Ask a Manager

It’s fast answer Friday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. Suggesting to job candidates that they apply for a different role

My company often has applications that come in for one role, but we think are better for another. After contacting the candidate and explaining about the better fit, there are times that the proposed role is turned down – wrong location, too junior, etc. These candidates are then asking to be reconsidered for the spot they originally applied for – but we’ve already marked them off as unsuitable for that position. Whats the right way to respond to this? I think I’m being pretty clear about it – I start the initial email conversation along the lines of “we don’t think you’re the right fit for Chocolate Teapot Painter, but Chocolate Cup Designer would be a more appropriate role for you here”.

Is there a better way to communicate this idea – that they aren’t good for role A, but can be considered for role B or nothing?

It sounds like you are being clear about it initially, but for whatever reason it’s not registering with them. So if they ask about it again, just be straightforward: “I don’t think you’re the right fit for Chocolate Teapot Painter, but we really appreciate your interest in working with us. If you do decide the Designer role might be right for you, let me know. Otherwise, best of luck in your search!”

2. My employer is sharing everyone’s performance statistics, with names attached

I have a question about sharing employee performance information. I work as a contractor, and we have a quota of materials we need to inventory every week to reach a yearly goal and get our contract renewed. Every week our statistics are collected and then handed out the following week with our full names and the amount of work we did. I am wondering if this is legal for our company to do. I am guessing they have found a loophole or something in the law but I have been thinking that sharing employee performance with all of the company employees might be slightly unethical.

No need for a loophole in the law — it’s perfectly legal to share employee performance information. As for ethics, there’s not really anything wrong with being transparent about how everyone is doing. I can see why it might make some people uncomfortable, but it’s not classified information.

3. Should I reach out to an old employer about a job I’m interested in or assume they’ll reach out to me?

I had a temporary admin assistant contract earlier this year that I got through a personal contact. I replaced the usual admin assistant for 4 months while she was assigned to a different project, and my job ended when the project was completed (I knew all of this going in).

That was a couple months ago and I’m still looking for a new job. Yesterday, I met up with the person who is currently the admin assistant because we have a common interest outside of work. She told me that she is leaving the job in July to go back to school.

I don’t know how they will go about finding someone to replace her, but I would hope that I would have a good chance since I have already worked there. But I haven’t heard from them and the current person is leaving before the end of July. How should I go about letting them know that I am interested? Should I wait for someone to contact me (it’s not certain that they will), or wait til I see a job posting? Or, should I send an email right away? If I do send the email, should I send it to the HR person, or my previous boss (who didn’t know me very well because he was very busy at the time), or another senior member of the staff who knows me better?

Do not wait for them to contact you. It’s highly likely that they never will — not due to any slight toward you, but just because that’s how this stuff often works. Reach out to them right now, with your resume and a letter of interest. Send it to HR, and cc the contact there who knows you best.

4. My acquaintance misrepresented me to get an in with my boss

I have an acquaintance who works in the same city as me but she works in a different field. (I am in fashion, and she’s in finance.) She’s very involved in auctions and charitable organizations that charge fees to attend these events. I started my job not 2 months ago. We sell high-end leather outerwear for men and women, and I am in the purchasing and sales department. When I first started this job, my acquaintance asked me in passing where it was located and what my company did, so I told her without giving it much thought.

A few days ago, I found out that she decided to contact my boss directly to tell her that maybe she could donate some pieces from her collection to her auction, and that I thought it was a great idea and that it would be great exposure because of all the “high end” people who will attend this event. My boss very excitedly approached me today and told me that we really need to get the items ready for the auction and that this will be a great opportunity for her line and thank you very much for having my friend get in touch with her. I NEVER and would never have done this, I have no idea what my acquaintance (now former) was thinking approaching my boss directly without my permission. I’ve been to these type of events before, the people are NOT “high end,” and are not the type of segment my boss would want. For the time I’ve been working there, I have a pretty good idea of where she wants to take her line and this type of event is not it.

I hate that this acquaintance used my name to get an “in” with my boss. I didn’t say anything to my boss about what I really think of this event and about me not being involved. At this point I have no idea how to explain this to her. I’ve been here for a short time and I don’t want to be involved in all this drama. How do I get her to pull out from this commitment? Also I texted my acquaintance and she claims she didn’t have time to tell me she was going to contact my boss.

It doesn’t need to be a big drama unless you treat it that way. Just say to your boss, “By the way, I was surprised to hear that Jane told you that I thought it was a great idea. I actually didn’t know anything about it until you mentioned it to me. I’m actually not convinced it’s the right way to go — I’ve been to her events and it doesn’t seem like our target audience.” But from there, it’s up to your boss whether to participate or not; don’t keep pushing the issue if she pursues it, since at that point you’ve explained your position and it’s her call.

5. Should my employer pay me for time I’m driving their vehicle to and from work?

I am required to be at my job-site from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm but I drive a company vehicle to and from work, from home. Should my employer have to pay me for the time outside of the scheduled work day that I am driving their vehicle?

I’d guess no, because they wouldn’t pay you for your commuting time if you were driving your own vehicle. (But that’s just a guess and it’s possibly there’s some context to this that I’m not considering.)

6. Am I being passed over at work?

I am currently in a weird position at work. I was originally hired to cover two positions. Another employee and I were going to switch every month. Two weeks into my job, my boss decides I am going to remain at the lower position but informs me there was room for advancement.

Now 3 months later, two people are leaving at the end of the month. At this organization, people are promoted based on seniority most of the time. My coworker who I was originally going to switch off with is being promoted to one of the vacant positions. Her position was opened but my manager decided to hire someone new. There is one remaining open position, but someone else is going to take that position and my boss hired a new person for the position she is vacating. It seems as though I am being passed over for every promotion. What do you recommend me doing? I am not sure if I should be looking for a new job.

Well, usually people aren’t promoted after three months — that’s a very short period of time. It generally takes at least a year, and usually more.

If people at your job are really getting promoted after only three months (which would be unusual, but possible), then talk to your boss. There may be some reason that you’re being passed over, or it may be bad luck. Tell her that you’re interested in advancing and ask what you can work on to be a strong candidate for that. But again, unless you’re seeing multiple other people getting promoted after less than a year, this isn’t about you and is just about tenure.

7. Should I say I have an associate’s degree or that I’ve completed “some college”?

I am actively applying for jobs now that I’m laid off. On many online job profiles, it asks what my highest level of education is. I’ve got an AA but I’m a senior in college and am close to earning my bachelor’s. What is better to put, “Associates,” or “some college”?

To me, it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other — neither is better, and they’re both about the same. I suppose an associate’s says that you have at least two years, whereas “some college” could mean one semester, but I don’t think one is notably better than the other. Anyone feel differently?

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

1. How long should it take for a raise to go through?

How long does it generally take for a raise to be implemented? I mustered up the courage to ask for a raise during a performance meeting with my manager this week. He was very enthusiastic and happily agreed (hooray!). He said he’d have to get approval for it but that he thinks it should be just fine. Then he made an offhand remark about it going through at the start of 2014. This took me by surprise and I think I just nodded in response. A delayed raise is still better than no raise, and I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but six and a half months seems like a very long time to implement it.

Yes, that’s ridiculous. That’s less of a yes to your raise request and more of a “I can’t give you a raise now, but we’ll do one for next year.”

I’d go back to him and say, “I realized after our conversation that you’d mentioned the start of 2014. I’d actually like to get an increase now, for the reasons we talked about.”

2. Do salary negotiations usually happen with your manager or with HR?

I’m currently working as a W2 Contractor for a large company. My contract expires in a few months, and there is the chance of the company converting me to full-time.

When I was initially hired as a contractor, my rate negotiation was with HR, but with my boss’ input and approval. I did not know that my boss was involved at the time, but found out later because I have access to the department’s budget and my rate was factored into the budget spend. (I’m a program manager). I also figured my boss was involved because she can give input as to what end of the pay scale i’d fall.

Do salary negotiations typically happen solely with the Hiring Manager, HR, or both? I’m trying to prep myself a bit because my job pays below the industry average and my boss is very VERY stingy. I kinda feel like I will have a better chance at a better salary if I were to deal with just HR. I feel that HR is focused on being fair and equal, and my boss is focused on her budget. How does it typically work?

Typically salary negotiations (particularly for existing employees) are with the manager, not HR. HR might have input on overall salary ranges and budgets, but existing employees should be talking to their manager, not HR. (And at companies where HR does handle this, it’s a bad set-up; this is part of a manager’s job.) I suppose it’s possible that in your case, they’ll treat the negotiations as you being a new employee rather than an existing one (since you’re currently a contractor) and potentially have HR more involved, but they really shouldn’t.

3. Can I agree to train for a new job but back out if I get a more stable offer?

I’ve been temping at my company making X/hr for a little over a year now. Two months ago, I applied to two jobs. One was a permanent position at my company that pays 1.5X/hr, and the other is a government agency that pays 2X/hr. Next week, I have a phone interview with the government agency, while I will hear by the end of the week if I’ve been accepted at my company. If I get accepted, I would have to go through 4 months of paid training. However, I will be tested during the training process, and I could be dismissed at any time if I don’t pass one of the tests. It’s also possible that only the top candidates will get permanent jobs at the end, so there isn’t necessarily a guarantee I will get a permanent job out of it.

In this situation, would it be ethical to accept an invitation to the training, only to withdraw partway through if the government agency ended up giving me an offer?

I tend to think that if they’re explicitly telling you that they’re not making a commitment to you and you could be let go at the end of the training, then you have no obligation to make a commitment to them. Which means it would be fine to withdraw partway through if you get an offer you like better.

4. Does my employer have to give me a raise?

I’ve been working for a well-known furniture store and I have been with them for a little over a year now. When I asked about my raise, I was told that it isnt in there policy to give raises at a year or at anytime unless the employee asks for it. Is this even legal?

Are you asking whether there’s a law that requires employers to give raises at set times, or ever? No, there is not. (And really, why would there be?)

5. Can I bring notes into a job interview?

A managerial position has opened up at the university that I work at, and I have an interview coming up soon. I have worked at the university for a little over 3 years, and this will be my first managerial position.

I have been doing a lot of brainstorming and research, and have a lot of great ideas about improvements I would like to make to policies, procedures and marketing for the department. I want to make sure that I remember to bring them up in the interview, given the opportunity. Also, I want to remember some important questions about the position that I have developed. Do you think it would be strange to bring in notes that I could quickly refer to? Or is it better that I just speak off-the-cuff, even if I forget some important points/questions?

Coming with notes is absolutely fine. You don’t want to read straight from them, but it’s fine to bring in notes to jog your memory and make sure you cover the points you want to cover. (It IS weird if you consult notes on some basic element of your job history that they’d expect you to remember on your own, like what type of work a particular job entailed overall, but that’s not what you’re talking about.)

6. Is it appropriate to ask your boss to do some of your work for you?

My employee is working on a data entry project and has to enter 5 more records, which might take an hour’s time. However, when I asked him the status on this project, he asked if I can help complete it. He says he is busy on an important deadline (which I am aware of) and since it’s only 5 records, if I can complete it. I am also busy with several projects but I can chip in if needed. But more than that, I am wondering is it appropriate to ask your boss to complete your work. I have never done that with my boss.

It depends on all sorts of factors, like the relationship with the boss, the person’s history, how urgent the work is, who else is available to help, and a bunch of other factors I’m probably not thinking of here. I mean, if he should have gotten it done by now himself or it’s reasonable for him to get it done himself by the deadline, or if the deadline isn’t looming or inflexible, then sure, it’s probably ridiculous for him to ask you to help him finish. On the other hand, there are lots of times where it would be reasonable for someone with a good work ethic and a history of not dropping balls to say, “I’m slammed with getting our quarterly report in on time, but Accounting says they have to have X from us by tomorrow. Realistically, I won’t be able to do both. Any chance you’d have time to send them those numbers?”

(But I admittedly can’t imagine asking one’s boss to do a data entry project, unless one’s boss also did data entry as a major part of her job.)

7. Company is post-dating paychecks

My husband works for a large international company and is paid bi-weekly. When he receives his check, it is always post-dated for several days later. I wondered if this is common practice in some companies? To me it seems an odd thing to do for such a large company, as though the funds aren’t yet available and they aren’t sure if they will be. Any insight you could give would be great.

Most states have laws that say that you must be paid within X days after work is performed. As long as the check isn’t post-dated for a date after that state-imposed deadline, this is legal. Which I know wasn’t your question, but I’m answering that anyway.

As for whether it’s common, one thing that isn’t uncommon is assigning payday as, say, every every Friday, but issuing the checks on Wednesday for all sorts of logistical reasons. And in that case, it wouldn’t be odd for them to be post-dated to the actual payday.

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

1. Employee was late to work on his first day

I have an employee who is now at least 40 minutes late for work on his first day. He at least called to let us know he overslept and is on the way, but likely won’t be here for another 20-30 minutes. He seemed mortified and was very apologetic, assuring us that it will not happen again. He said he was so excited to start his job that he couldn’t sleep and had to take a sleeping aid to help him sleep. Apparently it worked too well!

In all my years of managing people, I’ve honestly never had this happen before. Most folks wait at least a week or two before they start showing up late. Any suggestions on how to address this with him? In your opinion, how late is too late on one’s first day that would warrant them not having a second day?

If he sounded truly mortified, I’d give him a second chance. Bad luck does happen, and it’s possible that was the case here and this truly isn’t characteristic of him. Of course, it’s also possible that it’s VERY characteristic of him, but you’ll know that soon enough if so. I’d keep an eye on him and be pretty strict about any reoccurrences in the near future, but I’d be open to the possibility that it genuinely was just awful luck.

2. My new employer seems very sketchy about payroll taxes

I recently got a new job at a physical therapist’s office. This place seemed legit from the outside and throughout the hiring process, but once I started working with the medical records it became immediately obvious that something seriously wrong is going on (probably Medicare fraud) and the office will most likely be closing at the end of June. I have no idea why the doctor hired me at the end of May if he plans on closing his practice a month later, but that’s not my question. Obviously, I must leave, because even if the place doesn’t close, I don’t want to do fraudulent work.

My actual question is this: there may be some kind of payroll/tax fraud going on also, or maybe it’s just stupid. There is no payroll service of any sort. We have an old-school time clock that prints our times on a card. We, the employees, then have to add up our hours and figure out our own taxes using a photocopied sheet listing wages and dependents. The timecards are turned in to the doctor, who writes a personal check (so there’s no paystub or anything). Meanwhile, we are supposed to keep track of our taxes on a sheet of paper, and every quarter the doctor will collect the sheets and pay the taxes. Obviously, this is stupid as hell and probably fraudulent. Is it illegal for employees to figure out their own taxes like that? There’s no way to check any of it.

I’m not an accountant so I can’t speak with authority to the nuances here, but I can tell you that businesses are responsible for ensuring they’re being calculated correctly (something he’s risking by letting everyone calculate their own) and that while FUTA taxes (unemployment insurance) are usually paid quarterly (so he’s fine in that regard), income taxes and FICA taxes are required to be deposited either semi-monthly or monthly (depending on the business’ income level). So if he’s paying them all quarterly, he’s definitely in violation there.

3. Do I need to thank my boss for giving me a raise?

Do I need to thank my boss for giving me a raise?

You don’t need to, but you should. Not anything elaborate, and certainly not a gift or anything like that, but a “thank you for the raise; I really appreciate being recognized that way” is (a) gracious and (b) in your self-interest.

4. I loaned a coworker money and she won’t pay me back

A coworker owes me $1,000, and every time I ask for the money she avoids me so as not to pay. Also she told me that she will take me to Human Resources. Can I get fired if she does?

You can get fired for pretty much anything, as long as it’s not for your race, sex, religion, or other protected class. So sure, technically you could be fired for this. But I can’t imagine why you would be — you haven’t done anything wrong. If she approached HR about this, I assume she’d be laughed out of there. There’s nothing to report here. The only one who’s done something wrong is your coworker, and that’s between you and her.

But for the record, loaning money to coworkers is generally a really bad idea. Hell, loaning money to anyone is generally a bad idea unless you’re willing to risk that you might not see that money again.

5. My boss wants me to measure staff happiness with a software change

I work in I.T. for a small organization (around 50 people) that has been undergoing a lot of technology changes. I’m smack in the middle of company-wide software changes in addition to my normal day-to-day maintenance, support services, and report writing. Now the company is adding another software into the mix that I have used before, and I believe it’s a good idea but my problem is the timing and the staff here isn’t very “techie.”

When I put together my project management plan, my boss asked me to include staff happiness into the project scope. Something along the lines of “the software will be installed, infrastructure to support it will be upgraded, extensive training will be done and everyone will be happy.” When pressed for how I would measure happiness, he replied “I’m not sure, a survey or something.” I’m in way over my head doing more than I was hired to do, and although I pride myself on customer service, I am concerned because many people here are overwhelmed and I am afraid that they will take their ya-yas out on my survey. Help!

It’s certainly reasonable to have staff satisfaction as one of the measures of a project’s success. And if you wanted to do that, a survey is often the fastest way to measure that. (Another way can sometimes be a drop in complaints or reports of problems.)

While I understand your concern that a non-techie staff may not be happy at all with the new software, what your boss is telling you is that he considers it an important part of the project. If you think it’s unlikely to happen, or will only happen with more work than you have the capacity for, now is the time to bring that up. (In fact, that’s one of the big advantages of setting clear goals at the outset of a project — it brings differing perspectives to the surface at the right point in planning … because you really don’t want to find out at the end of the project that there was a measure of success that you didn’t know about.)

6. Can I lie about my salary history to avoid having it used against me?

I’ve worked at nonprofits for my entire career and am trying to make the jump to corporate — and I have to say, compensation is a big motivator. I’ve been underpaid for years, and I can see the opportunity to get a sizable salary increase if I move to corporate. But as you know, many online applications require salary history. I’m afraid if I report my nonprofit salary to a for-profit company that I will be underselling myself before I even get to a negotiation point. My question: Can I lie about my salary history on an application? How would a company even be able to check that?

You absolutely should not lie about salary in this process. Companies verify it all the time — either through asking your previous company to verify or it or by asking to see your W2s — and they will absolutely disqualify you for lying. (And sometimes they verify post-offer, so you risk accepting an offer, quitting your old job, and then having the offer pulled when they discover you lied. That is bad, and you don’t want that to happen.)

However, your current salary doesn’t need to hold you back from a much better one. Moving from nonprofits to for-profits provides you with a good reason for deserving more. Here’s the story of how I once doubled my salary in a single career move, when leaving a low-paying nonprofit.

7. What do hiring managers really think about online degrees?

So what do hiring managers, professionals in general, really think about people with degrees acquired online?

It depends on the school, and it depends on the hiring manager. Some online programs have solid reputations (generally those attached to a brick-and-mortar school). Others … don’t. And then of course, there are some hiring managers who won’t believe the degree is as as valid if it’s from an online program, no matter how good the program — although that’s becoming increasingly less common.

The two things that really matter though: Pick a program that’s part of a brick-and-mortar school with a good reputation, and avoid for-profit colleges completely. Their reputation is crap, and generally deservedly so.