Ask a Manager

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

1. Did my boss reject me just so she could hire a friend?

Late last year, my manager “Sarah” was promoted to my grand-manager. Since her role was now available, my same-job colleague “Jake” and I had a frank conversation where we confirmed we were both going for the position and assured each other that we’d be good sports and happy for the other if one of us was promoted over the other (true!).

I interviewed on a Friday and thought it went as well as it could have on my part. One of my questions was whether the interviewers had any concerns about my candidacy I could address. Sarah answered on behalf of the panel, stating that my lack of management experience was her main concern. She said that since she was still learning her new role, she didn’t want to be teaching her new direct report how to manage along with teaching them her old job. I summarized everything I’d done to prepare myself for management — supervising volunteers, training junior staff members, leading projects, and one-on-one coaching from a prior manager specifically geared towards preparing me for a management role. The interview ended on good terms.

The following Monday morning, Sarah came to me to tell me my application had been unsuccessful. She gave me feedback that was mainly very positive, with only some very minor negative points. I left the meeting feeling like there wasn’t a whole lot I could work on, except perhaps my manager’s suggestion that I pursue a formal management certification to strengthen my application.

Jake and I talked, and he also received a rejection with the same “no management experience” feedback. Well, then the successful applicant was announced, and … wow. Prior to Jake and I, “Fran” had held one of our two positions, and she was now coming back. Seems fine on the surface, except Jake and I know her job history and she also has no management experience. She’s also a friend of Sarah’s.

I feel really weird about this. I’ve talked to Jake, some professional contacts, and some friends, and today I spoke to the ex-manager who had put so much time and effort into helping me to advance in my last role. While everyone I’ve spoken to has validated my feelings, I’ve worried that maybe I’m spinning the story in my favor, or maybe Fran has management experience I don’t know about — but that conversation with my ex-manager cinched it. The moment I told her who it was, she gasped, and when I gave her the details she was adamant that this was capital-H-Hinky. She used the phrase “major conflict of interest.”

Does this seem off to you? I know hiring a friend should be a no-no, but is it okay because she held my job for three years and has a proven track record? We’re a small industry, lots of us know each other well, and I’ve formed several strong friendships myself. Turning Jake and I down with the same excuse, but Fran apparently not having it either … if it turns out she does it’s a non-issue, but if it comes up when she starts in the role that she doesn’t, I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to keep a straight face.

My therapist has suggested that I could contact the HR representative who was on my interview panel, but I don’t know how I’d possibly phrase, “Did you know Sarah and Fran are friends? Did you OK this hire?” I also don’t know if it would be worth it at this point, as they’re not going to un-hire Fran and it has a high possibility of torpedoing my relationship with Sarah if it gets back to her that I’m questioning it. That said, my faith in Sarah is permanently stained by this. I don’t trust her decision-making anymore, and it’s really upsetting me that I feel this way. I would prefer to stay in this role than pursue another employer, due to excellent benefits, pay, and a wonderful wider team, so leaving isn’t an option I’m going to take just yet — but who knows.

If it turns out to be true that Fran has no management experience, then yes, this is very hinky. Even in small industries, the bar for hiring a friend should be very high; it has to be clear that the hire is obviously the best qualified person for the job so that it doesn’t raise exactly the kinds of feelings you’re grappling with right now … and even then, it’s fraught with problems. Of course, it’s possible that Fran has some other skill or experience that makes her the best candidate even without management experience and that Sarah’s mistake wasn’t in hiring her but in leaving you and Jake with the impression that management experience was the deciding factor when it was actually about something else. That’s a pretty significant mistake if so, but it would at least change things a bit.

I do think you should speak with HR. I’d say it this way: “Jake and I were both told that our lack of management experience was the reason we didn’t get the X role. I’ve since heard Fran doesn’t have management experience either. If I’m wrong and she does, this is a non-issue — but if she also lacks the experience that we were told we needed, I have real concerns about what happened. Fran and Sarah are personal friends, and if Fran doesn’t have the experience that Jake and I both told was the deciding factor, it raises the question for me of whether that personal relationship played an inappropriate role in the hire.” Yes, it’s unlikely that Fran will be un-hired at this point — but there could be other useful outcomes, like Sarah’s management of your team getting more scrutiny and oversight and/or stronger efforts to support your and Jake’s aspirations at the company.

2. My employee basically lives in her cubicle

I work at a research university, and I have an employee who I recently learned is using her work space after hours. This employee lives across the street from our offices and insists on working five days a week in office, despite a pretty liberal remote/ hybrid option. Her cubicle is very lived in — dry cleaning hanging on the wall, grocery bags of unopened food, many pairs of shoes, luggage, etc. It is neat but clearly an odd sight to the passerby. I have addressed the state of her cubicle a few times. All of this was odd and definitely raised a flag for me.

One of her coworkers shared with me that this employee does not have internet at home and prefers to come in after hours and use her cubicle (and the campus wifi) for anything she can’t do on her phone. In fact, she used to be able to get campus wifi in her apartment but during the pandemic the system was updated and does not reach that far.

I am not sure how to address this — there appears to be no policy stopping this. Folks are given 24-hour access and while it is uncommon for staff to be here in their cubicles at night, faculty do it all the time. While she may be watching videos or shopping, there appears to be no violation of our cyber security policy. While I don’t know her unique finances, her salary is at a point where I would usually assume she could afford internet at home. Is this something worth addressing or am I overthinking this?

My biggest concern is safety ramifications — if something happens at night, does anyone know she’s in there? But if people are given 24-hour access to the building and others are there occasionally, that may already be covered. Beyond that, I’d put this in the category of odd but not actionable. (That said, I do think it’s reasonable for you to say that her office can’t be an overflow storage area for her home. She can’t routinely use her office to store things that would normally be stored at home, like luggage. It’s an office, not a storage unit or an offshoot of her apartment.)

3. Should I hire an assistant manager who stirs up drama?

I’ve been promoted to the head of my smallish department. All good so far. My dilemma is that I now have to hire an assistant head of the department. The person who is the strongest internal candidate has really stepped up in the last few months but has a history of stirring the pot. Think petty interpersonal conflicts and gossip. For various reasons, external candidates may not be an option. No one else on the team has demonstrated the skills required for the job. The optimist in me wants to believe this person can change based on what they’ve shown in the past few months. The pessimist says there is no way I’ll be able to trust them to have my back. None of the other candidates have stepped up the way this person has though. What do you think?

Absolutely do not hire someone with a history of petty interpersonal conflicts, at least not if that history is relatively recent. I’d even consider going without anyone in the role if that were the only alternative, and would be willing to explain to the person why. People in leadership roles need to minimize drama, not cause it.

4. Should I warn my employer about the checkered past of the company offering us a large contract?

Several years back I worked for a year with company A, who had a solid product but some awful business practices. Plenty of small but not likely illegal things, like padding client charges and cutting corners on products. But they also had a history of running up debt with their vendors, making impossible and ever changing demands, and then refusing to pay the bill. I was in an entry-level position and had a limited view of all the details – but it seemed like their team of lawyers and accountants were always in a battle with someone (which was often discussed loudly in the office).

I did not leave on the best terms, but since we are a small industry I’ve done my best to remain neutral towards them if they happen to come up. Over the years I have heard from several past clients who have had issues with non- or slow payment on large contracts (as recently as this year).

Fast forward to now, I have been working with company B for a few years, like the people, and enjoy my work. This week we got some great news about a potential new contract with — you guessed it — company A. No one seems to have made the connection that I’ve worked for company A yet, I would not be working directly with the project, and I could probably ignore the whole thing. Except company A is already talking about big orders on tight time frames, promising enormous future business, and asking for sensitive information — and I feel like I’m in a red flag factory that no one else can see.

What should I do here? I have a good relationship with the owners of my current company and think they value my opinion. But company A is notorious for disparaging past employees and could easily find out I work here now. Randomly suggesting that we get ironclad contracts and prepaid orders from them would be unusual and outside of my role. But sharing what I know seems like a liability too, especially considering how vengeful and petty I know company A to be. Should I just get a new job?

No! You should talk to your current company. Tell them you used to work at Company A and have some info about how you saw them operate that you don’t feel comfortable keeping to yourself — and then share what you know. The tone you want is not a gossipy “they’re the worst ever, can you believe this, let me spill all the tea,” but rather a more restrained “there were some serious issues that I want to make sure you’re aware of as you move forward.” But tell them. You have business-relevant info. What they do with it from there is up to them.

It’s very unlikely that this will get back to your old company in a way that would result in them badmouthing you — because it’s unlikely that your company owners will go to them and say, “Well, your former entry-level employee Valentina Bumblebee told us X.” Instead, they’re just more likely to do more due diligence, ask around, and maybe put the brakes on things. But even if Company A does decide to disparage you, your current company already knows you and your work, and Company A’s motives would be pretty transparent.

5. My resume has a very long section — is it OK to truncate it?

I’m editing my resume to make it punch more visually and improve the way it looks to those ATS bots. One of my jobs had me move around internally, but it makes my resume very long.

Would it be appropriate to list the whole time I was there, and then only my duties and accomplishments for my last position there, and then mention that if they want to know more, I can provide it, or should I try to jam it all in with font tricks?

I wouldn’t write anything like “more info available upon request” since that’s generally taken as a given, and the expectation is that you’ve already done the work to cull the info that will be most relevant (preferably without font tricks, so that you’re presenting a reasonable amount of information, not an excessive amount). But there are a couple of ways to approach it.

Option 1

Oatmeal Association, June 2020 – present
Senior Oatmeal Stirrer, May 2023-present
Oatmeal Stirrer, December 2022-May 2023
Groats Partnership Coordinator, January 2022-November 2022
Oats Quality Control Associate, June 2020-December 2021
* accomplishment
* accomplishment
* accomplishment
* accomplishment

In this version, your bulleted accomplishments could be pulled from all four roles.

Option 2

Oatmeal Association, June 2020 – present

Senior Oatmeal Stirrer, May 2023-present
* accomplishment
* accomplishment
* accomplishment
* accomplishment

Oatmeal Stirrer, December 2022-May 2023

Groats Partnership Coordinator, January 2022-November 2022

Oats Quality Control Associate, June 2020-December 2021

This version works if the accomplishments you want to highlight are all from the most recent role anyway.

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

1. My office mate announces all their comings and goings

How do I get my office mate to stop announcing every time they enter or leave the office? “I’m going to lunch.” “I’m back.” “So many trips to the copier?” “Okay, I’m going to a meeting.”

None of this is in any way relevant to either of our jobs. I’ve told them several times I have ADHD and that it really disrupts me when they do this, but they continue. When I mentioned the ADHD, they just kind of looked at me like they didn’t really understand.

I need a way to drive home that idle chatter and constant interruptions are not just bothersome to me but make me angry. I know it’s not a rational response, but I don’t like it and it really bothers me and I would hope that someone would acknowledge that and appreciate it. I just need to know how to say that without sounding like a complete jerk.

Rather than trying to educate them about ADHD, try simplifying it: “It really breaks my concentration when you tell me that you’re coming or going, and then it takes me a while to be able to refocus. I know you might feel rude just walking in or out without saying anything, but it really would help me maintain my focus.”

If they keep it up after that: headphones.

2. My coworker will quit if I’m promoted

I’ve found myself in a bit of a pickle. My manager wants to promote me, but my coworker says she will quit if it happens. I expect it would be a messy departure. Should I warn my manager about this?

This coworker, “Becky,” and I share the same title and basic responsibilities, but she has significantly less experience than me and is not a great fit for the job we have. She’s cooled down a bit but is emotionally volatile and has quite the mean streak. I’m constantly walking on eggshells, and nearly any task handed to me and not her sends her blood boiling.

Due to her nature and history, I’m expecting a pretty epic blowout when news of this promotion comes to light. Big enough that I’m actually hesitant to take the role. I don’t know if Becky will follow through on actually quitting (though she has mentioned this hypothetical several times), but the interpersonal drama will be inevitable, even if she stays. It’s frankly burning me out just to work with her currently, and I don’t know that I have the capacity to weather the explosion, even if it will eventually blow over.

Other than this one person, I really like my job, company, and team. I’m ready for new challenges, but don’t want to actually leave if I don’t have to — not that I’ve had any success in trying anyway — and this promotion will give me much needed skills to further my career.

It’s messy business to bring up another coworker leaving to one’s manager, and I don’t want to proceed with something unethical. Do you have any advice or scripts on how to navigate this while protecting myself?

If Becky causes some messy drama because a coworker is promoted, that’s on Becky, not you. You’re not obligated to warn your manager about that, especially if it there’s any chance that it warning her could derail your promotion.

But if you want to warn your manager, there’s nothing unethical about doing that. How aware is your boss about the problems with Becky? Assuming they have a general idea of her issues, there’s nothing wrong with saying, “I want to warn you that I think it’s likely that there will be some drama with Becky if I’m promoted, and I don’t want you to be blindsided by it.” An additional benefit to that conversation is that, as long as you handle it professionally, it could help position you as above the fray and more level-headed than Becky, as well as help your boss see you as a leader who’s thinking about team dynamics as a whole (usually a good thing for promotions).

Beyond that, though … why not just let Becky implode?  It sounds like it would be a good thing if she leaves! Let her quit in a huff. On the other hand, if it’s just going to cause weeks of drama that doesn’t end in her departure, then be aware that that says as much about your manager as it does about Becky — because your manager shouldn’t permit that to happen.

But don’t let your fear of Becky’s volatility keep you from accepting a promotion you’d otherwise want. She’s going to act however she acts, and you don’t need to engage.

3. Shimmer body oil at work

Do you think shimmer body oil is appropriate in a workplace setting? You can catch a few flecks of the glitter.

For daytime/office jobs with professional dress codes, no. (And based on where your email signature says you work — a large firm with a fairly conservative reputation  — definitely no.)

Is it the worst dress code violation someone will commit this summer? No. But you’re better off not shimmering in an office.

4. Should I “out” a candidate who want to cheat on their job with us?

I serve on a community board for an organization that is now hiring its first employee. This contract employee will work 20-40 hours per week at a competitive hourly rate with hours set to reflect their availability and our needs, which change seasonally.

We’ve screened several candidates, and one person shared that they have a full-time job which, based on their duties, requires that they work only 25 hours per week. They would plan to keep this job in addition to ours. This was a red flag for us anyway, but the issue I’m having is that their employer is also on our board of directors!

I feel crummy at the idea of telling my colleague, knowing that doing so could get this candidate fired, and I feel crummy keeping such a secret from someone with whom I have a professional relationship. What should I do?

To make sure I’m clear, their employer thinks they’ll be working 40 hours a week but they really plan to work for you during part of that time? Yeah, don’t hire that person. Not only are there the obvious integrity issues (which they’re apparently so cavalier about that they didn’t hesitate to announce their plan to you!), but you’d also be setting yourself up for problems when the needs of the two jobs conflict. It’s one thing to say, “Well, I really only have 25 hours of work to complete” — but what’s going to happen when they’ve committed to doing something for you Thursday afternoon and suddenly the first job needs them to be in a last-minute meeting then?

Whether to out them to your board member is a different question. I’d default to not doing that unless you’re close to the board member, and then I think those loyalties would need to win out. But you could certainly tell the candidate their employer is on your board and ask for their thoughts on how that would get navigated…

5. Returning to work after a medical incident that happened in front of coworkers

I work in HR for a medium-sized company, officially contracted to our head office but in practice working remotely. Last week I went in to our office for the first time in a couple of months for a full department (30 people) meeting. Towards the end of the meeting I began to feel very dizzy and a coworker came with me to get some air. There I started shaking uncontrollably and felt absolutely horrible.

This went on for a while, to the point that I was sat on a bench outside my office while five colleagues, including my boss and boss’s boss (C suite level), stood around me and an ambulance was called. To compound this, I had never met my boss’s boss previously and had only had a brief conversation over Teams. I was taken to the hospital and once they’d established there was nothing physically wrong, the suggestion was put forward that I’d had a panic attack. Truthfully this makes sense, I’ve been very stressed recently, primarily as I’m awaiting surgery with no date yet and also for work-related reasons. It made me realize I’ve been having moderate anxiety pretty consistently for a few months now and have just been doing my best to ignore it (top tip: don’t do that).

I’m taking some time off to sort myself out and get used to the medication I’ve been prescribed to alleviate the physical symptoms. That said, I’m already concerned about when I return to work, because frankly it was embarrassing. I’ve already had more time off than I would like to deal with my physical health, and now to top it off I’ve had this in front of colleagues (and more senior ones at that). I worry that people will be losing patience while I try and get my health together and, unreasonable though it is, I feel this has made me look weak and unreliable. What would be your advice for dealing with this upon my return?

This is the sort of thing that is sometimes mortifying to the person it happens to, while the people who were around for it almost never have a reaction that would warrant mortification. Your colleagues are almost certainly just going to be concerned about you being okay; it’s incredibly unlikely that they’ll regard you as weak or think less of you in any way. After all, imagine yourself in their shoes: if a colleague you’d never met before had a medical emergency in front of you, wouldn’t you truly just be concerned for them afterwards? (Also keep in mind, they don’t know and don’t need to know that it was a panic attack, if that’s part of what’s worrying you.)

When you return, try to keep this in the forefront of your mind: unless people are monsters, they generally have good will toward someone who’s been through a medical crisis in front of them and will just be glad you’re okay.

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

1. Should I try to verify a doctor’s note if it looks fake?

I’m a manager in a service industry establishment where daily attendance is very important because of the nature of the job. Obviously people get sick or have legitimate reasons that prevent them from coming to work – I expect this! However, I am currently dealing with an employee who is beginning to have a serious pattern of poor attendance. I don’t want to be a one-size-fits-all type manager, so I do take into consideration people’s circumstances when it comes to disciplining or firing due to attendance. Our attendance policy is a three-strikes-in-30-days policy, in which you get a written warning after three instances and then escalating disciplinary warnings for subsequent infractions. I actually find the policy quite lenient for most responsible people – most people are not getting sick three times in one month, and each illness counts as one instance – if you are sick with the flu for three days, that counts as one strike. I do not require a doctor’s note or any other type of proof, but if you provide me with one, I will take that into consideration to delay a written warning if it seems like circumstances were really outside of your control.

All that being said … this employee’s most recent attendance infraction was going to result in yet another written warning, quite possibly the last one before termination. So I suggested that she provide a doctor’s note, since she had informed me that she went to urgent care the day before. Well, the doctor’s note looks … exceptionally fake. Since this is already an employee with poor attendance, do I have an obligation here to try to verify the doctor’s note? Obviously if it is fake, that is a fireable offense for the deliberate dishonesty. I really try to treat people like trustworthy adults (when it seems like the industry standard is to treat people like children and “write them up” for the slightest infraction). I don’t want to be the type of manager who’s going to assume your doctor’s note is fake! But … it really is most likely fake. And if I were to go about trying to verify a doctor’s note, how do you even do that?

Employers are legally allowed to verify doctor’s notes by asking the doctor to confirm the note’s authenticity. The doctor shouldn’t disclose the employee’s medical information, but they can confirm they issued the note or tell you if they didn’t. If it looks exceptionally fake, I’d call and find out, because forging documentation is a big deal (much bigger than simply faking sick).

For what it’s worth, that three-strikes-in-30-days policy is a bad one. It’s true that people don’t usually have three separate instances of sickness in one month, but sometimes they do — think flu, sprained ankle, and a sick kid. It’s not going to happen a lot but it will happen sometimes, especially for people with kids or other dependent family members. I understand that the policy is better than most in your field, but just so you don’t let your norms get all messed up, please know that is still a bad policy, and it’s treating employees like they can’t be trusted, and it’s treating managers like they can’t manage or exercise any discretion. It also incentivizes employees to come in when they’re sick, thereby infecting other people. It might be a good policy for your industry, but it’s bad in general.

2. How can I be sure I’m not biased toward my top candidate?

I am currently hiring for a role on my team — a business analyst who will work with our internal customers. They need to be qualitatively-inclined, great with large datasets, and comfortable with specific programs, but also extremely effective communicators and influencers. So far I have interviewed seven people: two external and five internal candidates. Of these candidates, two are of the same gender and race as me. The other five are either a different gender, different race, or both.

I was able to rule out two people quickly as they don’t have the experience/skills I’m looking for. Then there is the middle group: four people who seem perfectly competent and capable but didn’t “wow” me. Last, there was one candidate who stood out among the crowd and really did impress me, as they had a nuanced understanding of many of the intricacies of the job, and was really excellent in their communication skills during the interview.

So what’s the problem? This top candidate is one of the ones who is the same race and gender as me. I’m worried that I’m being unconsciously biased in selecting them because of this. I’ve been asking myself, what made them stand out above the others in the middle of the pack? Part of it is, I think, their personality. On the one hand, this is important for this role: as I mentioned, they will need to communicate and collaborate effectively with people across our organization, and a warm, friendly and pleasant personality is critical. On the other hand, how much weight is okay to give to someone’s “personality” being likeable? I’ve read some of your columns on watching out for people who remind you of yourself in hiring, and I’m worried that’s what I may be doing.

How can I parse this out? I want to hire the best person for the job, and I also want to be fair to all candidates.

Two things: you need to get as objective as possible about the criteria you’re evaluating all your candidates on — so not just “pleasant” or “good personality,” but what that really means for this specific job. Is it the ability to quickly establish rapport with new people? Is it leaving people feeling listened to and welcomed? Staying warm and professional and not becoming flustered or impatient? Saying no in a way that leaves people still feeling good about the interaction? Whatever it is in your context, spell it out as explicitly as possible because you can’t assess it clearly if you don’t define it clearly; “I just know it when I see it” is dangerous if you want to fight bias.

Second, however you define it, you presumably want to ensure they connect with others and quickly build trust across all demographic groups, not just with you. So you could have other people meet with your top two or three candidates and ask them to assess them on specific criteria too. (Of course, you need to do this in a way that doesn’t tokenize your colleagues. Ideally you’re working somewhere diverse enough that you can easily assemble a diverse panel without tokenizing anyone. If you’re not, this is trickier.)

3. Employer is dragging out the hiring process without answering my questions on salary

I am currently in a job application process that began seven months ago. Following the initial resume and cover letter, I have had (1) a half-hour introductory call with the internal recruiter, (2) a half-hour call with the hiring partner, (3) a one-hour in-person interview with two people from a different team, and (4) a second call with the hiring partner plus another partner in a different team. There have been roughly six weeks between each of these steps.

The whole process has been quite disorganized, and has so far given me precious few details about either the company or the role (mainly because all the interviewers apart from the recruiter are brand new to the firm).

During the last call, the hiring partner seemed keen to proceed, but suggested I have a fifth meeting, this time with a partner who just relocated to my nearest office (all my other interviewers have been based at the company HQ). This local partner also sits within an unrelated department, so again, is unlikely to be able to provide details about my potential role.

I had previously been told that the fourth meeting would be the final one. I see the value of meeting the leader of the local office, but I am reluctant to invest the time for this without more knowledge of the basics, such as salary. When the recruiter asked me for my availability for this fifth meeting. I replied that I would check my upcoming availability and come back, but that in advance of that, I did have some practical questions that we had not yet had a chance to discuss, such as salary, and I asked: “To make sure that we are on the same page ahead of this next meeting, are you please able to advise me of the salary range that is in mind for this position?”

The recruiter replied the next day, with: “Thank you, [Name].” That was it — no reference at all to my question about salary. That was a couple of weeks ago.

I think I know enough now to say that this isn’t the role or company for me. But I don’t have any other job offers, so it feels uncomfortable withdrawing. That said, it seems that if there was still a viable role, it wouldn’t be taking this long (I suspect the lack of urgency is down to the immediate need for support being supplied by other teams). I keep bouncing between the following options:

1. Emailing the recruiter to withdraw my application, “to pursue other roles that are more in line with my current goals.”
2. Emailing the recruiter as above, adding some reference to either my outstanding question around salary or the protracted recruitment process.
3. Pretending I’m still invested in the process and emailing a reminder about my outstanding question.

That’s way too many interviews and way too many months — especially when you don’t even know the salary. It could turn out to be wildly below anything you’d accept, so it doesn’t make sense to move forward without getting some answers now.

Since your alternative is simply withdrawing, you might as well bump the question for the recruiter: message them again and say, “Are you able to give me an idea of the salary range before we move forward? I’m reluctant to schedule another meeting without making sure we’re in the same ballpark.”

If they ignore you again, I’d hold firm on not investing more time in yet another interview until they’re willing to give you the basics. If that kills your chances, that’s a sign that there’s no great loss here. (If there even is a job here! Right now the opening doesn’t seem particularly concrete.)

Related:
can I set a limit on how many interviews I’ll do with a company?
I’m stuck in endless interviews with a company that can’t make up its mind

4. Haven’t been paid in months

My husband is a salaried employee at a business and has only received one paycheck since the middle of March. He has not received four regular paychecks. He did receive one regular paycheck on May 3. None of the other members of his team have been paid either, so this is not just an individual issue. Obviously this is illegal and should be reported to the state labor board where we live. However, my husband is afraid of retaliation since the industry is fairly small (which is also illegal, but they don’t seem to care much about that). His boss is dodging everyone who has pressed the issue, and upper management just keeps giving empty promises about how it will be deposited next week, but they’ve said this every week. He is frantically job hunting and has had multiple good interviews and requests for second interviews but it’s a slow process. Do you have any advice?

What specific kind of retaliation is he afraid of? “After they didn’t pay us for several months, we asked the state for help getting the money we were owed” isn’t really retaliation material since anyone who hears that is going to be on your husband’s side. And sure, they could badmouth him to others in the field — but if word gets out that they haven’t paid employees for months, criticism from them isn’t going to carry much weight. He can also neutralize a lot of it if he and other coworkers act as a group; that way, the employer can’t single out any one person.

He really should file a wage complaint with the labor board; this kind of thing is generally taken seriously, and he’ll get his overdue wages and in some states they’ll have to pay him additional penalties too. You could point out to him that it’s important to take action while they still have the ability to pay him. If he waits and the business never recovers, his chances of being able to recover that money go way down.

Read more:
how to get money an employer owes you

5. We won’t get severance if we don’t return to the office two days a week

I’ve been remote since the pandemic, and our parent company may soon require us to be hybrid (roughly two days a week in office). In one of the communications, they mentioned that those who failed to meet minimum in-office requirements each month might be subject to lose certain benefits, including severance. Can a company deny you severance based on an in-office attendance policy?

Yes. No law requires employers to offer severance, so they can attach conditions to it like that if they want. (One exception: The federal WARN Act requires most employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days notice if they’re laying off 50 or more people at once or pay the equivalent amount of time in severance.) In theory, they could also offer different classes of benefits to different classes of workers — so they could offer X vacation days to remote workers and X + 5 vacation days to hybrid workers, etc.