September 2013

I worked all weekend and then got charged a vacation day

A reader writes: I started a new job about a month ago as an exempt employee in a professional services firm. A major project in my department was due this past Monday. As of Friday afternoon, the project was nearly complete but needed a few finishing touches. Unfortunately, the person who had been working on […]

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why employers won’t name a salary range first

So why the hell do so many employers refuse to name a salary range but insist that job candidates do so? Why not just list a salary range up-front in the job ad? Employers who advertise a job but refuse to say what it pays are one of the biggest frustrations of job-seekers Adding to the […]

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do I have to give my ex-girlfriend a job reference?

A reader writes: I have been asked for a reference, in my capacity as a manager, by an ex-girlfriend. The relationship ended very badly for me (depression and on-going anti-depressant medication), so I’m quite gobsmacked/angry about this. I was her line manager’s manager at the time of her employment, but unfortunately she was made redundant […]

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should I become a subversive wellness committee member?

A reader writes: I believe that you’ve expressed your opposition before to cheesy workplace wellness initiatives, and I agree with you that it’s not really my employer’s business what I eat/drink/do outside of work. However, my company recently started a BIG push with one of these, which to be fair seems to be motivated by […]

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open thread

It’s our biweekly open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. Pictured: For those of you who […]

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how to tell a job candidate to stop contacting us so much

A reader writes: I do a lot of hiring, and I try to respond fairly quickly to calls/emails from candidates. Recently, I’ve noticed that if I don’t reply to a candidate’s email quickly enough, they get panicky. Example: I had an applicant email me on Monday morning about an opening, and I responded to him […]

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my boss treats my chair like an in-box

A reader writes: I’ve been working at my current job for a total of about 3 years now, and my boss recently announced that he is retiring. It’s a small shop and the new boss has been slowly taking over, while the old boss has stayed on to train him. We’ll trying to adjust and […]

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