It’s 5 solutions to 5 questions. Here we go…
1. My boss says folks can’t be good at their jobs in the event that they have children or sick kinfolk
I simply began working for a busy nonprofit. My supervisor, Aria, is overworked and stressed, steadily working 10-12 hour days, and typically working weekends. She appears to resent it when my colleagues and I usually are not working the identical degree. Three conditions have come up that made me marvel if it was beginning to cross a authorized line.
#1 My colleague Famke requested for day off to have a tendency to an ailing mother or father whereas they’d a process. Aria replied, “I don’t know, we are really busy.” Later, Aria stated that Famke steadily takes day off for this ailing mother or father, who had been ailing for a whereas, framing it as unreasonable because of its frequency and period. She additionally stated Famke takes a lot of sick time because her school-aged little one will get sick and she has her personal recurring well being points, framing this once more as an imposition.
#2 Aria informed me she was changing a momentary worker, Jean, because they’d a sick mother or father and couldn’t dedicate sufficient time to the position. Jean might have famous up-front that they couldn’t be accessible full-time because they’d to handle their mother or father, so it’s potential it was Jean’s desire to solely work part-time. However, Aria framed it as Jean wasn’t dependable because she had to handle her sick mother or father and we would have liked to rent somebody who wouldn’t want frequent day off for that.
#3 Aria stated she didn’t know if I may be profitable at my position because I have a small little one. When I requested her what she meant, she stated I’ve made it clear I prioritize my household when I am residence and thus am not working the lengthy hours wanted to be profitable on this position.
The “you need to be working long hours all the time” feels poisonous however not unlawful. However, is the “I don’t think you can be successful here because you have a kid/sick parent” factor crossing employment legal guidelines? How do deal with this? I don’t need to stop — there’s a lot concerning the position that I like, and I am ready to work laborious, however this fixed negging each time anybody isn’t working 60 hours a week is tough, and the implication that my household standing will make it laborious to be profitable feels terrible.
It’s going to hinge on whether or not or not you and your coworkers are coated by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You’re eligible to take up to 12 weeks of go away a yr (all at as soon as or intermittently) underneath FMLA if: (1) you’ve been employed along with your firm for 12 months, (2) you’ve labored at least 1,250 hours through the 12 months prior to the beginning of the go away, and (3) your employer employs 50 or more staff inside a 75-mile radius of your worksite. Penalizing you for taking FMLA violates the legislation; they will’t use your go away as a destructive consider any employment motion, nor can they discourage you from utilizing it. Your state may additionally have further protections that kick in a decrease worker threshold.
Also, I’m curious to know whether or not Aria thinks males with small children can’t be profitable there; if her remark to you is linked to your gender, she’s probably operating afoul of anti-discrimination legal guidelines as effectively. Additionally, a few jurisdictions within the U.S. (though not many) prohibit discrimination primarily based on household standing.
All that stated, even when Aria was scrupulous about following the legal guidelines talked about above … there’s nonetheless a lot of room for her to strain folks to work unreasonably lengthy hours and penalize staff who don’t. It would possibly be value bringing her feedback to the eye of somebody above her if she’s not the pinnacle of the group.
2. Interviewer stated the wage vary was lower than the job posting stated
I’m completely happy to see more corporations posting wage ranges of their job listings because it turns into required.
Recently I utilized for a job that listed the wage as between $60k and $103k. I was very within the place, and $100k would have been the low finish of what I’d settle for for wage. I was shocked when the I had my cellphone display screen and the recruiter stated the funds for the place was $75k-$80k.
In a case like this, do you have to proceed with the interview and assume you’ll be able to negotiate up to the listed $100k vary? Or take the recruiter at their phrase and decline to interview additional? Do corporations typically lie of their posted ranges? For what it’s with, the job was in New York the place corporations now have to listing salaries by legislation.
Don’t assume you’ll be able to negotiate up afterward. If you wouldn’t take into account the job for the wage they cited within the interview, it’s best to name out the discrepancy with the advert. For instance: “The ad listed a range up to $103,000. Is that no longer the case? I’d be looking for at least $100,000.”
It’s potential that they didn’t misrepresent the vary, however $75k-$80k is what they’d be prepared to pay a candidate along with your particular profile (whereas a candidate with a totally different profile may be eligible for the broader vary) … or that they refined the vary after trying at the candidate pool … or that the recruiter has outdated information. But it’s additionally potential that what they listed within the advert was merely BS. Regardless, it is smart to make clear earlier than you make investments more time of their course of.
3. Getting day off for spiritual holidays at a new job
I am beginning my first job in September at a notoriously abusive office which doesn’t permit any wage negotiation, distant work, and so forth. Unfortunately I have a number of spiritual holidays throughout my first month of labor. I was questioning for those who may assist me navigate the e-mail to ship my recruiter, as I don’t know something about office norms and what is acceptable to request. (I don’t even have a supervisor but, so HR is my solely contact.)
I solely get 10 days off the entire yr and they accumulate slowly. This isn’t even sufficient to cowl the entire spiritual holidays on which I’m forbidden from participating in labor (I assume there are 14, and that doesn’t even embrace quick days when I can technically go to work). By the time the primary vacation comes, I gained’t have gathered any PTO but and I’ll nonetheless be in coaching. I am afraid that if I say an excessive amount of earlier than I’ve signed the contract, they’ll merely rescind the provide. Yes, I guess it might be good for me to know their true colours now in that case, however I at least need to strive to obtain their glorious coaching and wage!
Ideally I’d need my contract to say that I can swap Christian holidays for my holidays, so I’d work, for instance, Christmas however take off for one among my holidays. I guess I’d additionally need more WFH flexibility associated to getting ready for holidays, however who wouldn’t? I don’t see why they might be prepared to make an exception for me, despite the fact that it’s a query of non secular freedom. To be clear, it’s not prefer it issues whether or not I work remotely or what specific hours I work—it’s a software program job! They simply need to keep their “workplace culture.”
If I signal the contract as at present written, I’ll have to expend all my PTO on holidays (when I’ll be fasting/praying/and so forth., forbidden from getting in a automotive or utilizing the web, and so forth., and so forth.), plus lie about being sick to cowl the remaining holidays, I guess, and then I’ll have no days left for my member of the family’s wedding ceremony subsequent summer time or simply a psychological well being day. Not to point out I do really have a power well being situation which I assume will take up a few of my sick days.
It would be unlawful to rescind the provide because you requested spiritual lodging. That doesn’t imply it doesn’t occur, however it’s best to be conscious that federal legislation requires them to accommodate you until it might trigger them undue hardship (the bar for which could be very excessive and nearly actually gained’t be in play right here), and they’d be violating federal legislation in the event that they refused or in the event that they yanked your provide over it.
Email your HR contact and say this: “I’ll need to officially request religious accommodation since my religion doesn’t allow me to work on (dates). What’s the best way to allow for that in my contract without leaving me with no time off for other uses? Also, I’d be happy to trade Christmas for one of the days if that’s an option.” You may wait and ship this after your contract is finalized for those who’d like to be additional protected (however however, additional protected may imply having it written into your contract, or discovering out early if it’s going to be a downside).
Make positive you have the total listing of dates while you increase this — you need one thing more agency than “I think there are 14.” Also, assume you in all probability gained’t be ready to get further day off to put together for the vacations; employers aren’t required to provide that, solely the religiously mandated time for observance itself.
4. When can I ask to switch desks?
My workplace arrange is in six-cube blocks (i.e;. two rows with three cubes on every row) To get into our space, you stroll down the center of the rows. I’m comparatively new right here and so I’ve gotten the desk at the doorway to the block. I completely perceive the reasoning. My difficulty is that it’s tremendous distracting when folks stroll by the doorway, which is just about all day. Yesterday somebody at the very again put of their discover so a desk will be opening up quickly. What is a cheap time-frame to ask my supervisor about shifting again additional into the block of desks with out seeming tremendous entitled? I’m guessing the subsequent senior-most individual will transfer to that vacant desk, however even shifting again one seat would be useful.
Ask now, since in any other case somebody would possibly ask earlier than you do. This isn’t the type of factor the place decency requires you to wait a whereas (the best way you would possibly if a desk was being vacated due to demise). It’s nice to simply matter-of-factly say, “Since Jane is leaving, will we be doing any desk reshuffling? I’d love to move away from the entrance to our block if that’s possible, even if it’s just one seat back.”
5. If an government dies in a homicide thriller…
I learn your reply to the query on firings in literature, and it bought me occupied with a state of affairs in a homicide thriller I’m watching. In the most recent episode, we discovered that the second-in-command was fired a few days prior. The government provides him till Monday to flip in his resignation however that weekend the manager is … MURDERED!!
Is the second-in-command nonetheless fired? Assuming that different folks within the group know (however nobody is increased up on the chain of command than the murdered government or second-in-command), can/ought to they do something? If the manager died earlier than or after the day the second-in-command had to hand in his resignation, would that matter? Does the second-in-command develop into first-in-command upon the demise of the manager and simply get the flexibility to rescind his personal firing? Does he have to hand in his resignation to himself?
Companies don’t normally have computerized strains of succession the best way the federal government does; the second-in-command doesn’t robotically develop into first-in-command upon their boss’s demise. Rather, the manager’s substitute would be chosen by the board of administrators if there’s one or by the corporate proprietor.
As for whether or not the manager’s demise would cancel out the second-in-command’s firing … it relies upon. There’s nothing like that that will occur robotically, however it’s potential the board or proprietor may determine that they’d quite preserve that individual on for some continuity … and in fact, if nobody knew concerning the firing, then in principle the second-in-command may simply not point out it and proceed on of their job.
