Ask a Manager

It’s mini answer Monday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. Asking for non-money perks in lieu of a raise

I’ve been with my current company for three years now. I received a raise after my first year, but I have not been able to get any pay increases since then. They did give me a small bonus last year and told me they would work to get me an actual raise, but the company has since frozen pay rates for the foreseeable future. They are very appreciative of the work I do for the company, but I doubt I’ll see a raise any time soon.

I am considering asking for some kind of office perk to make up for the lack of a raise. I’d like to ask to be moved from the front desk to an office, or to be able to work more flexible hours, or both if I’m really lucky. Do you think this is a reasonable request? If so, how should I go about asking? Would it be appropriate to do this through email? My supervisors are in the same building, but I feel that I would be better at asking through email.

You can absolutely ask for things other than a salary increase, although you should do it in an in-person conversation, not email (just like if you were asking for a raise).

However, if you’re at the front desk, it might not be feasible to move you somewhere else (if your job involves greeting visitors, signing for packages, and other typical receptionist responsibilities), and the same might be true of flexible hours. So before you ask, make sure you’re considering whether the specific things you’d like to request are realistic for your role or not.

2. Is this legal?

I am a salaried exempt employee. I was forced to use PTO because the office was closed two days for snow. We also had a computer virus and they closed the office for a day and I was forced to use PTO. Then my daughter spent two weeks in ICU, and I ran out of PTO time and have not been there long enough for FMLA, but I was still required to answer emails and phone calls and meet prospective clients for lunch but was told I was not being paid. Is this legal?

No, it is not legal! If you’re exempt, you have to be paid your full salary for any week in which you do any work (with some exceptions, like your first and last week in some cases). And if you weren’t exempt, they have to pay you for all time you spend on work, so they’d need to pay you for those emails and phone calls — so either way, they’re breaking the law.

3. Employee won’t stop staring at people and asking them what’s wrong

I have a question about one of my employees. I have noticed recently that anytime you engage in conversation with her, she is always asking “what’s wrong?” with a very uncomfortable stare, almost like she is trying to see through you. After you answer her that nothing is wrong, she never looks away and then asks, “Are you sure?” This whole time staring at your eyes, never breaking. It is starting to become a problem at the office because it’s making other employees uncomfortable. What do you think could be causing this sudden change in behavior and how should I handle it?

This is weird. But it’s also weird that no one has asked her what’s up. The next time she asks you what’s wrong, say, “I noticed you’ve been asking that of me and others a lot. What’s going on?” And if she’s truly staring other people down in ways that are making them uncomfortable, talk to her privately and ask her to cut it out.

4. Is there any harm in taking a later start date?

I was offered a position in a major firm earlier this year. I informed them that the earliest I could join was in June of this year. The HR manager was pretty flexible about this. I contacted him recently to confirm my start date in June and he gave me 4 options, two in June and two of these dates are first week and last week of July respectively.

Looking at this email, I am now thinking of taking a longer break off of my current position as I want to visit family out of country. Would it be okay for me to accept the late July date as a start date for my employment. Is there any perception problem with me deciding to accept the most later date as a start date for my employment?

Theoretically, it should be fine. In reality, however, there’s a small chance — very small, but still a chance — that the later start date gives them room to decide they aren’t going to move forward after all, which does sometimes happen. It’s rare, but it happens. But they’re offering you the later date (you didn’t request it), and it’s not unreasonable to assume that you can take them at their word.

5. Smokers are getting more breaks than non-smokers

I work in retail. The smokers seem to have more breaks than us non-smokers. How do I let my job know that I want a break too?

You can talk to your manager and point out that smokers are being treated differently than non-smokers, but a manager who’s already allowing this might be a manager who doesn’t care. Still, it’s worth a conversation.

6. How can employers screen out candidates who lie about their job history?

What are your thoughts about how we, as employers, can get around sites that let job applicants fake their job history (complete with fake references), to be sure we are hiring qualified candidates, not just those who are willing to pay to lie to gain employment?

Don’t stick to just the reference list the candidate provides you with but look for other people who worked with the candidate, look up reference phone numbers yourself rather than using the ones provided to you by the candidate, be alert to signs of integrity and honesty throughout the hiring process, and do skills testing and job simulations before ever making any hire. Beyond that, it’s still possible someone could lie to you, but if they can’t do the work, you’ll find out soon enough if you’re paying as much attention to their work as you should be!

7. Reapplying for a job when the instructions change

I applied to a position online. At the time I applied, the site only had a job description and an email address with no further instructions. I sent my resume and cover letter to the email address they provided. I make it a habit to see if the posting is updated, because this seems to happen often. Turns out It was updated; I checked back four hours after I originally applied. Suddenly there were instructions and an added “please mention this to let us know you’re read the whole posting.” I really want the job so I re-applied.

Does reapplying hurt my chances for being considered for the position? When I originally applied, those specifications were not there. What’s the deal?

Well, ideally when you re-applied, you included a note saying something like, “I applied earlier today, but at the time you hadn’t yet added instructions to mention your note, so I’m reapplying to let you know that I did see it.” But if you didn’t, it’s not a big deal; they’re probably going to figure it out on their own.

It’s short answer Sunday — six short answers to six short questions. Here we go…

1. Out-of-town job is flying me in to interview — what if I accept another job and have to cancel?

I have a job interview scheduled in another state. The potential employer is booking paying for the flight and a hotel stay for my husband and me. It is two weeks away. In the meantime, I have another job interview with a second employer — a job I want more. If the first employer books the flight, and I cancel it because I accepted the second employer’s offer, what happens? Should I offer to pay for the flight?

Well, to some extent, it’s a risk they took when they agreed to pay for your flight (and the hotel, but that’s nearly always refundable). It’s a cost of doing business — or at least a cost of interviewing out-of-town candidates. There’s always risk built in; they could end up hating your interview, or they could offer you the job and you could turn it down. That said, it’s not ideal and you’d at least want to acknowledge how very sorry you are.

2. Managers will only reward based on seniority, not merit

I work in a medical office with five other people, two of whom are the owners. I am a very hard worker and I push the limits of my position wherever I work, which is personally rewarding to me. Starting as a weekend replacement to them four years ago, I have since worked my way “up” to more responsibilities then any other employee. I have many back office tasks and responsibilities that are undefined but solely mine; like being the only employee who interviews new hires, I do all of the training, handle all patient complaints and disputes, and am asked by my bosses to coach my coworkers in sales and patient care, etc.

I enjoy all of these tasks, but the big problem… They have reiterated that we, the four staff members, all have the same position and that pay is primarily based on seniority. They refuse to assign any different title for me or to define my differences to the other staff members but still ask me to act as superior. It feels clear to me that I should stop taking on these tasks if they are not in the job description that everyone shares.

I don’t want to “turn off” my aggressive work ethic and my bosses have never expressed disagreement with me being so proactive, but I feel it is to a point where they need to choose: 1) I continue working to the same expectations with a title change and change in pay grade -or- 2) I stop doing the extra tasks and work to the level of my coworkers. I have lost faith in the fact that my hard work would pay off and now feel I’ve been used for whatever they could get from me. Am I seeing this clearly? Should I be taking a different approach? How can I affectively communicate my frustrations and show them my perspective?

You should be searching for another job, because a workplace that rewards solely based on seniority and not on work quality, and which refuses to distinguish between great work and okay work is not a workplace where you will thrive. Nor is it one that deserves the type of employee you sound like.

3. Should I mention I’m seeking career counseling in my cover letter?

I am a job hopper. The following is a brief work history (from least recent to most recent): 2 years and 9 months (part-time workstudy), 3 years and 4 months (part time, full-time, part-time retail), 6 months (internship), 4 months (temporary position), 4 months (regular, full-time), currently 4 months and wanting to leave (regular, full-time). I unintentionally keep accepting positions that require a certain ability, personality, or traits that I don’t have.

I realize my lack of self-awareness is a big problem and have been considering seeking a career counselor to help me figure out my strengths and weaknesses and the jobs that would utilize those strengths. Is that something I would be able to put on my cover letter to show potential employers that yes, I know I have a problem and am working to fix it, or is that not a good idea?

Nope, that doesn’t go in your cover letter. First, it draws attention the problem, and second, it’s an inappropriate over-share that has nothing to do with your ability to excel at the job they’re hiring for.

By the way, the only job hopping I see in your history are the two most recent jobs. Internships and temp positions that are designed by their nature to be temporary don’t count as job hopping. It’s just the two recent ones that might be an issue.

4. Interviewer asked if I had any pending offers

I had a phone interview recently and was asked if I was in the interview process with any other company and did I have any pending offers. Do they really care?

Yes. They’re asking because they want to know if you have time constraints they should be aware of — like if you were likely to receive an offer next week. Sometimes if you’re a strong enough candidate, they’ll expedite things on their end when that’s the case.

5. How to follow up on a rejection that left the door open

I went for an interview last month with a small organization. I got through the first round and met the executive director for a second round of interviews. I thought they went well, but I ultimately didn’t get the job. The primary interviewer for both interviews sent me a really nice email saying how much they liked me and thought I’d be a good fit for their organization but that I didn’t have the experience they needed for that position. At the end of the note, she did say that there might be another job posting in a couple of months that I would be more suited for and I should let her know if I would be interested. I replied back with a thank-you note and said that I would be interested in the position.

After that, our messages have stopped and the job hasn’t been posted yet. Should I be trying to keep in touch with her in some way or should I just keep my eyes open for the posting? And if I should keep in touch, how should I go about doing that? Alternatively, if I don’t keep in touch with her now and the job is finally posted, should I send her a message after applying or just apply and trust that she will see the application?

In six weeks, email her and say you wanted to follow up on the position she mentioned they might be posting soon. Tell her you’re really interested and would love a heads-up when they’re ready to talk to candidates.

And yes, once you apply, send her a quick email letting her know that you did.

6. Does “a couple of weeks” really mean two weeks?

I had a final round interview with my dream company exactly 2 weeks ago. After the interview, I asked for the timeframe for the next step and the interviewer said, “We will contact you in a couple of weeks.” I’m getting jittery now. Should I send them an email asking for an update now that 2 weeks have passed? Or should I wait more? If they say “a couple of weeks,” would they be annoyed that I contacted them after only 2 weeks?

Wait until it’s been three weeks and send over an email reiterating your interest and asking if they have an updated timeline.

Hiring nearly always takes longer than the people involved in it expect it to. Really, you should mentally double any timeline you’re given, at least as far as adjusting your own expectations go. (Plus, “a couple of weeks” in this context really means “a few weeks, more or less, maybe more.”)

It’s short answer Saturday — six short answers to six short questions. Here we go…

1. Did I handle my resignation badly?

I’m a trades student right now. I moved to a city 30 minutes away to go to school. I agreed with my manager that I would keep working on the weekends until the end of May, since she is short on people and I needed work anyway. Then I found work related to my trade for the weekends, which doesn’t require as much of a commute and pays far better. I gave two weeks notice (and apologized profusely), but I’m wondering, was it unethical to quit when I had agreed to stay until the end of May? Or was it okay because I still gave two weeks notice?

That sounds fine. You agreed to stay longer when she asked you to, but your circumstances changed and you gave appropriate notice. Leaving without notice would be a problem, but this is not.

2. Asking for extra vacation time instead of a raise

I work for the largest health insurance company in my state. Of all the companies I’ve worked for, their policies seem the most reasonable and the most considerate of their employees, except for how much PTO is granted.

I have been with them for almost seven years now, and my annual reviews have been great every year. I’m at a point in my life where I’m making enough money to pay my bills and save for emergencies, vacations, retirement, etc. I would much rather at this point be rewarded with an increase in the amount of PTO I can earn per pay period than additional salary. Is there any way for me to phrase this request that sounds professional? I would have to take it up either with my VP or HR or both because neither my supervisor nor manager have any say according to the administrative policies I’ve read.

Absolutely! Your company may or may be willing to do it, but it’s a completely reasonable request. I’d say something like, “I’m really interested in earning additional PTO and wonder if you’d consider giving me an extra two weeks (or whatever) per year in lieu of a raise this year.”

You still might start with your manager though, which is usually the appropriate protocol even if your manager needs to go up the food chain to get approval.

3. Company says I used to work for them, but I didn’t

I’m in a little bit of a situation with my employer. I have recently started working for them (~1 month) and everything seemed to be going well… until today. When they entered my information into their system, corporate said that I already had an employee number and that I worked for them at a different location for 2 years between 2008 and 2010. This doesn’t make any sense because I have never worked for them. I have reached out to the other location but they are not required to keep any records for longer than a year. Asset Protection is now handling it as an “investigation” and if they find what they have already essentially “found,” even though it’s false, I could be terminated, as it is falsifying a document. Please help.

It’s hard to advise on this without knowing the specifics of the situation, but if you didn’t work there, you didn’t work there — and your social security number should make that clear. Ask specifically what they’re finding that indicates that you did since clearly there’s been a mistake somewhere, and ask Asset Protection to check your social and see if that helps.

4. When will this temp job turn permanent?

I am currently working as a temp at a large company. The position is temp-to-hire and I have been told that there is no doubt that I will be brought on permanently with the company I am temping at. Initially they told me it would only be a couple weeks to a month more of temping, but now they are telling me it will be three or four more months. I was okay with one more month, but three or four really puts a burden on me. I have already been a temp for over four months.

How can I convey the burden this puts me under to my boss in a professional manner? I have made it clear that I am hesitant to stay on as a temp that long and each time it comes up, my boss is dumfounded as to why and I am asked to explain my hesitancy. I have said it is because I am looking for something that provides stability, but in reality the issue is that the temp salary is barely enough for me to get by and it also does not include any benefits, including sick and vacation days. Additionally, I feel like my status as a temp has led to people treating me with less respect at the company. I realize that saying all of that to my boss is unprofessional, so how can I get the message across in an appropriate manner?

Also–is it wrong for me to be upset with the company over them dragging their feet to bring me on permanently? How they have treated me during this process is raising doubts as to whether or not I actually want to stay with the company in the future. While I enjoy the work I do not enjoy how they treat their employees. I feel like I have been abused because I am desperate and they know that.

You can’t force someone to understand something. If she doesn’t get this pretty basic concept after an explanation, give up on trying to force the issue.

Instead, assume that there’s no regular job to be offered until the day you see a job offer in writing, and continue to conduct an active job search. This will be far less frustrating than continually expecting something and being annoyed that it’s not happening. (It will also be less frustrating to not assume they’re “abusing” you, but rather are dealing with higher priorities, disorganized, working out budget issues, or any of the other explanations for the delay that have nothing to do with you.)

5. What job search info should I track?

I keep an Excel spreadsheet to monitor jobs I’ve applied to. What data do you think is most important to track (beyond point of contact, position description, dates, etc.)?

Make sure you’re keeping the actual job description somewhere, not just the URL for it, because job postings get taken down, even when the job is still open. I’d also track any actual contact you’ve had with anyone there.

6. Can you accept a job offer contingently?

Have you heard of people contingently accepting a job offer based on what happens with the open position that they’d directly report to? In this situation, the management position it would report to is also open and one of the interviewees would create a conflict of interest if they were hired. Is contingently accepting an offer something people do?

They should do it more often, frankly, given what a major impact your manager has on your quality of life at work, but it doesn’t happen too often. Although there’s no reason someone couldn’t reasonably say, “I’d love to accept the job, but I’d like to hold off on a formal acceptance until you fill the manager role, since rapport with that person will be so important.” You’d need to be willing for them to refuse that, though.

However, in your case, where you’re worried about a potential conflict of interest, it’s a little different. I’d just be direct: “I’d love to take the job, but I know that you’re considering Jesse Pinkman for the manager role. Jesse is my husband, and so obviously that would be a conflict. In light of that, would it make sense to wait to see how that role is filled first?”

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

1. My comments in an interview might have lost my company a contract

I made a huge mistake in an interview a month ago. I have been working part-time in a restaurant while getting my degree. The restaurant is an awesome place to work, and I have a really good relationship with the owners, who are family friends. They have been really supportive and know that I am looking to transition into my chosen profession.

I interviewed at a really big company three weeks ago. During the interview, they asked what I liked best about my current position, and I talked about how I love that the management at the restaurant want to give people second chances so they work with a nonprofit and employ people who have criminal histories and really try to be an active part of the community. Through the partnership between the restaurant and the nonprofit, the people recently released are reconnected to society and have an outlet that is not part of the patterns that got them into trouble in the first place, and the program they are in really reduces the likelihood they will become a repeat offender by about two-thirds. I thought the company i was interviewing with knew this information and supported it because there was a branch of the restaurant on-site and that is how I developed the connection to get the interview.

Fast forward two weeks… the company is now requiring that any person who works at the location not have a criminal history within the past 7 years, and the restaurant is close to losing their contract as a food vendor. The company that I interviewed with has a great reputation and was known to do a lot of outside work within the community, so I am really confused why they are taking these actions. Should I tell the restaurant what I think happened? I feel horrible and am not sure what I should do.

Tell the restaurant. This isn’t your fault — this surely isn’t a program that they keep hidden; it’s one that they’re rightfully proud of, and the company you interviewed with almost surely could have found out all sorts of other ways if you hadn’t mentioned it. You mentioned it because you were proud of the work and had no reason to think it would cause problems. So tell your restaurant — to clear your conscience because you’re feeling at fault when you’re shouldn’t be, and also so they have a fuller picture of what might have happened.

2. Is this a work assignment or vacation?

I work in a hospital in a specialty position. The good is, I have really good job security and hours. The bad is, I have a difficult time getting time off because there are few who can cover my job. Asking for time off becomes a big deal.

There is an educational seminar I could use to improve my productivity. When I asked 3 months in advance, I was told I would have to use vacation time to attend. I was OK with this. However, now my manager wants me to take notes and give a condensed version for the rest of the staff in my department. Should I at least ask for mileage or ask to not use vacation time since this is now becoming a work assignment?

Either this is vacation time — when you shouldn’t have to do work — or it isn’t, in which case you shouldn’t have to use vacation time. Say something like this to your manager: “I wasn’t clear if you were asking me to do that as a work assignment, since I’m planning to use vacation time while I’m gone. Should I not be using PTO for it and instead treating it as work time?” (However, make sure that your manager was truly assigning you this work, not just casually mentioning that it would be something nice to do if you happen to think of it. Will it be held against you if you don’t? If so, they shouldn’t be making you take time off for it.)

3. Boss keeps calling me by the wrong title

I was hired at my place of employment as an Office Manager. Because of the amount of input I provide to the organization, I asked for a title change to Executive Assistant, which was granted. I feel that my input has been very significant to the organization and I have even contributed to other areas without any additional stipend or bonus. (Also, I might add, I am being paid below what I feel I should be considering my experience and successes. But I take responsibility for accepting the position under the salary condition….)

Recently, at the organization’s annual meeting, my boss, the Executive Director, announced me as the Administrative Assistant, and today at our staff meeting, he announced that it was Administrative Assistant appreciation day to thank me for the good work I do. He took me out to lunch and bought me a lei (I live in Honolulu, and they do that here).

Somehow, it strikes me less as being a compliment, and more of an insult. Am I wrong to feel this way? Why would he decide to change the way I am addressed and not discuss it with me first? So far, no one has discussed this point yet. I was thinking to address it to him directly myself. So, there are two points which seem contradictory, on the one hand, my work is being appreciated, on the other, he has verbally “demoted” me, or is there a more positive way to see this?

Lots of people see office manager, administrative assistant, and executive assistant as being similar or even the same thing — and at many organizations (especially smaller ones), they are. So I think you’re reading far, far more into this than what it really means.

If it really bothers you, you can say to him, “I noticed you’ve been referring to me as an administrative assistant. I know it might not seem like a big deal, but I’d really prefer it if you’d use executive assistant as my title.” But really, many people see very little difference between the titles and I’m sure it’s not meant as an insult. I’d pay far more attention to how he actually treats you, not what titles he uses.

4. Told to use vacation time for the day our office was closed after the Boston marathon bombing

I was told to stay home on the day of the Boston bombing because all businesses had to be closed for safety. Should I be paid for this day and not be forced to use vacation time?

It’s up to your employer. They can require you to use vacation time for closures (same thing for closures due to weather), although it would certainly be a nice gesture if they didn’t in this case.

5. Applying for a job where I don’t know a required computer program

I have a question about job fit. I usually apply for jobs where I fit at least 80% of the job description. Today I came across a job I think would be very interesting and that I am a good fit for. I match all of the requirements except one, which is a computer program I am familiar with but have no experience with. Is it worth addressing in my cover letter (i.e., I am familiar with program x, I do not have any experience but am willing to take my own time in order to get caught up or I am quick learner, etc). If your hiring someone, would you even consider someone who had never used the program before?

I wouldn’t even necessarily address it up-front. Apply and see what they say if it comes up. If you get all the way to an offer without being asked about, you can certainly ask at that stage if it’s an issue. But employers are often flexible on the job requirements they list, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it until/unless they tell you it’s a problem.

6. What is this style of management called?

There is a style of management where a company will purposefully assign a manager/supervisor to a group of workers, knowing the workers despise the manager in order to make them “grow” and mature. What is this called?

Stupidity.

If that’s really the whole story. If, rather, the workers dislike the manager because she holds them to a high bar when they’ve been held to a low one in the past, sometimes it’s called good management. So the details matter.

7. Asking for accrued vacation time to be paid out when leaving a job

Tomorrow is my last day at my current job, as on Monday I start a sparkly new one. My mother has suggested I ask my company to pay me the vacation time I have earned while working there as, at this moment, I have 40 hours of accrued vacation time.

I personally feel this is a bit strange to ask as it makes me slightly uncomfortable. However, as this is the first time I’ve had accrued days at my disposal, is asking to be reimbursed for your unused vacation days when you leave a position a common practice? Is it even legal?

It’s very, very common. Not every company does it, but many do. (And in some states, like California, states are required by state law to pay out accrued vacation time when you leave.) Check your employee handbook; there’s a good chance that this is addressed in there. If it’s not, you can certainly ask. Usually your company will have a policy that they either do or don’t, and it’s completely normal to ask how they handle it.