we have to be interviewed by a psychologist to get promoted by Alison Green on October 4, 2017 A reader writes: I am a senior manager in a division of a global corporation. Each of the divisions is actually a company that was acquired by the corporation. As long as the division continues to make a profit, they are pretty much allowed to operate as if they are still a stand-alone organization. Some […] Read the full article →
do you have to be paid if your office is closed because of a hurricane? by Alison Green on September 8, 2017 With parts of the U.S. braced for the impact of Hurricane Irma, I’m getting a lot of questions about whether you have to be paid if your office closes because of the storm. Here’s a quick run-down. If you’re a non-exempt employee (eligible for overtime): If your office closes because of the storm and thus […] Read the full article →
the ethics of firing racist protesters by Alison Green on August 15, 2017 A reader writes: After the Charlottesville violence, I’ve been watching discussion on one of my professional organization’s Facebook groups and would appreciate your opinion about it. People are discussing the ethics of figuring out the identities of white supremacists from news photos, and then reporting them to their employers. Apart from the “ethics” of white […] Read the full article →
the federal government is taking up overtime pay again by Alison Green on August 7, 2017 The U.S. Department of Labor appears to be moving forward on an overtime rule that caught up millions of employees and their employers in some serious workplace drama last year. To recap: Last year, under the Obama Administration, a new rule was expected to take effect that would have required an additional 4 million American […] Read the full article →
can your employer do that? probably — but you can still discuss it by Alison Green on August 3, 2017 I’m having a really hectic week this week, with preparing for a move (actually, most of it is done now, but I write posts for the week on Monday). So some posts this week will be reprints from years ago. This one is from October 2014. * * * I get a lot of letters […] Read the full article →
will Congress get rid of mandatory overtime pay? by Alison Green on April 24, 2017 Currently, millions of employees in the United States are required to be paid overtime (time and a half) if they work more than 40 hours in a given week. But a new bill in Congress proposes changing that and allowing employees to receive comp time (extra paid time off) instead of overtime payments. At U.S. News […] Read the full article →
my employee is refusing to travel because her husband said she can’t by Alison Green on March 27, 2017 A reader writes: I’m a manager who has an employee who recently (late last year) accepted a promotion that involves travel. It would be a maximum of one overnight monthly, but more typically one overnight per quarter. She accepted the position knowing that this level of travel would be required. However, she told me last […] Read the full article →
smelly essential oils at work … or what to do when employees’ medical needs conflict by Alison Green on February 28, 2017 A reader writes: I have a question about a colleague (not one of my employees). She wears a highly potent blend of essential oils, and has been moved to another floor in an attempt to mitigate the impact on another employee’s asthma. She firmly believes this treatment cured her of cancer and continues to keep […] Read the full article →
how is your company handling the halt to the new overtime rule? by Alison Green on November 30, 2016 A reader writes: My entire company rescinded the promised raises under the new FLSA guideline. I’d love to hear from other readers what their companies did – any chance we can get a thread this week on it? Yes indeed. To catch people up who may not be aware: A new overtime rule that would have […] Read the full article →
my company held a retreat in a Zika zone — and is charging people who didn’t go for their plane tickets by Alison Green on November 30, 2016 A reader writes: My company recently had their retreat in Miami, Florida. As you can imagine, there were several women who voiced concerns about having the retreat in an area that the CDC has actively discouraged women from traveling to because of Zika. Unfortunately, the company decided to move forward with the retreat location because […] Read the full article →