my office is requiring us to disclose all medications we take by Alison Green on January 14, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a small office (around 20 people) with a director who has a tendency towards micromanagement and distrust of employees — think paranoia that people are constantly trying to get out of doing “enough” work. The director recently announced a new policy requiring employees to disclose prescription and over-the-counter drugs […] Read the full article →
my employer fined me $90 for being late by Alison Green on November 14, 2018 A reader writes My company has a ridiculous late fine policy: you will be fined $2 for every minute, starting from 9:01 a.m. So if you come in at 9:05 a.m., that’s $10 you gotta pay up in cash. (This is not somewhere where down-to-the-minute coverage would be essential. It’s just typical deskbound, back-end work. […] Read the full article →
sick coworker says he can’t work alone by Alison Green on August 28, 2018 A reader writes: I’m an avid reader and I have a question on behalf of a friend. She works in retail and recently told me she felt too sick to work but couldn’t call in because her coworker, “Bob,” who has stage 4 cancer says he can’t work alone. This sounds off to me. I […] Read the full article →
our employee says she’s not comfortable having her desk near men by Alison Green on August 20, 2018 A reader writes: I work in a department of about 100. We are a slight majority female, maybe 60/40. Recently a desk opened up just behind a woman who has worked for us for over a year and we moved a new employee, who is male, into the empty spot. Shortly thereafter, the woman approached […] Read the full article →
a consultant complains about our off-site meetings but doesn’t want to skip them by Alison Green on May 9, 2018 A reader writes: I have a team with locations throughout the U.S., both in office and remote, comprised of full-time associates and contractors, most who come to us through a contractor agency, but one of whom is a consultant and bills us through his LLC. Because we need to be very collaborative, we do have […] Read the full article →
what happens if I get hired at a dog-friendly company when I’m allergic to dogs? by Alison Green on May 8, 2018 A reader writes: I am going to have an-person interview with a company that would be a great fit for me, and me for them. When I did research on them, I found out that they have a work environment where dogs are brought in daily. I am allergic to dogs. I would not be […] Read the full article →
can I be paid in comp time instead of overtime pay? by Alison Green on March 26, 2018 A reader writes: I work for a chapter of a national nonprofit organization managing several fundraising events. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the way our organization handles overtime during our busy event season, and am wondering if it’s completely legal. At the end of 2016 with the pending overtime law, the organization decided to […] Read the full article →
how much detail do you have to share when you call in sick? by Alison Green on January 29, 2018 A reader writes: We recently hired a new manager for our admin/support staff, and in her first team meeting she told us that when calling in sick, “Don’t just say ‘I’m not feeling well.’ I don’t want to hear that.” Apparently she wants a specific reason we are calling in sick. In an attempt to […] Read the full article →
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 →