It’s 5 solutions to 5 questions. Right here we go…
1. I unintentionally peed on a material chair at work
I’m near tears penning this. I used to be consuming some water at my desk and a few of it went down the flawed tube, which led to a coughing match. I coughed so laborious that I peed. That is the primary time this has ever occurred and I’m mortified. Worse nonetheless, it happed on a specifically ordered orthopedic chair with a fabric seat. And sure, the urine soak via. What do I do?!? I’m afraid if I inform my manger they’ll be horrified and surprise how I might probably be incontinent. I don’t wish to be the coworker who peed on the chair. Will I completely damage my skilled picture? As a lot as I simply wish to not inform anybody I don’t suppose the chair is salvageable and it stinks of urine now. Somebody is sure to note. Do I’ve to vary my identify and dwell life as a hermit? Assist!
You would not have to vary your identify and dwell as a hermit! You’re a regular human with a traditional human physique, and regular human our bodies generally do bizarre issues. You’re removed from the one one that has had this occur. (Right here are some different letters with related tales if it helps!) Anybody who would maintain this in opposition to you is a jerk; most individuals will simply be sympathetic. (In truth, it’s solely potential your supervisor or whoever you find yourself speaking to about it’s going to have had one thing related occur to themselves sooner or later.)
Discuss to the one who’s in command of ordering furnishings and say this: “I had a medical incident that sadly ruined the fabric seat of my chair, and I must order a brand new one. What’s the method for doing that?”
2. Why have insurance policies that aren’t enforced?
Having seen this in actual life and studying about it often in your column, I’m curious: from a supervisor’s standpoint, what’s the aim of insurance policies that aren’t enforced and when there’s no intent to implement them? Why have these insurance policies in any respect?
Clearly generally insurance policies are made at a excessive degree that’s indifferent from on a regular basis operations, and managers don’t care about them, and nobody will actually discover they’re not enforced. However in conditions the place managers do have significant authority, what’s this all about? This could possibly be costume codes, WFH vs working within the workplace, timeliness or absenteeism, or any sorts of procedures — conditions the place there’s a particular rule, one thing a supervisor says should or should not be completed, however they freely ignore when the foundations aren’t adopted or refuse to implement them.
Affected underlings generally have cynical interpretations of what’s happening right here, however I’m curious what the folks with authority suppose they’re doing.
There’s a bunch of explanations. Typically the coverage was made by somebody apart from the supervisor they usually don’t agree with it, or don’t suppose it’s a large enough deal to implement (and might imagine it’s counter to extra vital objectives, like treating good staff nicely). Typically the coverage sounded proper when it was made however has turned out to not be a large enough deal for anybody to trouble implementing it, and nobody has gone again to revisit it. Typically they actually needs to be implementing it, however the supervisor is just too wimpy or too negligent (these are the identical factor, actually) to do it.
Typically the coverage wasn’t thought out nicely sufficient and so it doesn’t include the nuance that the supervisor has of their head — for instance, a supervisor may suppose “I want folks to do X besides in conditions Y or Z” however they don’t trouble to name out Y or Z as exceptions within the coverage, so it appears just like the coverage is simply going unenforced (or worse, being inconsistently enforced), whereas in the event that they’d written the coverage higher their intent would have been clear.
And generally there’s extra of a cumulative facet to it — for those who break the coverage a couple of times, it’s not a giant deal, however for those who’re breaking it on a regular basis it’ll be extra of an issue and value addressing.
Associated:
how strictly ought to managers implement firm insurance policies?
3. My supervisor’s mind harm is inflicting issues on our staff
My supervisor had a traumatic mind harm 11 months in the past (workman’s comp). She has gotten therapy (form of); she could be very spiritual and delayed therapy based mostly on her spiritual beliefs. After practically a 12 months, she remains to be out so much, has reminiscence points, is late, is irritable, works remotely so much, and has lodging that — at the least to our employees — are mysterious and undefined. Early on I stepped up, labored additional, helped out and went the additional mile. We had been mates earlier than working collectively. Then about six months in the past, she bit my head off, advised me I had overstepped, and advised me to remain in my lane. Effective — I went again to working my precise job and minding my very own enterprise. However she is clearly not okay. Now she flip flops between “I really feel like we’re estranged mates” and asking bizarre issues like wanting to present me her password for a software program program, which is strictly prohibited by establishment coverage. I’m at my wits’ finish.
That is above your pay grade to unravel! Please speak to HR about what’s happening. To not get your supervisor in hassle, however as a result of these are issues you could’t deal with by yourself, and somebody above you must know what’s happening to allow them to step in and assist (which might embody arising with simpler lodging, connecting her with completely different help, altering the way in which your staff is managed, or all types of different issues).
4. Expertise stipend purchases — my property or the corporate’s?
Two years in the past I accepted a job that marketed, beneath the “Compensation and Perks” part of the job posting and official job description, a $1,500 expertise stipend. In our negotiation emails, the proprietor of the agency mentioned that the wage supply plus my skilled improvement price range plus this expertise price range “pushes you over (desired wage) for the 12 months, with a lot of room for upward mobility. Plus whenever you earn X certification, you’ll be eligible for a $5,000 increase.” I assumed — based mostly on this correspondence and my partner’s earlier experiences with expertise stipends — that I’d have a price range of $1,500 to spend on no matter I needed for tech for my dwelling workplace, and that it will be mine to maintain. There was no point out of returning the purchases at any level. And I did spend it on no matter I needed (no directions or steering supplied by the employer), which was a laptop computer, monitor, ergonomic keyboard and mouse, and another smaller issues particular to my dwelling workplace. I submitted receipts for reimbursement.
Quick ahead to final month, after I gave discover. The proprietor of the agency was very upset. He mentioned many inappropriate and impolite issues to me, however what he didn’t say then, throughout my exit interview, or on my final day, was something in any respect about returning the objects I’d bought two years earlier with this stipend. And I didn’t suppose something of it, as a result of I used to be beneath the impression that this stipend had been compensation.
My remaining paycheck had an error in it that shorted me about $150. It was a mistake as a result of negligence, not something malicious, so after making an attempt to resolve it with the payroll firm straight, I reached out to my former employer as a result of apparently solely he can treatment the error. A month later, I checked again in to ask if he’d seen my e mail, and he replied shortly to say that he desires me to mail him my laptop computer and monitor, after which as soon as he receives it he’ll Venmo me (?!) the mistakenly withheld wages plus the delivery prices.
I don’t even know how you can reply. It appears retaliatory for him to be asking for this now (why didn’t he point out it actually at any level earlier?) and it doesn’t match my understanding of the stipend’s phrases (which after all aren’t written down wherever). To not point out that Venmo’ing me looks as if a bizarre factor to do — the $150 is meant to be taxable earnings.
What do you suppose? Is it price even mentioning to him that he’d supplied the stipend to me as a part of my compensation package deal? Would it not be egregious to inform him that I’m unwilling to deal with the packaging and entrance the postage prices myself, but when he sends me packaging with pay as you go labels I’ll ship the objects again?
Some firms with expertise stipends do require the objects to be returned whenever you depart, however they clearly spell that out so . I think that’s not how your supervisor meant it since if the plan was so that you can return the objects all alongside, it wouldn’t have made any sense to incorporate it in “pushing your wage over $X” (similar to you don’t embody the price of different work-provided gear in your wage calculations). Plus he didn’t say something about returning it till you requested him to treatment the payroll error and when he was already upset about you leaving.
You could possibly reply to him, “My understanding from our negotiations after I was employed was that the stipend was a part of my compensation, and there was no dialogue of these objects being returned. For those who documented one thing completely different, I’m joyful to try it (though would then ask that you just prepay for the delivery again in order that I’m not protecting that myself). In the meantime, for the payroll error, I don’t suppose we are able to Venmo it — it must be via payroll in order that taxes are taken out accurately and so the state has a file of it. Thanks for dealing with it, I respect it.”
You may also lookup your state’s regulation on remaining pay and when it’s due and what the penalties are if it’s late, simply so you’ve got that in your pocket for those who want it. (Google the of your state and “remaining paycheck regulation” with no quotes.)
5. What state do I file for unemployment in?
Federal worker right here. I dwell in State A and work in State B. If/when the axe falls, do I apply for unemployment advantages in State A, State B, or (for no matter motive) Washington, D.C.?
You apply for unemployment within the state you labored in.
