February 2009

choosing end date when resigning

A reader writes: I am leaving my job within the next month. I would like to carry over my end date into a new month in order to stay eligible for benefits within the next month. When I give a 2 week notice, is it 10 working days and can I give my notice mid-week? […]

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unreasonable sick leave policy?

A reader writes: I work for a well-known hospital in New York City. The company administers an employee satisfaction survey every year, and for the past few years there had been an increasingly negative response to the policies concerning sick leave. We accrue 90 hours of sick time a year (twelve 7.5 hour days). The […]

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thank-you note for not being laid off?

A reader writes: My husband has been successfully employed by the same company for 13 years. Due to the economic climate, the company has been forced to lay-off 14% of their staff. Fortunately, my husband’s job has been spared, and at least for the moment, we feel that his job is secure. Would it be […]

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how to deal with a coworker being fired

A reader writes: How do you deal with it when a coworker is fired? Today I was talking with my coworker and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He went into a meeting with our boss, and next thing I knew he was gone, and an email was sent to the whole department saying that […]

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boss vacationing while business struggles

A reader writes: I am an office manager of nine years in a small doctor’s practice. I have one other co-worker, who is going on her 11th year. With the failing economy, our boss cut our holiday bonus in half, most recently took three months to deposit our simple IRA contributions and matches, took our […]

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is my boss wrong to consult with someone else about my work?

A reader writes: I work in an 8-person field office of a major national nonprofit. Our office is currently in the midst of a major collaborative initiative which has placed increasing demands on our Executive Director’s (my boss) time. My boss is so busy cultivating relationships with volunteers and funders that he spends less time […]

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South Bend Tribune hates its employees

Think you work for a micromanager? Check out what the South Bend (Indiana) Tribune has decided to do to its staff. Here’s an excerpt from the memo the paper’s management distributed last week, explaining their new “communication” system: This is targeted foremost to all reporters, who would send a daily e-mail the last thing before […]

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