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 appropriate for me, his wife, to write a thank-you note to his employer expressing my gratitude for my husband’s employment? This company has always been very good to us and I feel as though this would be a genuine gesture, but am not sure how professional it would appear.
It's an understandable impulse, but you, as the wife of the employee, should not write a thank-you note to the company. As a spouse, you really shouldn't have any official interaction with the company, and a thank-you note for employing your husband would come off strangely. Your husband should interact with the company on his own behalf. (And remember, the company isn't doing charity work; they're presumably employing your husband for good reason.)
However, your husband could certainly tell his manager how much he appreciates working at the company -- couched not in terms of the economy but rather in terms of whatever he does truly enjoy about the company. Any manager in this situation would appreciate hearing an employee affirming that he loves his job.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
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 E-mail was sent to the whole department saying that as of today he no longer works here. I don't know what happened, but it surprised me, worried me, and made me nervous about my job.
Want to read the rest of this post? Head on over to U.S. News & World Report, where I answer this question -- and please leave your own feedback in the comments there.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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 paid holidays for 2009, and cut our hours.
Now he is thinking of taking a vacation. How do I address the situation without attacking him personally? He has asked his dedicated employees to sacrifice and said he "can barely pay bills," and now a family vacation is in the pipeline. When the doctor is away, there are NO patients and no income coming in. HELLOO??? Is it just me?
Well, ultimately this guy owns the business, and it's his to run as he sees fit (aside from the delay in depositing your IRA contributions, which may not be legal in your state). So I think you've got to keep that in mind as you think about the situation.
Regarding the family vacation, you presumably don't know all the details. Maybe his wife is paying for it. Maybe he promised her he'd go for reasons too personal too share with employees, despite the hardship it may cause the business. We don't know. Plus, he may quite reasonably feel that he needs to get some time off in order to do his job well; most people do.
All that said, I do think you can talk to him about the situation, but it's important that you keep all the above in mind, since that will influence your approach. You could say something like, "I don't know if you realize this, but Sharon and I are both very stressed out about the financial troubles we're having, and we couldn't help but get concerned when we realized that we won't have any patients during the time you're on vacation. Do you have ideas for other things we can do with that time that will help contribute?" Keep in mind that the last thing this guy may need is his employees pressuring him about a situation he may not be able to do anything about; keep the focus on how you can help, not on nagging him.
All that said, please start looking around for other jobs. The signs you're seeing are ones of a struggling business, and you would be smart to start looking for escape routes now.
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 paid holidays for 2009, and cut our hours.
Now he is thinking of taking a vacation. How do I address the situation without attacking him personally? He has asked his dedicated employees to sacrifice and said he "can barely pay bills," and now a family vacation is in the pipeline. When the doctor is away, there are NO patients and no income coming in. HELLOO??? Is it just me?
Well, ultimately this guy owns the business, and it's his to run as he sees fit (aside from the delay in depositing your IRA contributions, which may not be legal in your state). So I think you've got to keep that in mind as you think about the situation.
Regarding the family vacation, you presumably don't know all the details. Maybe his wife is paying for it. Maybe he promised her he'd go for reasons too personal too share with employees, despite the hardship it may cause the business. We don't know. Plus, he may quite reasonably feel that he needs to get some time off in order to do his job well; most people do.
All that said, I do think you can talk to him about the situation, but it's important that you keep all the above in mind, since that will influence your approach. You could say something like, "I don't know if you realize this, but Sharon and I are both very stressed out about the financial troubles we're having, and we couldn't help but get concerned when we realized that we won't have any patients during the time you're on vacation. Do you have ideas for other things we can do with that time that will help contribute?" Keep in mind that the last thing this guy may need is his employees pressuring him about a situation he may not be able to do anything about; keep the focus on how you can help, not on nagging him.
All that said, please start looking around for other jobs. The signs you're seeing are ones of a struggling business, and you would be smart to start looking for escape routes now.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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 on the day-to-day management of the organization. I would say that the amount of time he spends on these activities is too high, even by nonprofit organization standards. Morale is low as people are feeling spread too thin.
Over the past few months, he has increasingly leaned on one of my colleagues to oversee his day-to-day management responsibilities. In many ways, my colleague has become a de facto deputy director. I respect my colleague, but I was angered to learn that my boss gave her a draft of my annual work plan for feedback without telling me first. I was particularly upset that my boss gave me additional responsibilities based on my colleague's feedback with involving me in the discussion. Work plan development has always been an employee-manager activity in the past. Am I out of line for feeling upset that he shared my work plan with her without first telling me? I don't mind her input, but I'm upset at the lack of communication and now have questions about about how my performance will be monitored and by whom.
It sounds like your boss, at least for right now, needs someone in a deputy director type position. It's not good for anyone if the executive director doesn't have enough time for day-to-day management. And it sounds like this colleague is someone whose skills he respects, so it's not unnatural for him to be leaning on her in this situation.
However, clearly he could have done a better job of communicating that. There's a good chance your colleague is thinking the same thing; she's been put in a potentially awkward position herself, by being asked to share pieces of the managerial burden without the boss explaining that to anyone.
My advice to you is to approach your boss and say that you hadn't realized he'd be bringing your colleague in on your work plan, and although you didn't mind it, you'd like some clarification about how you should view her role. You must be non-defensive when you say this, both in tone and wording. Do not sound like you're objecting to it; you're just seeking information. (If you sound defensive and he's actually about to announce that she's becoming the deputy director, things are going to get off on the wrong foot. Plus, you don't want to give your boss the impression that your ego is getting in the way of your ability to appreciate that this may be a smart way to help him manage his time.)
Frankly, if you respect this colleague and think she could do a good job as a manager, you might even suggest that to your boss as a solution. You mentioned that he doesn't have enough time to do his job properly and that people's morale is suffering, this might be something that could help. (That depends hugely on her skills as a manager, however. Don't suggest it if you don't see potential for to be good at it.)
I actually once got promoted into a job that way. My boss had way too much work on his plate and desperately wanted to get out of his day-to-day management responsibilities, which he was always giving short shrift to anyway. I was in the process of figuring out that I really liked managing, and so he created a #2 position and put me in it. It turned out that I loved all the stuff that he had hated and paid attention to the things he had avoided, so it was a win-win for everyone ... except the people who didn't adjust well to having a peer become their manager. Don't be in that group, if that ends up being the direction this goes in.
But really, just talk to the guy and ask how you should relate to her.
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 on the day-to-day management of the organization. I would say that the amount of time he spends on these activities is too high, even by nonprofit organization standards. Morale is low as people are feeling spread too thin.
Over the past few months, he has increasingly leaned on one of my colleagues to oversee his day-to-day management responsibilities. In many ways, my colleague has become a de facto deputy director. I respect my colleague, but I was angered to learn that my boss gave her a draft of my annual work plan for feedback without telling me first. I was particularly upset that my boss gave me additional responsibilities based on my colleague's feedback with involving me in the discussion. Work plan development has always been an employee-manager activity in the past. Am I out of line for feeling upset that he shared my work plan with her without first telling me? I don't mind her input, but I'm upset at the lack of communication and now have questions about about how my performance will be monitored and by whom.
It sounds like your boss, at least for right now, needs someone in a deputy director type position. It's not good for anyone if the executive director doesn't have enough time for day-to-day management. And it sounds like this colleague is someone whose skills he respects, so it's not unnatural for him to be leaning on her in this situation.
However, clearly he could have done a better job of communicating that. There's a good chance your colleague is thinking the same thing; she's been put in a potentially awkward position herself, by being asked to share pieces of the managerial burden without the boss explaining that to anyone.
My advice to you is to approach your boss and say that you hadn't realized he'd be bringing your colleague in on your work plan, and although you didn't mind it, you'd like some clarification about how you should view her role. You must be non-defensive when you say this, both in tone and wording. Do not sound like you're objecting to it; you're just seeking information. (If you sound defensive and he's actually about to announce that she's becoming the deputy director, things are going to get off on the wrong foot. Plus, you don't want to give your boss the impression that your ego is getting in the way of your ability to appreciate that this may be a smart way to help him manage his time.)
Frankly, if you respect this colleague and think she could do a good job as a manager, you might even suggest that to your boss as a solution. You mentioned that he doesn't have enough time to do his job properly and that people's morale is suffering, this might be something that could help. (That depends hugely on her skills as a manager, however. Don't suggest it if you don't see potential for to be good at it.)
I actually once got promoted into a job that way. My boss had way too much work on his plate and desperately wanted to get out of his day-to-day management responsibilities, which he was always giving short shrift to anyway. I was in the process of figuring out that I really liked managing, and so he created a #2 position and put me in it. It turned out that I loved all the stuff that he had hated and paid attention to the things he had avoided, so it was a win-win for everyone ... except the people who didn't adjust well to having a peer become their manager. Don't be in that group, if that ends up being the direction this goes in.
But really, just talk to the guy and ask how you should relate to her.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
how to get a job by being nice
Go read Rafael J. Hernandez's post on "How To Get A Job By Being Nice." It's brilliant.
Monday, February 2, 2009
how to juggle a job offer when you're waiting for another
A job offer is usually welcome -- unless it comes while you're waiting for the one you really want. How long can you put off the first company while waiting to hear from another, and what are the ethics involved in taking the first offer only to rescind your acceptance later? Head on over to U.S. News & Weekly Report, where my post today addresses these questions -- and as always, please leave your own thoughts in the comments over there.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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:
(Hat tip: Gawker)
This is targeted foremost to all reporters, who would send a daily e-mail the last thing before they leave for the day (or at the latest, the very first thing - 8 a.m. - the next day). These e-mails would go not only to your most immediate editor but to at least five editors, including me. This daily e-mail would lay out specifically what you accomplished that day, what you need to finish or follow up on the next day, and what you plan to do that next day. We mean everything, from the most mundane county council advance to the beginning interview in the most ambitious investigation that may or may not see the light of day (or publication). It also would allow you to bring up any other communication you need to share. From there, yes, your editor will be able to tell how busy you were, but more importantly, he or she will know your accomplishments and your struggles. From that, our morning planning meetings can be even more efficient.They then provide a helpful and horrifying example of what such daily updates should look like:
Checked e-mail; Checked logs at Mishawaka, county and South Bend; Responded to accident at Ironwood and bypass; Called Mishawaka Detective Bureau about child neglect case (records would not provide narrative since it is under investigation by CPS); Called Mishawaka woman struck Monday by hit-and-run driver while she was getting into her car; Wrote story on woman struck by hit-and-run driver; Placed call to Trent about two rape cases that were on log (he was not in this morning); left message. Called Humane Society of St. Joseph County to see if any animals were taken out of home in Mishawaka where elderly lady was livign in filth surrounded by several full litter boxes; was told someone would be in contact. Updated productivity report; Spoke briefly with Trent about rape cases on log - appears to be teenage girl covering up for sexual escapades; Spoke with John Pavlekovich about concerns regard retirement story - presumably ironed everything out; Pow-wowed with Dave about year-end crime stories - I get homicides! -- start working on lead smelter reporting, call health dept. again, talk to lead director, no idea what I'm talking about; -- call IDEM local office, am transferred to regional office, leave message for public relations people; -- am asked to work on Goshen beating story; -- call Goshen PIO, discuss YouTube video beating; -- try to find number for YouTube mom, search phone books, internet; -- do web update; -- call Goshen schools superindendent, leave message; -- go to video bootcamp lunch; -- research YouTube beating posted by teens, leave message for national anti-Internet abuse lady; -- reach other woman affilated with anti-Internet abuse, talk to about story; -- call super Intendant again, leave second message; -- go to 2 p.m. interview with judge Scopelitis, wait forever in rotunda because he's in hearing, finally leave and reschedule; -- call back superindendant, finally reach for story; -- find address for YouTube mom; -- write YouTube video story, file story; -- give graph to john stump for lead smelter story; -- Drive out to Goshen to try and find YouTube mom, get lost, turn around, find trailer park, can't find address, finally find address, family no longer lives there, drive back. Planning to come in around 9 tomorrow.Who thought this was a good idea? It would be faster to just tell their employees directly that they believe every single one of them to be lazy, incompetent, and untrustworthy. (Also, am I the only one particularly taken with the fact that these updates are to be sent to five editors each day? I would love to hear the reasoning on that.)
(Hat tip: Gawker)
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