Ask a Manager

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

1. How can I nicely tell an employee that she needs to be at work more, despite family illness?

I have a valued employee who has had two sick parents over the last year. One had cancer and we allowed the employee extensive time off (30 days in 5 months) to attend chemo and be with her mother in her last weeks. She also has a stepparent who has been very sick over the last year. She has started calling in on a regular basis again to attend tests and go to the hospital.

While I understand the need to spend time with family, I also have to run a business. We have 12 paid days off a year and we approve additional unpaid leave on a case-by-case basis. We have always been flexible, but it has never been this extreme. How to I address the fact that she is neglecting her job without being a jerk?

Say something like, “I know you’ve had a tough year, and I understand why you’ve had to miss a lot of work. However, I can’t approve much more unpaid leave for you this year, since we really need you here. I can let you take a few more unpaid days this year if you end up needing them, but we’re not in a position to approve much more than that, since we need your work covered. I know you’re in a tough spot, though. Is there anything else we can do to make this easier on you?” (For instance, if it’s feasible to give her flexible hours — so she can leave early one afternoon but make it up the next day, for instance — that’s something you might be able to offer that won’t impact her total hours worked in a week but might help her juggle this.)

2. Former manager won’t respond to reference checkers

I am struggling to secure a new position, even after sailing through multiple rounds of interviews, because my previous boss refuses to return the phone calls of potential employers. I do not use her as a reference for this reason, but all employers want to speak with her. She was very nasty to me when I told her I was leaving and now seems to be intentionally sabotaging my future employment. What should I do?

You can’t make her return phone calls — and you probably don’t want her to, since she doesn’t sound likely to give you a glowing reference. But you can warn interviewers about the situation — “My last manager took it very hard when I left, and one way that’s manifested is that she doesn’t seem to be returning reference-checkers’ phone calls.” If you happen to have copies of your performance evaluations from that job (and if they’re excellent), you could offer those up to see if that helps.

3. Casually mentioning other interviews to an employer

I’m asking this on behalf of my friend, who asked for advice about something that happened to her. She had a job interview scheduled for Tuesday of next week and one scheduled for Wednesday of the same week. The woman from the Tuesday interview asked her if she could come in on Wednesday at the same time of her other interview, so my friend told her that she had a job interview that day and that she wasn’t available, but that Thursday and Friday were fine for her. The woman hasn’t replied to her for about a day since then. I told her it’s probably because she’s checking her schedule, but now my friend is freaking out and she thinks that because she told her that she had a job interview on Wednesday, the person from the Tuesday interview doesn’t think she’s as serious as she should be about interviewing for her company. Do you think that could be?

Also, her mom suggested that maybe instead of saying that she had an interview, she should have said that she had a family obligation or some other appointment. I said that saying that you had an interview make her look even more “hire worthy.”

Employers expect that you’ll be interviewing with other places; it’s normal. However, it’s true that “I can’t meet then because I have an interview” is a little more information than they need. It’s sort of akin to if you’d been on a couple of dates with someone, asked them out for Saturday, and heard, “I have a date then, but how about Sunday?” Even if you had been assuming you weren’t exclusive, it still sounds a little weird. In both cases, for whatever reason, the convention is to be discreet.

Your friend could have simply said, “I’m not available Wednesday, but I’m free later in the week.” No details about why are necessary.

4. Can I ever live down mistakes I made at work years ago?

I have been at my current job for seven years now. About six years ago, I almost lost my job because I was making too many mistakes. I made them because I was too busy and didn’t have the time to give full effort to my work. Quite frankly, I was overworked. My boss would get furious with me and wouldn’t speak to me for weeks. I think the only reason I did not get fired was because I am such a hard worker. I put out huge amounts of work. Hiring someone and training them was just too daunting an undertaking.

But I feel like this “mistake period” has ruined my reputation because I still work with all those same people and they remember. This past “mistake cloud” still hangs over my head. And now every time I make even the smallest mistake, my past is relived in my boss’s eyes. I also know that my boss tells every new person that comes to work here about my past. I know she shouldn’t do it, but she does.

How should I handle this past period in my career? I want to do something to stop the power it continues to inflict upon me. Should I bring it up and talk about it openly whereby dissipating its power? Or just continue as I have been hoping everyone eventually forgets as I prove myself with my current performance?

It’s time to go somewhere else. You have a reputation here that’s always going to be attached to you in your boss’s eyes. After seven years, it’s reasonable to be moving on anywhere, so go somewhere where you won’t have this albatross around your neck. (And if that alone isn’t enough reason to leave, your terrible boss is a second reason — not speaking to you for weeks and telling people about your mistakes six years ago is ridiculous behavior.) Go somewhere where you won’t be saddled with this.

5. Dinged for not being social enough with upper management

I’ve been working at one of large accounting/consulting firms for a little over a year now and on my recent performance review I was dinged for not being social enough with the upper management team. This was defined as not taking an active role in organizing social events for the department, which I might add are sparsely attended by upper management in the first place. As a result of this, the upper management team feels like they don’t know me and therefore my overall rating should be a level lower than presented. My performance in terms of actual work and relationships with clients was deemed to be of strong quality.

Am I naive to think this type of feedback is silly? All of this seems a bit political. I must also add that those who are organizing these types of events are viewed in better light by management regardless of performance. I know this because some have failed to obtain industry certifications only to have it laughed off while others are questioned as to why they could not make the commitment required to pass.

Yes, it’s silly, but what they’re telling you is that this is part of what’s valued there. And it’s actually true that after a certain point in your career, you do need some visibility with upper management in order to be recognized and get better opportunities; that’s just part of how this stuff works at most places. But it’s not reasonable to tell you that you have to do this by organizing social events; there should be plenty of other ways to achieve it (and I wonder if your boss is just bad at communicating the many other ways to achieve this). In any case, take this as information about what it takes to succeed in your current company, and decide if it’s something you’re interested in pursuing or not.

6. Telling a recruiter I’m more interested in the job I applied for than the second one proposed

I applied on a company’s website for an open position that, as described, is tailor made for my experience and qualifications. Less than 12 hours later, I got a call from one of the company’s recruiters, who wanted to talk to me about an opening. We talked for a bit and it didn’t sound exactly like the job I applied for, but I thought to myself that maybe I’d just missed a few things in the description.

Turns out it’s not the same job I applied for. This job is, to be honest, something I’m not really interested in because it involves field work and more people to people contact than I prefer. Not to mention that I don’t meet some of the requirements in the posting.

The recruiter said she’d send my resume to the hiring manager, who may or may not want to see me. Is there any way I can tell the recruiter that I’m really more interested in the other position?

The other position may not exist. It’s really common for recruiting companies to advertise for positions that aren’t actually available, in order to build a database of candidates. You can certainly tell the recruiter that you’re not really interested in this position and you’d like to be considered for the other, but be prepared to find out that the other one isn’t available.

7. Mentioning a beer brewing hobby on your resume

I’m writing a resume to apply for operations at a nuclear power plant. Obviously a pretty technical position. Would beer brewing be an appropriate hobby to post? I see it as a technical hobby, but I worry because beer can have a negative stereotype.

Sure, I don’t see any harm in that. Sure, you might run into someone who has an issue with beer, but you’re just as likely to run into someone who randomly has an issue with your school or some other element of your resume.

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

1. How long should I wait for a raise?

About 4 months ago, I scheduled a meeting with my boss to discuss my salary after finding out that I am greatly underpaid (by about 25%) according to multiple market resources as well as my employer’s salary structure (currently being paid at the minimum of my job grade’s range). I have been with this company for about 4 years now since getting my undergrad degree. About 2 years ago, I accepted an internal position of a higher job grade and have received “exceeds expectations” on all of my annual performance reviews with the company. During my employment, I also completed an MBA degree from a highly respected university. My boss constantly praises how great of an addition I have been by bringing valuable knowledge and resources from my prior position that did not exist in the group before. He has also said how the group has now been able to take on a substantial amount of added work and responsibility because I have been a “huge upgrade” to the position.

In our meeting, I laid everything out in front of my boss, including my performance reviews, the added-values I bring to the team, and the sources showing that my salary is not even in the 10th percentile of peers similar to myself. He said he agreed with everything that I presented and that he would try and get my salary more in-line with where it should be. I have remained patient and not brought the issue up since, but he has mentioned on two separate occasions that he’s still working on it. I’m wondering if it’s time to move on to a different company or not. I love my current job, but I’m concerned about whether or not I can realistically expect to ever get my salary in-line with what market data suggests if I stay with this company; I can’t really expect a 25% salary increase, can I? And does this process generally take this long or am I just being dragged along?

My first thought is that I should go out and interview elsewhere at the very least to get a written offer to see if my company will match it. At the same time though, I don’t want to go through that hassle and use another company that I have no real intentions on joining just to show prove my point.

Start job searching. If you find something you prefer, you can take it. If you don’t, you’re no worse off than you are now. But meanwhile, yes, follow up with your boss and ask for a timeline for getting this addressed.

But don’t plan on taking an outside offer to your boss for a counteroffer, not unless you’re prepared to be told to take it (or to be retained but then pushed out in the following year, which often happens with counteroffers).

2. Getting my employer to cover a $100,000 executive MBA program

I work for an arms-length government body in Canada and my employer has an education policy where they agree to pay for any related post-secondary education, provided the employee signs an agreement to stay on for 1 month for every $1,000 paid. I’m looking at an executive MBA program that allows you to work while in school and costs $100,000 for the 17-month program. However, if my employer pays, this would be an 8-year commitment after the program. This is a fair bit of time to commit to my organization! I’ve only been here one year but I just received excellent performance reviews, so I feel that I would be able to get this approved.

Would having an exec MBA be worth guaranteeing my current employer over eight additional years of work? While I enjoy the job very much right now, I know this may not always be the case. If you have any insight into additional factors I should consider, that would be appreciated.

No. You never want to be stuck anywhere for eight years or face having to pay back tens of thousands of dollars. But it might be moot because I’m skeptical that a government agency will pay $100,000 for your education (it certainly shouldn’t — there’s no way to justify that to taxpayers); check to see if there’s a limit on what they’ll pay. Your alternatives would be to pay more of it yourself — but that’s if you do it at all. I’m generally skeptical of the value of these programs, particularly at that price.

3. How can I turn down a job at a place I might want to work in the future?

Even though I am happy in my current position, I recently interviewed and was offered a job at a competitor company for the exact same job and title as my current one. I only applied to the new place because the requirements for the position matched my resume perfectly, the company was less than 2 miles away from my house, and I thought I could get a somewhat larger salary. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do the exact same work, for a much shorter commute.

The problem, though, is that the salary range is only $1,000 more than my current salary, and they probably aren’t going to negotiate with me. I definitely would love to work at this place, but I’m very motivated and driven, and after learning that there would be a tiny salary increase, I decided that it doesn’t make sense for me to take this position. I feel like it would hurt my career to make this lateral move, especially because I have already invested a year’s worth of time into my current position and might get promoted soon since the senior analyst post above me is empty, and the title will be mine whenever my boss deems fit.

How do I decline the offer without burning bridges? Do I tell them the truth, that this lateral move doesn’t make sense for my career path? Or do I give them some fake, diplomatic answer? There aren’t that many companies to work for in my industry (only 4), and this truly is a company I could see myself working for, later down the road when I am a manager or higher. How do I leave on good terms with them, so maybe if I re-applied for a higher position in the same department, they don’t remember me as the person who turned down their offer?

First, it’s always fine to turn down an offer if you decide it’s not to you. The only time it should cause bad blood with a company is if you appear to have been interviewing with no real likelihood of considering an offer or in order to get a counter-offer from your current company. But turning it down over salary is entirely legitimate. You can simply explain that you’d need to significantly larger increase in order to make a move so it won’t work out this time, but that you really enjoyed getting to know them and hope you might talk in the future.

4. How should I answer this employer’s question about a car?

I’ve applied for what looks to be my dream job. I had a great interview, followed up with personalized, handwritten notes to each person I spoke to, and a friend who works for the company said that they really like me for the position. Problem is, it’s a new position for the company (it’s growing) and they are rearranging the requirements for the position.

The HR manager emailed me this last evening: ”Thank you for your patience with our hiring process. As you know, this is a first time hire for us and we have been carefully evaluating and re-evaluating the responsibilities of the position. In all honesty, we have been struggling with the concept of this position. We thoroughly enjoyed your energy, enthusiasm and even the old school touches of your hand-written thank you notes. However, we have increasing concerns that the person in this role will need to have access to their own vehicle at all times. We understand that such a requirement can be an imposition to some of our most qualified candidates, but we wanted to give you the opportunity to decide whether or not this requirement was a dealbreaker for you. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you might have. We would be happy to know your thoughts on this subject. We look forward to hearing from you soon!”

I live in a major U.S. city where it’s a hindrance to have a car, so I do not own one. I want this job so badly, but don’t know how to ask for them to keep those extra expenses in mind if the make me a salary offer. Should I mention it at all? What’s the best way to respond?

Well, you never want to start negotiating salary before you have an offer, let alone give them a reason to favor someone else (perhaps someone with a car) over you before they’ve made a decision. So at this stage your answer should only be about whether the car will be a sticking point for you, not about money.

If you’re open to buying a car if you get the position, then ideally you’d say, “I’m actually planning on buying a car in the near future, so this won’t be a problem for me.” That makes it a non-issue as they consider you for the role — because you don’t even sound like you’d be buying one just for this job (something that will make some employers uneasy), but that it’s already about to happen anyway. However, that takes away any power to negotiate more money based on the car requirement, since you’re saying you’d be getting one anyway.

So if the only way you’ll buy a car is if you get a higher salary than you otherwise would have required, then you can say, “I wouldn’t have any objection to buying a car if I were to be hired for the position” — and then you can try to negotiate for more money at the offer stage.

5. Do you have to be paid for your time in pre-employment training?

My husband was laid off a few months ago and recently received an offer to work for one of his previous employer’s competitors. I have a question about the new employer’s new hire process.

My husband is scheduled to start on May 28. However, this week he has been signing papers, completing fingerprinting and drug testing, etc. Earlier this week he completed a 40-minute information protection training for the company. This information protection training is something that is normally done on the clock (his old employer has the same training annually and all employees are required to complete it). Should he be compensated for the training?

If your husband were already an employee there, federal law would require that he be paid for mandatory training time. But because he’s not yet an employee, it’s different; pre-employment training generally isn’t covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, as long as the employer isn’t deriving immediate economic advantage from the trainees’ activities (for example, they can’t be waiting on customers or producing real work during unpaid training). The training you described sounds like it falls under this category, and thus he isn’t legally entitled to pay for that time.

6. Asking to push back a start date

What is your opinion on asking to push back a start date you supplied thinking that you would have time to move to the company’s location? I gave myself 3 weeks to find a place and move to location (which is approximately 3 hours from my present location). I found a place with a week and a half to remain, but am finding it hard to find a moving company that is able to move me with this notice. I was able to do a similar move a while back, but my parents were able to assist me, which it seems they wont be able to this time. What would you think if someone asked you to move the start date back after they agreed to the earlier one?

It depends on what signals you’ve been getting from the new company, and how far you want to push it back by. If they seemed very flexible on the start date when it was originally discussed, then I think it’s okay to ask if you can push it back by 1-2 weeks (probably not longer though), while making it clear that you’ll find a way to make it work if it will pose a major inconvenience for them. You could say something like, “While I’ve found a place, I’m having trouble finding movers to work within this timeframe. Would it be a problem to push my start date back by one week? If so, I’ll figure out a way to make this work.”

One option, though, would be to stick to your original start date and simply go back and move your stuff a couple of weeks later when movers are available.

7. Fired after working all day

Can my boss allow me to work all day, then fire me?

Yes, but you need to be paid for the day you worked.

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

1. What relocation expenses do companies typically pay?

I have a question about relocating for a job. What is customary for the employer to offer when an offer is made? I’ve had 3 phone interviews with a large, publically traded company, and now they want to meet me in person. We’ve confirmed the date and I’m just waiting for travel details. My question is, should I bring my husband with me (my expense), to check out the city? I’m worried that if they offer me the job, I can’t really accept until my husband and I check out the city. My interview is on a Monday, so I thought we’d fly there on Saturday and spend the weekend, then have my interview on Monday (while my husband contines to scope out the city).

A few friends have told me that if they make me an offer, the company should fly us both back to the city to check things out. But I think that’s a pretty big expense for someone who hasn’t even accepted an offer. Also, if I accept the offer, would they then pay my travel expenses trying to find a new place to live? I’m pretty confident they’d pay to relocate me (movers, etc.) but I’m wondering about travel expenses for a weekend while we try to find a place to live? I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed at the thought of relocating and all of these little details (like who pays for what) are making me dizzy. Anything you or your readers can clue me in on would be very much appreciated.

It varies widely by company. Some won’t offer relocation at all, some will offer a relative small amount, and some will offer amounts all the way up to “substantial,” including flying you and your spouse out to look at neighborhoods and housing. Sometimes it also varies by how senior the job is.

If you’re in touch with an HR person there, you could certainly ask them about their relocation policy (not detailed questions at this stage — just for basic info on it); that may or may not tell you what you want to know. But absent definite information on this, I’d say that if you can afford to bring your husband out with you now, do it, because there’s no guarantee that the company will pay for that if they do make you an offer.

2. How to tell my team that their raises will be tiny, despite their hard work

I manage a team of 12 IT staff. Over the last year, we were responsible for an extremely large project working long and hard hours. The cost savings to the company was supposed to be in the millions. We sang the typical tune, as instructed by HR, to demand everyone to work more efficiently and put staff on performance plans if they only met the status quo . Well, now it’s time for pay raises and was told I am being given $5,000 to split between the 12 staff. This is completely demoralizing. How do I communicate this when doing performance reviews?

(I can’t really push back on it because the “pot” is final. I’ve tried to ask HR for guidance on how to communicate this. Some staff already see through this that working harder to get a better rating has no bearing on salary raises.)

I wouldn’t try to shield your staff from the knowledge that they’re working for a company that will work them to the bone and not reward them. That’s information they need to have in order to properly manage their careers — which for many of them will hopefully mean going to a company that values them and shows it. (That’s not a reflection on you as a manager — it’s a reflection on your company.)

I hope you’ll tell someone in a position to do something about it what the impact will be on your ability to motivate and retain your team in the future.

3. Does an employer need to pay you for time spent waiting to start work?

My son works for a service company as a tech assistant or helper. He is required to arrive at the office at 7 am. There may be a several hour delay before a “job” starts. Is it legal for the employer not to pay him an hourly rate during this time when he must stay on site?

Nope. If he’s required to be at work, they’re required to pay him for it. (Assuming he’s non-exempt, of course. If he’s exempt, he’s getting the same salary regardless of how many hours he’s there.)

4. Writing a cover letter when a job has 25 requirements and qualifications

I’m applying for a position as an academic librarian. I think I am well-qualified for the position in many ways and I really want this specific job, but I’m stymied over what to put in my cover letter.There are at least 25 separate things between the job responsibilities and required and preferred qualifications. I have read that a cover letter should use that language of the job ad and speak to these duties and qualifications, but at the same time not restate what’s on a resume, and that I shouldn’t just try to say everything I’ve done. So I don’t know what to do. Do I use bullet points and describe an accomplishment for each and every job responsibility and qualification? Pick a few that I think I have an especially good story for and write that? I’m not worried about writing a two-page letter. I sometimes think that the advice for one-page cover letters is for people with little background or experience, which is not me. Still, I don’t want to cut myself out of competition by trying to address each and every item? Or maybe I should do that. What do you think?

Well, first, please stick to one page. I’m a huge fan of cover letters, but even I don’t want to read more than one page, in all but the rarest circumstances. It’s absolutely not true that simply having more experience means you can write two pages. You risk it not being read at all.

Anyway, you don’t need to address every requirement in your cover letter, and sticking to that formula will produce an awful letter anyway. Just talk about why you’d be good at that job.

5. How can I assure employers that my freelance work won’t interfere with a full-time job?

I have a question about side/part time jobs. I have been out of school for 2 years, and I have been trying to land my first full-time permanent position. I have had 3 contract positions with great companies since that time. Last year, a family friend asked me to do some freelance work for them. I took the work because I was in between positions. It has since turned into a couple of clients and a regular paying situation that I do in addition to searching for a full-time job.

When I am interviewing, how do I highlight/present the work I have done without sending messages like this would come first over a full-time position or making potential employers feel like I couldn’t handle both? I am proud of the work that I do and the fact that I was able to create work for myself in a tough economy, but I don’t want employers to view me as already employed. I haven’t found the right balance when interviewing. Right now I work on it roughly 30 hours a week because I have the time, but I could cut it down to 10 hours and just do nights and weekends if the right job presented itself (and I would stop it altogether if I had to for a long-term position where I thought I could stay and grow).

Many employers will simply assume that you’ll stop the side work if you get a full-time position. Those that aren’t assuming it will ask you, and at that point, you can explain that you plan to cut back to a manageable X hours when you get a full-time job, or that you can end it altogether if necessary for the position.

6. Using a local address that isn’t really yours when applying long-distance

I have a question about trying to relocate and finding a job in the new area before the move. Currently, I am attempting to move across the country (to be closer to family, friends, and boyfriend) but I am trying to ensure I have a job before I move. I haven’t had a lot of luck so far, just a few nibbles, and I was wondering your opinion of some old advice I remember — put the address of a friend in the area you want to make yourself seem more local. This seems dishonest to me, but I was wondering your take. I am planning to move as soon as I have an accepted job offer and I don’t need relocation assistance.

Yes, do it. Many out-of-town candidates use the local address of family or friends who live in the area. But be prepared to explain when you’re called and invited to come in for an interview “tomorrow.”

Job searching long-distance can be hard to impossible in this market, so you want to do whatever you can to minimize that disadvantage.

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

1. My employer found out that I posted my resume on a job board

Yesterday my manager told me that our head of HR had received an alert that I updated my resume on Monster.com. It’s true, I did, I’ve been looking around at jobs for over a year now and before this person was my manager I had vented to her about work and mentioned looking for a new job probably more than once in the last year. We’ve had many layoffs, workloads are crazy here, so she said obviously she understands but reiterated that she values me here, etc. The Director above my manager was also alerted by HR about this and she has a tendency to be pretty moody and hard to deal with if you do something to upset her. What do I say if she brings it up to me too? I don’t want to lie and say it was a mistake and that I’m not looking because I am. But I’m also not taking a new job any time soon, I just like to keep my eyes open which I think a lot of people at my company are doing. How should I respond if the director mentions this to me?

“I very much want to stay here, but with the recent layoffs, it seemed irresponsible not to ensure my resume was out there. But I hope to remain here for the long-term.”

2. I used to work at a grocery store, and now I’m applying to their corporate offices

I worked for a major grocery chain when I was in high school, and am now applying for a job at one of their corporate offices years later. This position wouldn’t have much to do with the stores, so my experience as a teen isn’t really relevant, but I’m wondering if there’s a way to spin it into an asset or anecdote in my application.

Yes! Definitely mention it. It’s not going to get you the job on its own, but it’s the kind of things that can grab their attention and provide fodder for conversation in your interview. I’d say something like, “I loved working at ABC as a cashier during high school, and would be thrilled to return now in a different capacity.”

3. I can’t access my email address, and I’m job-hunting

A few weeks ago, I lost access to the email address on my resume, and it now no longer exists (as in, when you send an email to it, it bounces back). I have applied to several jobs in which I cannot change the email address on file as I applied via email to the job (rather than through a login/password site). I have not heard back from the company, and the job is still listed on the website. Do you suggest I send a follow up email, saying I lost access to the email address on file and here is my new email address? Or do you suggest I move on, as my phone number will suffice if HR chooses to reach out to me?

Yes, send a follow-up email — just two sentences to explain the situation and give the correct address. Some employers will append it to your application, and other won’t, but you won’t lose anything by trying with them all.

4. My boss is giving rejected job applicants questionable advice

At my current position, we are hiring a new member of staff. When someone comes in for a face-to-face interview, we always give them really detailed feedback — whether they get the job or not. With one rejected applicant, my manager told her that she should call up the receptionist for the company she is applying for, and ask them to give them information about all of the different departments and what they do so that she is better prepared for the interview. I think this is odd and I think they should find other ways to get the information rather than calling a receptionist. How do you feel about this?

Yes, it’s terrible advice. At many organizations, that would get the person kicked out of the running.

Your manager should stop giving applicants feedback, because if this is representative of her advice, she’s harming them, not helping them.

5. How can I tell my manager I want a more positive work environment?

I’ve been at my new job for almost 6 months, and from day one it has been a negative environment. It seems like everyone is unhappy, openly disrespectful and at the beginning the way I was learning people’s names was through hearing negative things said about them. I expressed my surprise and disappointment about this within in the first two weeks of being there to the executive when I was asked directly about this. So I’ve been very upfront about this and have maintained an almost Pollyanna optimistic demeanor for 6 months now.

However, after 6 months, I am feeling extremely worn down and broken-spirited over my job, and the negativity is really crossing my professional boundaries. We work in an organization that helps people and is a worthy cause that I want to be passionate about, but the work environment is eclipsing the cause. I already scheduled a meeting with my direct supervisor to talk about it, but as a manager how would you like to be approached about this? I don’t want to give ultimatums about this needing to change or I’ll leave, but that is in fact something I’m strongly considering. I’d like a commitment from him to shut down overtly negative conversations and foster a more positive, respectful environment. What are some viable solutions I can come to the table with?

Well, if this is the culture there, this is the culture there. I agree with you that it sounds awful, but if it’s this entrenched, one person objecting to it isn’t likely to change much. You can certainly discuss your concerns with your manager, and it’s good for the organization’s management to hear this kind of feedback, but I think it’s pretty unlikely that one person complaining — and a new person, at that — is going to convince your manager to commit to shutting this stuff down.

6. Should interviewers ask to see candidates’ performance evaluations?

What are your thoughts on interviewers asking candidates to share past performance reviews? Creepy and intrusive, reasonable, or borderline? This happened in my current search and I could have sworn you’d addressed it before, but I’m not seeing it in the archives!

I think I’ve addressed offering past evaluations as a candidate (fine to do), but not asking for them as an employer. I don’t think it’s a reasonable request in most cases; some companies consider them confidential documents, some don’t do them at all, or at least not in writing, and some — many — do such a terrible job of them that they’re not going to be useful, at least not without a ton of context. The only time where I’d consider asking for it is if I couldn’t contact the candidate’s most recent employer for some reason (if they’d died or otherwise become unreachable), and then I wouldn’t require it, only suggest it as a possible way for the candidate to better flesh out my understanding of her work history.

7. Can I refuse to leave my shift early?

I’m a cashier at a local grocery store, and lately my managers have been cutting my shifts short. I am only a part-time worker, meaning my weekly paycheck is about 65 bucks. This week, 3 hours have been cut from my check as a result of being dismissed an hour early each day. This takes a significant amount from my check and isn’t even enough for the week’s worth of gas.

One day, I mentioned something to a coworker about it to see if I was the only one and take concern. She agreed that I shouldn’t be relieved that early when most cashiers work their full shift. She mentioned something about refusing to end my shift until the scheduled time was fulfilled. I have talked to a few of the managers about getting more hours, but nothing has been done yet. So my question is, do I have the right to refuse leaving early? And is there anything else you recommend?

No, you can’t. You can talk to your manager and express your strong preference to work your full shift, but if it’s their prerogative to send you home early if they want to. It’s also your prerogative to look for another job if you’re not getting enough hours at this one.

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

1. Contacting an HR director through Facebook

Is it rude to contact the HR director through Facebook? I’ve been job hunting for months with not one single interview in sight, so I’m getting pretty frustrated. I thought about changing my tactics and doing a little bit of self promo without being invasive, so I researched hiring managers and HR directors.

There is this amazing company that has a job I think I’ll be perfect for, but I don’t want to fall into the pile of garbage again. I found who the HR director is, and I was able to find his Facebook page. I was thinking of sending him a message there telling him that I know they are hiring and I’d love to provide him with my resume if he’ll allow me, but would he be insulted by that or would he consider this approach a “go-getter” asset?

Don’t do that. Facebook isn’t a professional network; it’s a personal one that most people don’t use for work, and many people are annoyed to get job-related emails there. You could certainly try contacting him via LinkedIn since that actually IS a professional network, but a better strategy would be to forget that altogether and instead work on putting together a better resume and cover letter, since those are the usual culprits when someone isn’t getting interviews. For help with that, read this.

2. I’m not getting any direction in my new job

I just started a new job as a product manager for a start-up internet company. Since I’ve started, I have had no real assignments or tasks. On several occasions, I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with my own projects (research and document findings, map out a workflow, and develop mockup drawings) and have sent them to my manager. Each time this happens, she thanks me for sending, and tells me that it’s helpful in a polite “you’re new” kind of way. After that, I don’t get any further direction, feedback, or follow up from these mini-projects, nor am I given direction to do anything else. It’s been three weeks of simply sitting at my desk, mostly surfing the internet, and it’s killing me! Is there a way for me to ask for something to do without sounding like I need her to hand hold me? She’s an entrepreneur type, and has mentioned to me that she doesn’t like to micromanage.

Ask for broad goals. Ask her what a successful three months / six months / year would look like in the position. What should you achieve in the next quarter? If she won’t or can’t tell you that, there are bigger problems there.

3. When should I follow up on this promising communication?

I have had two in-person interviews with a consulting company. I have been told by HR that I “killed” on them. I had a third phone interview with a senior VP on May 10th and it went great. Last Friday, I had not yet heard anything, so I called my HR contact to see if they needed anything else from me, and she told me, “You must be clairvoyant, I’ve been emailing about you all morning.” She said it was all good things and they are “finalizing things with the client” and an HR VP “will call you next week.” As of today, I have yet to receive a call. I am just curious as to what may be going on. Should I follow up at all, and if so, when?

She said someone would contact you this week, so wait for this week to be fully over before you follow up again. Otherwise, you’re being pushy — the timeline she gave you hasn’t passed yet. If you don’t hear anything this week, it’s fine to check back with her next week — but even then, I’d give them a bit of a buffer and contact her Tuesday or Wednesday, not Monday. And remember, if they want to hire you, they’re not going to forget to — it’s not like you need to remind them that you exist.

4. Is it legal to fire me for not meeting all the job’s qualifications, when they knew that when they hired me?

If a company hires you, knowing full well that you don’t meet every requirement for the position (your license is different than the one required), can they then come back and fire you for not meeting all of the requirements?

I was hired by a company that doesn’t accept a barber’s license. I have worked there over a year, but now they may fire me because I don’t have a cosmetology license. They recruited me, recieved a copy of my barber’s license, and hired me. Now a separate employee problem with a different employee has them putting me on admin leave (I’m a manager) with the threat that they may have to fire me because of the requirement of a cosmetology liscence. Is this legal? They knew about and verified the barber’s license.

Yes, it’s legal. it’s unfair, certainly, and you could and should try pushing back — pointing out that they knew about it when they hired you and that you’ve done an excellent job for them for more than a year, with excellent reviews (which is hopefully true). But if they ultimately won’t budge, that’s their prerogative.

5. How can I get a raise from a company that hasn’t given me one in eight years?

I have worked for a Fortune 500 corporation for 8 years. Due to the economic downturn, I accepted a lower starting wage, believing that as the economy improved, so would my wages. But I am still at the same ranking and wage as when I started, despite acquiring a company certification (3-year process) and advancing to my current position, 2 ranks above. I work long hours and do the work of my superiors, who shirk their duties but somehow manage to get promoted. Twice I have been strung along by managers that have jumped ship before coming through on the promises made as they increased my duties. Now is the time of year when decisions for promotion are made, and I currently have no manager to represent me in the executive meeting where promotions are decided. I am my family’s sole source of income and insurance and need my job, but how can I get the proper compensation without risking everything?

You can certainly make the case for a raise to whoever you’re reporting to, but ultimately, you’ll need to believe what the company is telling you through their actions — if they’re not promoting you and increasing your salary after eight years, there’s not much reason to believe they’ll do it anytime soon. Why not look for another job rather than putting all your eggs in this basket?

6. Who should I send my resignation to?

I’m unsure about whether to send my written notice to my manager’s email, or my company’s email. Which one should I do?

Neither. Talk to your manager in person. You should never let the first news of your resignation be a formal resignation letter; you talk in person with your boss first. (And even then, you often don’t need a resignation letter; you only need one if the company requests one.)

7. Following up with a company that I might not be interested in

How do I handle following up with a company I may not be interested in? I met several potential employers at a career fair at my university that was only open to alumni/students. I met some great people and companies and am excited for a career change this summer. I met a software company that does training for local governments such as police/fire/EMTs, etc. Having worked in public sector for 10+ years (including with police/fire), as well as having experience in facilitating, I thought it may be a good match. The recruiter asked for my resume and I happily gave it to her. We discussed the position some more and it was revealed that the position requires travel about 80% of the time around the country to do training for cities. I didn’t realize this when I handed over my resume and wasn’t going to ask for it back. I just received a phone call today about a possible interview with the person I met at the career fair.

I will return the call, as that is my professional nature. I am just unsure how to proceed. Do I at least go to an interview to learn more and then during the interview process reveal I am not interested in traveling that much? I am all about being open-minded and hearing what an employer has to offer. But I do know that my family and I truly value our dinners at home with small children. I know many people do this on a regular basis. I guess I was just caught off guard by this. Traveling once a month or so is fine. But Monday-Thursday every week really doesn’t appeal to me. Advice on how to proceed or handle?

Return the call, and when they ask you to come in for an interview, say, “I’d love to talk about working with you, but when I spoke with Jane, she mentioned that the position is 80% travel. I’m not able to travel that much. Is it a requirement of the position?” If they say yes, then you can explain that this probably isn’t the right fit but that you’d love to be kept in mind for future openings.

What you don’t want to do is go to the interview and then mention this — because since you were told earlier, they’re likely to be annoyed that you wasted their time if this was already a deal-breaker for you.