn’t helpful, I’d consider whether you’d rather work somewhere that doesn’t penalize you for weird things entirely outside your control.

5. Should I mention I don’t have kids or pets when applying for a job that requires a lot of travel?

I’m applying for a job at a large investment firm that requires a lot of travel. The job description estimates that 50-75% of the time, the person in this position will be on the road visiting various branches. Is it a good idea to mention in my cover letter that I’m not married and don’t have kids or pets to illustrate that I don’t have responsibilities at home that would prevent me from traveling regularly? I’m sure this job will have a lot of applicants so I’m considering every angle to make myself a more attractive candidate.

No, don’t mention that; mentions of kids and marital status make too many employers uncomfortable, since they’re not supposed to take it into account in the hiring process. However, you can certainly mention that you don’t have any commitments that would prevent you from traveling 75% of the time, and that in fact you’re excited about being on the road that much.

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

1. My staff is unfocused and unmotivated — what can I do?

I’m a project manager for a team of engineers that builds websites, and I’m struggling with motivating my people. I consider myself a soft-skills and people-minded manager who is very aware of the common traps that “management” has often fallen into; micromanagement, constant status checks, false deadlines, abused authority, throwing people under the bus… etc. I strive never to do those things. I encourage my team to communicate, I ask them for favors when I need something done, I get constant feedback, etc.

However, my team often struggles with a lack of motivation and focus. The company’s deadlines and goals just don’t seem to resonate with them. They get distracted by other, less important tasks, and then I have to bear the brunt of the frustration from the rest of the company when engineering becomes the bottleneck. I am very clear when I communicate with them, but once I step away (which I feel strongly I *should* do), things just start slipping through the cracks.

How do I maintain these ideals of leadership and management that I firmly believe are worthwhile, while motivating my people and getting results?

These don’t sound like motivation problems; they sound like performance problems. You need to give feedback about what needs to change, and then hold people accountable to performing at the level you need.

It’s great that you want to be a kind, supportive manager, but a key part of your job is setting expectations and holding people accountable to them, and that sounds like the piece that might be missing here.

2. How can I get out of periodic office lunches for birthdays, etc.?

I’m in a bizarre office. My boss is incredibly micromanaging and goes so far as to follow us to the restroom (fortunately not inside for us ladies; the only other male in the office isn’t that lucky) and there’s an office tradition that we have to go out to lunch for Administrative Professionals’ Day and birthdays, about 4-5 times a year. I have problems eating with strangers that predate this job, and the tension doesn’t help.

I’ve read “how can I get out of having lunch with coworkers?” but feel that just sucking it up since it’s not frequent doesn’t apply here, and there’s little in the way of professional development in these interactions. In addition, my coworkers have to pay for their lunches and I personally know that when it’s their birthdays, I sometimes don’t have the price of a restaurant lunch in my budget. I’d love a way out of this (until I find another job-actively looking).

Well, 4-5 times a year is infrequent enough that you should probably suck it up and go most of the time. That said, you could feel out your coworkers to see if there’s support for changing this tradition to something else; it’s possible that you’re not the only one who doesn’t look forward to these lunches, and if you find that’s the case, you could propose skipping it at least for the birthdays. (Maybe suggest having cake in the office instead — that’s less disruptive to people’s days and doesn’t take the same time or financial commitment.)

3. Can I ask to shadow people to learn more about their jobs?

I’m 24 and don’t have much clue of where I want my career to go. I recently got a new job in insurance, but I’m not enjoying it much and don’t feel like this is the career for me.

Im going to start job hunting and researching other careers and thought as part of that I could approach companies and ask if I could go in for a chat about the work they do, sort of an informal interview, and maybe even ask if I could shadow for an hour or two. How likely do you think this will approved by workplaces, especially the shadowing? I’d quite like to get involved in schools or hospitals, and I would completely understand if they weren’t willing to have me around or for security reasons for example, but do you think is something most workplaces would be happy to provide?

You can absolutely reach out to people for informational interviews (just make sure that you do them right — read this and also #3 here), but shadowing is iffier. I’d wait until you’ve already formed a rapport with someone who seems helpful, and then ask … and only when you really think it’s going to be useful to you, because it’s a much bigger request and much bigger commitment from the other person. (Also, in many jobs, shadowing won’t tell you much. For lots of jobs, you’d just watch people sit at a computer all day.)

4. Is it pushy to ask when a company will post internship information?

A brand new company website is being organized, and under the internships tab it says, “Internship information will be posted soon.” Although it has been like that for a few weeks, would it be too pushy to send an email asking when the information will be posted?

No, that’s fine to do. But since what you really want to know is presumably whether they’re hiring for internships and details on what those internships will look like, I’d include that in your question. For instance: “I’d love to learn more about interning with your company. I noticed that your website says that intern info will be posted soon, but meanwhile, if you’re able to tell me anything about whether and when you’re hiring interns, and for what sort of roles, I’d be grateful.”

5. Formatting the date on my resume for a job that last a few months and then started up again

How would you recommend formatting the date for a temporary contract position at a company that lasted 6 months, and then started up again 3 months later? I am a recent grad, so this is the only work experience I have since graduating.

Like this:

Teapot maker, Teapot Emporium
May – Oct. 2013 and Jan. 2014 – present

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

1. Should I tell my employer if I file for bankruptcy?

I am a relatively new hire at a law firm. I am seriously considering filing for bankruptcy due to a large amount of medical debt, as well as a much smaller amount of non-medical debt (I would not be filing if that were my only unsecured debt). Even with my new salary, I am really struggling, since I also have student loans and a mortgage to pay.

What are the pros and cons of telling/not telling this information to my supervising partner or someone in HR? On one hand, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business, but on the other hand, I don’t want to look like I have something to hide. I should also mention that I’ve done my research and I know that it won’t impact my professional license.

I don’t see how it’s your employer’s business at all. I can think of zero pros for telling them about it. This is a private financial matter that has nothing to do with them. After all, would you report other financial happenings to your employer, like making a bad investment or buying property or borrowing from your 401K? None of that is their concern, and I can’t see how this is either.

Moreover, it’s illegal for your employer to take any adverse action against you (like firing you, demoting you, or taking away responsibilities) because of your bankruptcy, so that’s a pretty clear reinforcement that it’s none of their business.

2. Can I ask employers to email me instead of calling?

How should I phrase in my cover letter/accompanying email that I would prefer if employers e-mailed me in lieu of calling? Due to my office location, my cell reception is almost completely blocked when I’m at work. I do not have an office line, and even if I did, I would not want prospective employers calling my work line, as my boss does not know that I’m looking. I thought including something like “Please email instead of calling” looks tacky without reasoning – and adding a reason just makes it worse. What do you think?

I think you’ve got to leave this one up to employers. Some prefer email, some prefer to call, but most have systems and ultimately they’re going to prefer to do it their way. The most you could do would be to include a line at the end of your cover letter saying something “email is the easiest way to reach me” … but I think people who prefer to call will still call. As for the phone situation, you definitely aren’t expected to use your work number on your resume; in fact, that would reflect poorly on you if you did, since you shouldn’t be using your employer’s resources for job hunting. Just give your personal number (cell or land line), and call people back when you’re able to. This is how it worked in the days before cell phones, after all; people received messages and called people back. Same thing here.

3. How to help my manager after a coworker was fired

I got a new manager earlier this year. Before she was hired, we believed that she would only manage one person (me), but the agency quickly decided it would be a good idea to merge a second employee whose work was loosely related into our department. This coworker was… difficult… to work with. Very nice, easy to talk to, impossible to get results or information from her.

A couple of days ago, my coworker was let go. My personal opinion is that this was a good move, however I’m not sure how I can be useful to my manager during the transition. A lot of the coworker’s work was client facing while mine was internal, so it’s not like I will be asked to take on any of her responsibilities. Additionally, the coworker was very disorganized and I’m so tempted to organize files and “fix” things.

What would be a useful way to help my manager at a time like this? Just keep my head down and do my work well? Jump in and take an active role in the transition? On the flip side, what should I NOT do at a time like this?

I wouldn’t jump in and take an active role without talking with your manager, since you and your fired coworker had pretty different sets of responsibilities and since it’s possible that your manager has plans to cover things during the vacancy that you don’t realize. The best thing to do is to say, “If there’s anything I can help with while the position is vacant, please let me know!” Also, if there’s something specific you want to propose (such as organizing those files), offer it.

4. Can I ask to put my phone interviewer on speaker phone so I can take notes?

I have a phone interview coming this Saturday. When the interviewer calls me, I want to ask up-front whether I can put him/her on speaker so I can take notes during the interview. Is this appropriate? Will he/she think it’s weird? Will it leave an odd, negative impression and jeopardize my chances for the job?

I wouldn’t use speaker phone because (a) it will often make the sound quality worse, and you want the sound quality to be as strong as possible, and (b) some people (like me) hate speaker phone and will be annoyed that you’re using it. But you should still be able to take notes even while holding the phone (or if you can’t, try a headset!).

As for taking notes in general, it fine as long as it doesn’t delay your answers or create weird pauses. In phone interviews, it’s more important that you don’t have weird pauses than that you jot down every detail; because this is a first impression, weird pauses can create an odd vibe on the phone, and you’re going for rapport here more than capturing everything that’s said.

5. Recruiter emailed me with confusing details and set up an interview, and then I received an automated rejection

A month ago, I had applied online to Job X through the company’s job website. Last week, an HR recruiter from the company contacted me about my interest in Job X – basically asking if I would be interested in hearing more about the position and adding that “If this is not the right time in your career to make a move, I completely understand!” I was a little thrown off by this last statement because I had clearly applied for this position. How else could he see my resume, if not through the online application? (It is not posted publicly anywhere.) I enthusiastically replied, stating my interest. I mentioned that I previously applied for the position a few weeks ago, and then asked what date/times would be best to speak.

He replied with a proposed time and then included a link to a position for Job Y (not Job X). I replied with other times I was available to talk, and said: “Also, I noticed your email referencing Job Y; I just want to confirm that my candidacy is being considered for Job X.” Note: The subject line of his email was for Job X, not Job Y; and the body of his first email to me was for Job X, not Job Y.

That was last night. This morning, I received an automated email from the company’s job portal stating that my candidacy was no longer being considered. I’m very confused. Should I just take it as a rejection email, even though we were scheduling a phone interview? Or do I follow up and email the recruiter to confirm that I am no longer being considered? If so, how to word this email without sounding pushy or confrontational?

It’s possible that the confusing stuff in his email was because he was copying and pasting from emails to other candidates (I do this all the time and it’s very easy to forget to change details if you’re not vigilant about it). It’s also possible that the automated rejection email was a mistake; this also happens sometimes. I’d check back with the recruiter — but frame it as confirming that your interview is still on (explaining that you received a rejection email and weren’t sure), rather than confirming that you’ve been rejected, since the former is totally reasonable to do and will sound more confident than the latter.