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Many Interests Can Lead to Many Careers
Q: Many fields have interested me, so much so that I could never pick just one. I would be considered a job hopper according to my passions, but my resume has suffered because of it. I know many people work in the same or similar fields throughout …Read more.
How to Know When College Is Worth it
Q: I was never a great student, but I don't want a minimum-wage job for the rest of my life, either. I don't have one thing I really want to do, and I don't know about everything I can do. I graduate high school this summer, and right now, I'm …Read more.
She Blurted Out Complaints -- Now She Must Make Amends
Q: I knew I shouldn't have done it when I did it, but I couldn't help myself. Now what do I do? I work for a company that is poorly managed. If the company changed its thinking and the way it operates, it could make so much more money and also make …Read more.
Boss Can Address Employee's New Facial Piercing, Policy or No Policy
Q: Recently, a co-worker showed up with her upper lip/lower cheek pierced. It makes me sick to look at it, as it is a very noticeable hole with an earring in it. What's worse is that she continually pulls on it and twirls it, maybe unconsciously, …Read more.
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Smoke-Free Environment Campaign Takes Power, Proof and SupportQ: I'm a dealer in a Las Vegas casino. Just because we work in a casino doesn't mean we should be forced to breathe in the secondhand smoke from gamblers. They need to know how miserable they make life for us while we're working. We can't walk away from our tables. We are held captive, breathing in their cigarette smoke. Gamblers could be on a game for an hour or more, so we have no choice but to breathe in their smoke. If we said anything, we would be fired and other dealers easily would take our place. I know dealers who smoke themselves, and they don't even like working a game that has smokers. The tobacco industry furthers the myth that if casinos turned into no-smoking environments, they would go broke. It's a myth because the poker rooms have turned into no-smoking rooms, and their business is going like gangbusters. Only 13 to 17 percent of gamblers smoke. The airlines and restaurants in certain locations have gone "no smoking." How do we get the casinos to consider it? A: The decision is a bottom-line determination by the casinos, regardless of the proof that secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer, as well as other heart and lung health problems. First, discreetly develop a network of dealers and other casino workers who would prefer a smoke-free work environment. Then make contact with the various charitable organizations — the American Lung Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and local charities — that can work together to organize a smoke-free environment campaign. You can't fight the battle alone, but with the help plus survey statistics on your side, you may be successful in creating a work environment from which even the gamblers benefit. Legal Recourse Isn't Always in Employee's Best Interest Q: I worked at an advertising agency for several years.
A: The advertising agency must be small and unsophisticated, because no knowledgeable human resources representative would issue a letter stating why an employee was laid off. A company has the right to fire you or reduce your salary if it wishes, but putting a lie in writing is not wise. Because the company stated that your position no longer was needed and it replaced you soon after your departure, you may have cause for an action, depending on your state's laws. Check with your state's labor department, and meet with an investigator, if possible. Be aware, though, that if the owners and directors of the ad agency are well-known in the industry and in your area, your actions may put you on a blacklist for employment with other agencies. Legal recourse may be possible, but it isn't always the best choice to make. Put your energy in a more positive direction and strive for a more lucrative job. 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. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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