Ask a Manager

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

1. I can’t do my new job’s required travel

I accepted a new position with a wonderful agency about two months ago. When the position was posted, there was no mention of extensive travel. If that was placed in the job announcement, I would have never applied, due to the fact that I have small children. During the interview, travel was not brought up and I didn’t ask (didn’t know I needed to, being that there was no mention in the job announcement). Now that I’ve been here for two months, this job requires extensive travel and overnight stays. I haven’t really voiced my concerns, just simply let my supervisor know that if I have to travel, I would need to be back at 5 pm the same day. So far it’s only been day trips, but the overnight travel is a huge issue for me. My manager has asked if I can go on an overnight stay next week, and I told her no and that it was not enough notice. She agreed but told me that I’m “required” in the future. How do I address this?

All you can really do here is be straightforward. Meet with your manager and say something like, “I’m concerned about the work trips you’ve mentioned. It didn’t come up during the hiring process that this job requires overnight travel, and I wouldn’t have been able to accept the job if I’d known that. I have young kids and am not able to do overnight travel. I really love the work here and hope there’s a way to work this out.”

Also, is there anything you can offer to do instead of the overnight trips? Covering for others who are gone? Some undesirable work that no one else wants? Be aware, though, that if travel is truly an extensive part of the job, they might not be able to waive that requirement, which could mean that the role isn’t the right fit for you right now. (And yes, it’s insane that they didn’t mention this during the hiring process — and particularly unfair if you left another job to take this one.)

2. Family businesses are a clusterfudge

A few years ago, my husband and I bought a business from a family member and kept the existing staff. I have 100% control of the business, since my husband has his own business to manage.

The problem I have is with the manager of my stores. He constantly phones his ex-employer, updates him on what’s happening in the business, tells him our sales figures, and complains about changes I’ve made in the business, to mention but a few. This has created problems for me in my marriage, since the family member regularly phones my husband and complains about the changes and decisions I’ve made. My husband who refuses to tell the family member to butt out, takes his frustration out on me. As a result, this has placed a tremendous strain on our marriage.

I need to mention that the business is now a thriving business. We have increased the number of stores from 1 to 3, our staff has doubled, and we have bought our own premises and quadrupled the sales. Surely I must be doing something right?

I have spoken to my manager, but the problem continues. Everything I do and say gets carried over. How do I handle this situation? It’s very frustrating.

Have you told the manager directly to stop sharing information about the business with the old owner? If not, do that immediately. If you’ve already done that, then you need to face the fact that you have an employee ignoring a direct instruction from you and not acting with anything approaching discretion — and that you need to let him go. You can’t have a manager who ignores explicit directions from you and blabs your business to others. And frankly, you need that family member out of your business, and that might mean replacing employees who still have ties to him, if they demonstrate that they’re not in sync with the new ownership.

However, you probably need to get aligned with your husband before firing this guy, because it sounds likely that there could be blowback from him and the other family member.

3. How to talk to a new employee about a dress code violation

Do you have any pointers on how to talk to an employee about their appearance? We have a casual dress code at our office (jeans are OK) but it isn’t clearly defined in a policy. Most people wear nice jeans and tops and we typically don’t have any problems. However, a new employee (this is her third day at work) came in today with dirty hair and a ratty sweatshirt. We may be casual, but management has complained about her appearance. I need to address the situation, but I know it will be awkward. Any pointers you might have would be much appreciated.

She’s a new employee, so you have an easy opening. You can say, “I realized we haven’t covered the dress code yet” and then go over it with her. (You can do this even though it’s not an official policy; there clearly is a dress code, even if only unofficially, and it’s a kindness to be explicit with her about what it is.) After that, if she violates the dress code, you can be much more direct: “Our dress code doesn’t include sweatshirts,” etc.

4. Explaining to staff that they need to let me know if they’re out of the office

I am trying to write a general instructions to my managers to let the know that if they are not able to maintain their regular schedule, it is a common courtesy to let their manager know. I sometimes have managers who schedule appointments during working hours. I understand that everyone has things to take care of that may occur during working hours, but I must be notified in advance. More frequently, lately I will call an office to find out that the manager will not be in until 12:00, when they should have been there at 7:30. Some managers never leave work, and some do. I am looking for a general instruction that I can send to all my managers.

Just be straightforward about what you want them to do. For example: “If you’re arriving late, leaving early, or leaving the office during the day for an appointment, please let me know in advance so that I’m in the loop on your schedule.” From there, if someone continues not to do it, talk to that person individually, just as you would about anything else that you wanted someone to change. (And keep in mind that different workplaces have different cultural norms around this kind of thing, so don’t be annoyed that you have to spell this out for people; just be explicit about your expectations so that they don’t guess wrong.)

5. Asking about future transfer possibilities

Can I ask an interviewer about future location transfer possibilities? I’m looking for a new job in my current (large) city. I plan on working and staying here for another year or two but then would like to move to an even larger city. Ideally my next job will be one where I can transfer to the office in the larger city when the time is right. I usually ask about growth opportunities but moving offices/locations feels slightly trickier and I don’t want them to think I won’t value the current position I’m interviewing for. Is there anyway to gauge the possibility of a move happening or how the company handles that sort of thing?

I’d wait until you have an offer — at which point they’ve already decided they want you. And obviously, make sure that you’re interviewing at companies that actually have offices in the city you want to move to.

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

1. My interview was canceled 10 minutes before it was supposed to start

Is it a bad sign if my interview was cancelled 10 minutes before the appointment? I was just ready to get out of my car to walk into the building when I got the call. He said, “Are you already there?” I said yes. He said, “I’m sorry to do this, but I am at another location today. Can you reschedule for another day?”

Maybe, but it’s not conclusive. It absolutely could indicate disorganization or inconsideration, but it could also be a one-time fluke. I’d take it as a heads-up that there might be issues with this employer (or this manager) and make it your job to confirm or refute that during the rest of the process.

And if he seems mortified and goes out of his way to reschedule at a time that’s convenient for you, those are points in his favor. If he seemed cavalier and not especially concerned about inconveniencing you, those are strikes against him.

2. Contacted by a company I interviewed with multiple times last year

I’m in a weird situation. A year ago, I emailed you to request some help on a job interview. The employer asked to meet my boyfriend and take us out to dinner to mingle and see what the fit was. Well, I didn’t get the job. They told me they prefered the other candidate.

Yesterday, I received an out-of-the-blue phone call from these people, asking me if I was still interested and saying that a position had become available. I went home to discuss it with my boyfriend, and he said I should at least see where it goes, so I called this morning and set a date for tomorrow to meet with them over lunch. Well, I got online and started looking around to see if they posted the job and they had. They did it this morning. I have already had 3 interviews with this company last year, one lasting almost 2 hours. I had assumed that the meeting tomorrow was to offer me something. Now I’m not so sure. I find it difficult to believe that they would actually make me compete against other candidates again, a year later. I’m hoping they’re just covering their bases. I don’t know though. I wanted to get your take on it.

I would not assume that they’re planning to offer you a job at the lunch. It’s possible, but it’s more likely to be either a real interview or a more casual conversation to reconnect, refresh their memory about you, and explain the role they’re hiring for. Don’t be offended by that — offering someone a job is a very, very big deal, and it’s reasonable that they wouldn’t to offer you a position without having talked in a year and that they want to consider you against other candidates as well. Their job is to hire the best person for the role; it’s not personal. (Plus, you know from their request for a dinner interview with your boyfriend that they take fit very, very seriously.)

That said, it’s also possible that they will offer you a job tomorrow, and the ad is there in case that doesn’t work out. It makes sense to assume it’s the first option I mention, but to be prepared for either.

3. What to do with company swag when you’re leaving your job

Over the course of my time at my current job, I have received several clothing items on which our company’s logo is prominently embroidered. My last day is quickly approaching (thanks for your advice on the transition) and I am left wondering what to do with all of the clothes they have given me. The person in charge of ordering company apparel has no taste, so most of the clothes still have tags or have only been worn once. Should I take them in on my last day and leave them in my desk? Offer them to coworkers? Is it a bad idea to donate to charity since all of the items have our logo?

I wouldn’t just leave them in your desk — that sort of sends the message “now that I’m leaving this place, I want no memories of my time here — these mementos repulse me.”

As for offering them to coworkers … is it likely they’d want them? I mean, sure, if they’re highly sought-after, go ahead and see if anyone wants them. But if they’re typical company shirts, totes, etc., I’d give them to Good Will or another charity if you don’t want them anymore.

4. I caught an employee taking a soda that was meant for customers

My small business offers customers soft drinks while they wait to be helped. I have made it clear these are only for customers, yet I have caught an employee taking a can from the fridge. She’s been on my team for over a year and is proficient at her work. How do I handle this?

Is there any reason not to just let it go? It’s fine to have a policy that the sodas are for customers only, but you can have your own private addendum to that of “but the occasional soda by an employee is no big deal” that you don’t publicize to your staff … because you don’t want to be in the position of scolding otherwise good employees for having a Coke when they were thirsty one day. Sure, if you see someone abusing the policy regularly, speak up. But a single occurrence? You’ll get more good will for just letting it go. (Obviously, if  you have other concerns about the employee, you should address those. But a single soda on its own shouldn’t have to be a big deal.)

5. I feel slapped in the face by my Christmas bonus

In July, 2009, I started working for a very small company. It was me, one other person, and the boss. That Christmas, I received a card with $200. In 2010 I received $300, and in 2011, $400. Gradually the business grew and there were many more employees. In 2012, I received $200. I was disappointed but attributed it to the growth of the company and a Christmas budgeting issue. Now we have 17 total employees, business is better than ever, and this year I received $100. We have one person who started 2 months ago and I feel fairly certain that he would not get less than $100.

I would like to mention that I have always been a part-time employee, the company offers no benefits, I’m a woman, a senior citizen (the oldest employee), and one of my jobs is one that no one else working there can do. Even though the cards always say how much she appreciates me, etc., I feel as though this is a slap in the face and can’t understand why I should have fallen to the bottom of the barrel after almost 5 years. I know others are getting larger gifts or at least the same as last year. Am I wrong to feel this way? How do I handle this or am I not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth?

It’s not unusual that bonuses might get smaller as the company took on more employees; they now have more people to provide bonuses to, after all. It’s also not unusual that a part-time employee might get a smaller bonus that a full-time employee. Neither of these things are a slap in the face. Plus, given the amounts, these sound more like holiday gifts than bonuses, and in that case it’s really not appropriate to complain that your gift wasn’t enough.

If you’re unhappy with your compensation in general and feel that it’s out of line with the market rate for the work you do, you can absolutely put together a case for why your work deserves a raise. But that’s where I’d focus, not on how much money was included with your holiday card.