At Work by Lindsey Novak

Q: I taught at a school in a division in which all kids who got suspended were sent. The principal put an incompetent woman in charge. The woman proceeded to "fudge" the records; lie to the parents; make rules and changes without informing teachers; set a bad example for the students; not let teachers see parents' contact information, so the teachers could not inform the parents about what their children were doing; and, last but not least, order takeout food, which made a mess and attracted rats into the area. Having access to the parents' contact information was critical in case a student was on drugs; it was the teacher's responsibility to inform the parents.

I complained once to the principal, but she ignored the complaint. I could have gone to the superintendent, but I was afraid of reprisals from the principal and afraid she would set me up for some sort of bad but false situation. As I look back on it, I should have filed a formal complaint to the superintendent. So what if the principal tried to get rid of me! I so hated what was going on that I was ready to quit anyway. My responsibility was to the students' education, safety and health, not to the principal.

I advise everyone in a similar situation to write a letter to the boss, make several copies, get them notarized and then give the boss a copy. If the boss does not respond in a way that you need, then send a copy of the letter to his or her boss.

A: You sound as if you regret not being strong enough to stand up to a boss you knew was unethical and incompetent. Many employees would have reacted the same way you did — complained once and then dropped it out of fear of losing their jobs.

But managers should not be allowed to get away with bad behavior.

It sets a bad example for employees; it lowers morale; it reflects on upper management; and it increases turnover, which is costly to any organization. If more people followed their core beliefs, morals and ethics, they would feel secure writing formal complaints about bosses who abuse power, people and the system.

Notarizing a complaint is not necessary. What is helpful is to motivate your co-workers into doing the right thing and joining in on the complaint. Another key to having situations corrected is to make complaints as factual as possible — which means documenting examples, including dates, of managers' bad behavior. You can't go back in time, but all your experiences can help you act differently in the future.

 

Friend Falls Apart When She Loses Job, Health Insurance and Husband

Q: My friend doesn't know how to research situations and make the right decisions for herself. She worked for an Internet company that went bankrupt, so she lost her job and her health insurance. I don't know whether she was offered COBRA. In addition, her husband left her, so she was not in a good frame of mind.

A: That's what friends are for — to serve as guides for friends who may become overwhelmed in times of need. Some people are stronger than others and can stand up to a greater number of stressful situations, but it is not up to friends to judge whether those friends should be able to function properly. If your friend is falling apart, offer to do the health insurance research for her; help her revise her résumé so she can start a job search. Guide her into counseling if she can't handle being alone at this time.

Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com. She answers all e-mails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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