Ask a Manager

It’s terse answer Thursday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. Employee won’t repay a loan from a coworker

I’m a manager in a fairly large corporation and have been having significant issues with a new hire. Without going into much detail, he won’t make it to the end of his probation period. Another employee has come to me for assistance with an issue she’s having with him: apparently he’s been borrowing money from her and is not paying her back. My initial thoughts are that private loans between people outside the office are absolutely none of my business, but she’s an excellent employee and a really lovely (if overly trusting) person to work with overall, and that’s a bad situation for her, so I was hoping you would have suggestions or additional thoughts.

I think your first instinct is the correct one: Private loans between individuals aren’t something that you as an employer should be getting involved with. Although they are a very, very bad idea in the workplace and should probably be discouraged, because you do not want to find yourself in a situation where there’s tension between two GOOD employees over money not being paid back. (And by “should probably be discouraged,” I’m just musing, not suggesting that anyone implement an official rule to police this.)

2. How to thank organizations that helped with our work this summer

I work at a nonprofit that works with people who have disabilities and are interested in entering the workforce. During the summer, one of my main jobs is to find internships for teenagers to get them a little bit of work experience. I basically approach employers in the community and, after about 8 or so, I find one that will take on my students. This summer we worked with 30 different students, and all of the employers have been amazing. I would really like to do something to thank the employers for working with the students and for being as accommodating as they have been.

The past two summers, my supervisor has tried to put together an “Employer Appreciation” wine and cheese event. I originally explained that I didn’t think this was the best way to go. Putting myself in the employers shoes, I would find it more of a hassle to attend an event like that and it hasn’t been popular with the employers the past (as in…not a single employer attending). I think that this year we would be better off with a thank you card, or featuring them in our newsletter or something of that nature. I guess my question is twofold, what would be the best way to discuss this with my supervisor and what do you think the employers would appreciate in the way of a thank you?

If no employers attended past events after being invited, you have the perfect lead-in to raise this with your manager: “Not a single employer has attended when we’ve done these in the past, I suspect because they’re busy and don’t have time or just aren’t interested. This year, I thought we could do X or Y instead.” If your manager still isn’t convinced, you could run a few options by some of the employer contacts you have the best rapport with, so that you have feedback to take to your manager.

For alternatives, featuring the employers in your newsletter (and sending them a copy) is a great idea, because it’s good PR for them. You could also do food gifts (which most people like) with a personalized note about what the experience meant to the students who participated, and/or personalized thank-you notes from the students themselves about what they got out of the experience.

Also, what a cool job.

3. Company wants recommendation letters — on my first day of work

I successfully interviewed with a company and they called me later that day to tell me I got the position and that they would email me the acceptance letter. I received the email, but along with information about my start day, they also requested I bring in 2 reference letters on headed paper.

My first day is in a couple days and I don’t have any saved, scanned letters. I’m also currently in a different country from anyone who could serve as a reference. It seemed strange to me that they would ask for references after officially offering me the position. What would you, as a manager, think if you requested this and your new hire showed up on the first day without these references?

This is a bizarre request. They’ve already hired you — why on earth are the requesting you bring reference letters on your first day? In any case, I’d email your new manager right now and say that you’ll reach out to contacts to get these, but that you don’t have any on hand and people will need time to write them (and you should usually allow 1-2 weeks for that process). It also wouldn’t hurt to add something like, “I wasn’t sure if I correctly understood the request; since I’ve already been hired and have a start date, are these recommendation letters or for some other purpose?”

4. I signed an email to a recruiter with the wrong name

I recently had an interview and I think it went pretty well. I followed up with both the manager and recruiter with thank-you emails. For the one I sent to the manger, it was perfect but in the one I sent to the recruiter, I signed my closing using my middle name, which my family and close friends call me, but this employer knows me and refers to me by my first name. Should I resend the email with the name corrected and if so should I acknowledge the correction or just send it corrected?

The recruiter is currently confused about why your letter is signed with a name she doesn’t recognize, so yes, send an explanation. Don’t resend the email with the name corrected though — that would be weird, like receiving the same message twice. Instead, just send a note saying, “I noticed that I signed this with middle name, which probably confused you — my family calls me Jane, but I use my first name, Petunia, professionally. Sorry for any confusion!” In other words, as is so often the case, just be direct and straightforward.

5. I don’t want my name or photo on my employer’s website

I read your post about work emails having the sender’s photo and agree that there is not a need for this. However, I am concerned about the fact the there are HIPAA Laws (for privacy) and our employer can just post our pictures on the company website. If I use Linkedin or Facebook, that is my choice.

I do happen to have people who I am avoiding who now can Google my name and find out where I work and what I do, which means they could be waiting for me in the parking lot, wathching me, and etc. I do not find this safe nor professional of my company to put me out there like that. Do I really have to go to my employer and explain why I do not want my name or picture on the website? And can they choose to terminate my employment over it?

Well, first of all, HIPAA governs what information medical professionals can release about you; it has nothing to do with the workplace. There are no laws preventing employers from listing employee names on their website, along with photos, if they choose to.

That said, if you object to this for privacy reasons, you can certainly talk to your employer about it. While technically they could fire you over that, it’s incredibly unlikely that that would happen; this isn’t the sort of thing that people usually get fired over. Most employers will be willing to work with you to resolve it, particularly if you have concerns about a stalker or other safety situation. (If it’s just “I don’t want to be listed,” you may be out of luck, particularly if they have an employee directory online or something like that.) But yes, in order to get this changed, you would indeed have to go speak with them, since they have no other way of knowing you object.

6. Asking to be kept in mind for future openings

Right now, I’m in the process of writing what I’m hoping is a gracious response to a rejection email, and following your advice I’m definitely going to ask for feedback. However, I was wondering if it would be too pushy/selfish to also ask the hiring manager to keep me in mind for future openings, as everything I learned about the company during the interviews makes me want to work for them even more. Is it too much to essentially ask them for two favors when they just rejected me and it’s also been very obvious to me throughout this process just how busy and fast-paced their work is (every point in the timeline they gave me ended up being pushed back, usually until I contacted them to ask about it, because of extra work, deadlines, or issues in the field)?

No, that’s fine to do and not too pushy. You’re not asking her to keep your resume on their desk and look at it weekly, after all — or at least she’s not going to take it that way. You’re basically expressing interest in being considered in the future, which isn’t really asking a favor — it’s just a sign of continued interest. (Relatedly, you should continue to check their job openings yourself; don’t assume she will remember to reach out to you proactively. Hiring managers don’t always remember to, even when you’re a good candidate, particularly when they’re dealing with lots of applicants.)

7. Explaining a career transition in my cover letter

My question is related to career changes. I have been in the finance industry for the past 10 years and especially hated the past 3 years and have always wanted to work in the nonprofit/public policy sector and have decided to start applying for jobs in that sector. How can I address this in my cover letter? Right now I am mentioning that I can translate the same skill set from finance to this new sector but is there something more I should mention in my cover letter that this is clearly a career transition?

You should be explicit that you’re actively looking to make this transition (so it doesn’t just look like you’re applying for everything you see) and why. Luckily, finance skills are easily transferrable from one sector to another, though, so you’re not facing the same sorts of obstacles that someone who wanted to change from, say, accounting to communications would face.

It’s wee answer Wednesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. When a reference changes their mind about what they’ll say about you

How do you tell a prospective employer that your manager has decided they can’t give you a glowing reference?

My husband left his job a few months ago on good terms. The company was moving state and downsizing anyway. My husband had always had glowing performance reviews, which often came with bonuses and two promotions during the 3 years he was there. When he left, his manager said he was always a good worker and would be happy to give him a good reference.

My husband is now short-listed for a job and contacted the former manager for a reference. Now, the manager says he cannot give a good reference considering some of the “challenges” before he resigned. My husband has no idea what these are and is willing to move on (this manager could be petty and make mountains out of molehills), but how does he now tell his prospective employer that his recent manager has changed his mind?

“Unfortunately, my former manager is now declining to be a reference, although he’d earlier told me he’d be happy to give a strong one. I had glowing performance reviews while I was there, as well as bonuses and two promotions in three years, so I’m at a loss as to what could be causing this, but I suspect he’s unhappy that I left. I’d be glad to supply you with other references who can speak about my work there and at other companies.”

If he has copies of those performance reviews, it wouldn’t hurt to offer to share them either.

2. My old manager emailed my new manager to say bad things about me

I have started a new job. My interview, references, and first week were all good. However, my new manager told me that she got an email saying bad things about me from my previous company. I do not know who sent it, but I am guessing that it was my ex-boss. My question is: Is not it illegal that she sent an email after I already started working with another company?

It’s not illegal unless she was deliberately lying about you, in which case it could potentially be slander or defamation. It is, however, incredibly petty to badmouth you to a new employer after you’ve already started working there. In fact, it’s such a bizarre action to take that if your new manager is at all sensible, it made her see your old manager as unhinged, rather than giving much credence to what was in the email.

If you’re concerned, go back to your new manager and say, “I’m really taken aback that she would do that, and I want to make sure that you don’t have any concerns about me or my work.”

3. Recruiter asked for my Social Security number and the year I graduated high school

Today I had a phone interview with an agency recruiter. Everything was going fine during our standard discussion. Toward the end, he asked me when I graduated high school, which I answered. After that, he wanted my Social Security number to “move forward,” which I refused to give him.

During the talk, I pretty much determined that asking about graduation was the way to get around the age question. And, regarding the Social Security number, I told him I do not give that to anyone at the early stages, so I doubt we are moving forward. Was I wrong in either situation?

Nope, you were right. There’s no reason that he should need to know when you graduated from high school (!), assuming that you’re not coming across as very young and inexperienced. And there’s no reason he needs your Social Security number at this stage either, and it’s intrusive to ask for it.

4. Reapplying for a job I was recently laid off from

I was given notice in January that I would be laid off at the end of March from a job I really loved. Last week, I saw that the job I was laid off from is being advertised — likely because they finally figured out that there was no way to actually cut the service and putting the work of a team of 5 onto the one person that didn’t get laid off was completely unreasonable. Since March, I’ve been consulting. While the money is great, the work isn’t and it’s not what I want to be doing or who I want to be doing it for. So I put some feelers out to my old manager and the guy who didn’t get laid off to see if they’d be open to me coming back. My old manager has been promoted and I don’t really know the new department manager very well — I think I met him once in the year I was at the company. Both my manager and coworker think I should apply and would love to have me back.

Should I decide to apply, what does my cover letter look like in this situation? It’s only been 3 months since I left and I haven’t even added the consulting job on my resume yet. Should I reach out directly to the new manager? Or the HR recruiter listed for the job (she is the one who originally placed me at the company)? Should I mention in my cover letter that I have discussed the position with my former manager and coworker?

You should absolutely mention in your cover letter that you spoke to your former manager about the position and that she encouraged you to apply.

Send your application materials directly to the new manager, and cc the recruiter. Then forward it to your old manager with a note that you applied — and you might also ask if she can advise you on how to have the best chance of moving forward (which she will hopefully take as a cue that she should go sing your praises to the new manager).

All this said … keep in mind that they might want to go in a different direction, and that there might have been a reason for the layoff and their subsequently not reaching back out to you when the position re-opened. I have no idea if that’s the case or not, but keep that in mind as you approach all this and be sensitive to any cues along those lines.

5. I’m on the schedule beyond my last day at work

I gave my two weeks notice to my boss, stating that my final day working there would be July 10. The newest schedule for my last week is up, and he put me on for the 11th. I’m a part-time cashier/deli worker in a small store, and we’re all relatively close because there’s so few of us. But I’m concerned about the last day he has me on for because I informed him I would be leaving town and I needed to be off by the tenth. Is there anything I can do or say about this?

Start by assuming it’s a mistake, and just point it out to him: “I noticed you have me on the schedule for July 11, but my last day is July 10.”

When in doubt, just be straightforward.

6. My job refused to give me time off to interview for a different position

In my current job, I have told my manager numerous times that the work is too simple. He agrees with me and has even given me more jobs to do, but I’m simply just bored. I advised him I was looking elsewhere, and when I had the offer of an interview, he said HR would not allow me the morning off the next week, because I need 3 weeks notice. Hence I missed the interview.

He said that the company didn’t look favorably on going to interviews outside the business on their time. Can they do this? And is there not a law protecting employees from this?

Uh, yes, they can do that, and no, there’s no law requiring employers to make it easy for you to interview for other jobs during the hours you’re supposed to be working for them. Generally people are discreet when they’re looking for other jobs and don’t announce that they need time off for an interview.

7. Advice for new managers

I was recently promoted to my first supervisor position. I manage 4 people now. Can you recommend your top five past articles that give advice to new managers? I enjoy my daily reading of your blog.

I certainly can. Try these:

the most important advice for new managers

12 ways to make your employees love you

how to deal with employee performance problems and its cousin, be honest about employee performance problems

what reality-based management looks like

10 ways to appear more authoritative at work

Yes, that was six, not five, because they’re all important. But most importantly, check out my book for managers, which will walk you through the mechanics of managing well, step by step.

It’s tiny answer Tuesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. Should resigning employees be asked to leave immediately?

If an employee puts in their notice, should you always let them work through the end date they have given? I think it’s fairly common for an employee to be walked out if they are going to a direct competitor. However, what if the concern is that they will be a distraction during their remaining time?

It’s entirely up to you, but it makes sense to base it on what you think the impact will be on the rest of the office during those two weeks. In general, in most industries it’s common to let people work out their notice periods (with some exceptions, such as the one you noted) unless you have reason to think it’s going to be a problem to have them still in the office — such as if the person is likely to be toxic or wasting other people’s time. In those cases, it’s fine to let them go early — but you should pay them for the full notice period anyway, both because (a) it’s fair and (b) other employees will be watching how you handle this, and will assume you’ll treat them accordingly when they resign. If you tell people to leave immediately and don’t pay them for their notice period, you’re setting yourself up to have other people not give notice at all when they leave.

Also, unless you have reason to worry about sabotage or other bad behavior, please don’t “walk people out.” These are professional adults who you trusted to work for you yesterday, so give them the dignity of not being escorted off your premises like a criminal.

2. My raise was short — should I say something?

Recently, after a department discussion involving several ongoing projects, my manager (a C-level officer in our organization) came to my office and stated she was increasing my pay from $22.50/hour to $25/hour, effective July 5. I think this was due to my level of participation during the meeting and compared to the performance other individuals in department over the past year or so.

My pay shows an increase only to $23.50… which is great but not the number she stated. I’m a little apprehensive about bringing it up since it was a spontaneous pay increase outside our annual review period, and because it was given rather that requested. Would you recommend bringing it up or should I just take what was given? I know it might be an uphill battle since it was not in writing.

Well, first, are you sure? If the increase wasn’t effective until July 5, it probably isn’t even showing up in your most recent check — or at least would only apply to part of that pay period.

But once you’ve sorted that out, if it’s still short, yes, you should absolutely say something. She told you that you were getting X, so when you got Y instead, you should assume that there’s been a mistake and you should fix it. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is as a manager to have something like this happen and have the person not even speak up so that the problem can be corrected. (And really, think about what you’re saying about her — that you’re faster to assume she screwed you on the pay increase than that it’s a simple, easily correctable mistake.)

It doesn’t matter that it was outside the normal raise period or that you didn’t ask for it. She told you X, you got Y, so there’s a mistake somewhere and you should raise it to get it fixed.

3. Can I approach a customer for job advice?

I am a recent graduate still working in the restaurant industry and concurrently looking for field-related employment–media/communications. Every once in a while, I notice the CEO for a local news-media company come into the restaurant. He’s a rather prominent local figure, and always has an entourage of fellows joining him for lunch. I find him a very interesting man, and regularly keep up with his and his company’s work. Would it be inappropriate for me to discreetly solicit him, tell him my aspirations and situation, and ask for advice? What about even asking where I should seek an entry-level position?

I’d like to tell you yes, because sometimes this kind of thing does pay off, but be aware that (a) he may be annoyed to have his lunch interrupted and may brush you off and (b) your current employer might not be thrilled about you approaching customers like this. If you’re willing to risk both those things, I say go for it.

4. Explain resume gaps caused by a medical issue that isn’t fully in the past

How do I explain gaps in my resume caused by a medical issue without going into detail or inviting further questions on the subject?

I graduated in 2011 and am still looking for my first entry-level job. I took some time off after college to deal with chronic pain that turned out to be fibromyalgia–something that can be managed, but not cured. After a year of unemployment, I took a job in retail while still working with my doctor on finding a treatment. It turned out to be more physically demanding than my previous retail positions, and after six months I made the difficult decision to quit without having anything else lined up. Luckily I found an unpaid internship a month later that is more suited to what ultimately I want to be doing, but I’m still at a loss for how to explain my brief stint at my last job, not to mention the year-long gap before that.

I’ve been using the vague “medical reasons” to explain both, but then interviewers always seem to want some assurance that it’s all in the past. The most I can honestly say is that I don’t let it affect my performance, but I worry that by disclosing that I have an ongoing medical issue at all, I’m giving off the impression that I’m less capable than a completely healthy candidate. On the other hand, I don’t want to look like I quit my last job on a whim and was just slacking off for a year before that. How can I explain my job history without opening the can of worms that is my medical history?

Say that it was due to “medical issues that have since been resolved.” They’ve been resolved in the sense that they’re no longer affecting your performance, right? That’s what employers want to know, and that’s all they’re entitled to know. “Since been resolved” doesn’t have to mean “I no longer have the illness”; it can mean “it’s not an issue in my work life anymore.”

5. Applying for a job when you don’t have the preferred certification

I was looking at a job posting recently when it said: “X certification preferred.”

If you do not have this certification, should you/how do you approach this preference? In the cover letter, saying what?

Also, most certifications are not cheap. Many cost over $1,000. I want to say that I would be willing to take the certification, but at the same time, I am hesitant to say that I would pay for it myself, etc. What do you recommend?

I wouldn’t even address it — it’s a preferred qualification, not a requirement, and the reality is that you don’t have it. Saying that you’re willing to get it in the future isn’t likely to impact their assessment of your candidacy, and you definitely don’t want to get into “I’d take it if you help cover the cost” caveats in a cover letter. Instead, talk about achievements you do have, particularly if they illustrate the sorts of skills taught by the certification.

6. I didn’t get a bonus when I was out on maternity leave

I’ve worked for a very small startup company for the past three years. The first two, we received end-of-year bonuses even though we weren’t generating significant sales. In 2012, we had a much better year and hit some big milestones. We are only a few people so we all work very hard and I know my contributions to the growth of the company are not disputable.

I had a baby in early December, and I was on (unpaid) maternity leave for a few months. I noticed that I didn’t receive a bonus, and it wasn’t mentioned by our CEO (I report directly to her). I thought that maybe it would be addressed when I returned in the spring, but it never was. I’m worried that the rest of the company did receive bonuses, and our CEO thinks that because I was on leave that I wouldn’t receive one. I think that since I worked 11/12ths of the year, I should receive 11/12ths of the bonus I would have received.

Would it be appropriate to ask if bonuses were given out last year? If they were, is my thinking correct about my being entitled to one? I also haven’t had a performance review in 18+ months, so if I am considering asking for a review and, given there aren’t any unforeseen negatives, asking for an increased salary — would that be a good time to ask about the bonus, or should I just let it go in favor of asking for the increased salary?

You can certainly ask. Keep in mind that bonuses are generally a retention strategy, not a reward for past work (even if they’re framed that way), so if a company doesn’t think a bonus will help retain you (which can be the case during maternity leave, rightly or wrongly), they may pass you over. That said, giving a bonus to everyone but the person out on maternity leave is fraught with potential legal issues, so I think you could certainly raise it (without the legal threat — let them figure that concern out on their own).

7. Manager said he’d hire me but hasn’t followed up

I’m more confused then anything. I got my first interview ever. I am a college student, and for those of us with odd schedules it is hard to find jobs. So I went to my interview, and it was awesome. The manager emailed me the same day for a second interview. The second interview came around, and we sat and talked and he said that I for sure had the job and to come back a certain day to fill something out on his desktop. I went there on that day and filled out what I needed to, and he said he’d be in touch in 7-10 days. It never happened. I called recently, a little over two weeks ago, since I’ve been waiting for some type of reply from him, and he said I needed to be patient with him because he was training someone. Now it’s been over a month and I feel toyed with. I mean, if I didn’t get the job, why didn’t he call or email? Smoke signals something? I don’t feel as though I am being impatient. I feel I deserve some type of explanation as to what’s going on.

Yes, you deserve an explanation. But if you count on getting one, you might be setting yourself up for frustration.

He probably did intend to hire you — maybe he still does. But he’s clearly either disorganized or sidetracked by higher priority items, or both. He might have plans to hire you at some vague point in the future, not thinking about the fact that you’re looking for a job now. Or he might no longer plan to hire you at all and is being cowardly about telling you that. Either way, your best bet is to move on and find a job somewhere else. You can still check in with this guy in a few weeks if you want to, but I’d assume that this one has fallen through or is likely to fall through and move on. (And welcome to the job market — this kind of thing isn’t uncommon, unfortunately.)