At Work from Creators Syndicate

Admirable Effort to Support Neighborhood Business for 02/16/2012

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I am a small business owner who depends on and am grateful for every customer I have. A small cupcake shop opened down the street, and I like to support local businesses, so on my way to get coffee, I thought I would stop in and buy a couple of cupcakes (that is the only product). The lights were on, the door was open and three clerks were behind the counter, so I walked in and looked at the ...

Updated: Thu Feb 16, 2012

Defending Oneself Is Always Worth the Effort for 02/09/2012

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Q: A former supervisor falsely accused me of things in order to fire me, so I resigned before she had the chance. She had no proof of any of the accusations, and she did not report anything to the authorities. That was five years ago, and I have had other jobs since then. In a current job search, I received a notice from a prospective employer that I would not be hired because I did not disclos ...

Updated: Thu Feb 09, 2012

Dressing Appropriately Shows More Than Style for 02/02/2012

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I started a new job after being unemployed for some time. While I was unemployed, I gained weight and can no longer fit in my work clothes. I can't afford to buy new things right now. I need to catch up on my bills. I did buy new jeans and a pair of dress pants, but nothing else. I was able to stuff myself into a nice suit for the interview, but I can't wear it again and again. I know my co- ...

Updated: Thu Feb 02, 2012

Partner Moves Funds Into Own Account, Leaving Other Partner With Bills for 01/26/2012

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I am going through the biggest fight in my life right now. My husband moved our personal and business money into offshore accounts in his own name before I realized he was having an affair and I filed for divorce. He is colluding with a banker who owns the mortgages on our commercial and personal properties. We were both financially successful, and the commercial property is making money, so ...

Updated: Thu Jan 26, 2012

Mortgage Industry Downfall Affects All Workplaces for 01/19/2012

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I have been a successful, full-time real estate agent in Chicago for 20 years with a prestigious, nationally known company. Our residential market held on longer than other areas in the country, but what I see happening now to homeowners who are laid off is shocking. The banking and mortgage industry claimed the surge of foreclosures was due to masses of people purchasing homes their income ...

Updated: Thu Jan 19, 2012

Employee Uses Company's Email As If It Were His Own for 01/12/2012

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I work for a privately owned company whose business slowly has been going down. I can see the writing on the wall, so I have started a job search in the industry and in other areas in which I could transfer my skills. I showed my resume to someone who commented negatively on my listing my work email address and work phone number on it. I am not an officer, but I am also not a lower-level emp ...

Updated: Thu Jan 12, 2012

Use Reason, Not Anger to Win for 01/05/2012

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I had a billing dispute with a well-known sales website, where it arbitrarily decided that I owed $40.00. I did not order anything through the site; I did not owe anything; and I had never agreed to pay anything. After one month of me refusing to pay, my selling privileges were cancelled. The $40.00 was turned over to a collection agency that made the usual threats — "We'll have y ...

Updated: Thu Jan 05, 2012

Holiday Bonus Split Unfairly Among Employees for 12/29/2011

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: We recently moved from a house to a condominium. At the beginning of this month, management posted a notice encouraging residents to give to the employees through its "holiday fund." The building hires a professional management company, which, in turn, assigns a manager to our 100-plus-unit building. The manager then hires maintenance men, a receptionist, security guards and a clea ...

Updated: Thu Dec 29, 2011

Minor on-the-Job Injury Can Turn Serious in the Future for 12/22/2011

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I've heard co-workers say they felt the company had it in for them once they filed a worker's compensation claim. Can management take it out on an employee, and can you file a claim after the fact, once you find out the injury could be serious?

A: This is a common worry among employees, especially those involved in jobs requiring physical tasks. According to Karin K. Connelly, senior ...

Updated: Thu Dec 22, 2011

Pros and Cons for Putting off Job Search for 12/15/2011

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: My 20-year-old daughter graduates college June 2012. She just announced she wants to take a year off after graduating to travel and live on an island somewhere. I said it was OK because it's easier to do things like that when you are young, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure. I should talk more about it with her, but I am not sure what to say. What advice would you give her?

...

Updated: Thu Dec 15, 2011

Time Management Is a Plus at School and at Work for 12/08/2011

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I am in my first year of college and majoring in film production, which is my passion, but I have to work part-time in addition to school. Doing both is exhausting. Scheduling is an important part of creating the film, but scheduling when working on projects with other students who also have part-time jobs is next to impossible. We are making a street racing film, and I needed to sign out fo ...

Updated: Thu Dec 08, 2011

Son Not Capable to Takeover Family Business for 12/01/2011

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I co-manage a family-owned business that was built up by the father and is now being gradually turned over to the son. The father and the son are like night and day. The father cares about people and shows concern over his employees and customers. The son cares about money — only.

He doesn't care about getting to know the products or what the market trends are; he is not a peop ...

Updated: Thu Dec 01, 2011

Harsh Words Accomplish Nothing for 11/24/2011

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I share an office that has one computer station for 10 colleagues. It works out because we all work different schedules, and most of us do our heavy computer work at home. We all must, though, use the computer daily for brief periods.

One of our colleagues cuts his or her nails while sitting at the computer and leaves the debris wherever it falls. I find it a dirty and disgusting hab ...

Updated: Thu Nov 24, 2011

Impossible Boss Drives Out Long-Time Employee for 11/17/2011

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I worked as a director for 12 years where I reported to the executive director. The executive director's position was filled six times; three of the directors were fired. I got along with everyone, but never applied for the position because of its history. The most recent executive director wanted obedience, as evidenced by her comment, "I'm used to telling people what to do, and they d ...

Updated: Thu Nov 17, 2011

It's Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams for 11/10/2011

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Q: I have worked in similar types of jobs all my life. The money has been OK, but I have put up with boring jobs for too many years. I can continue on this path, but it bothers me that I will never live my dream of working in a job that I love.

I am not making incredible amounts of money, but I make enough to pay the bills. I am approaching 50, and when I talk to friends about changing ...

Updated: Thu Nov 10, 2011

Colleague Suffers the Guilt of Not Helping for 11/03/2011

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Q: I worked in a department with five equal colleagues. Two of them became best friends, but they continued being friendly with the others. A lead position opened and both openly wanted it. The one who was promoted was not as good as the other, but she was a great "schmoozer."

As time went by, the one who hadn't gotten promoted started having behind-the-scenes talks with manag ...

Updated: Thu Nov 03, 2011

Three-Week Job Doesn't Count for 10/27/2011

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Q: I was let go from an unpaid internship with a news website after three weeks. My supervisor would not say exactly what he wanted, and he got angry when I didn't do it the way he wanted. I had to guess at what he wanted and then attempt to deliver it. I got along with everyone else, never spoke badly about anyone, dressed appropriately, arrived on time and put in long hours. He called me in o ...

Updated: Thu Oct 27, 2011

Rambling Colleague Wastes Time for 10/20/2011

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Q: My colleague is intelligent and knowledgeable, but a know-it-all. Whenever I ask her a question, she answers me and goes into an explanation that is time-consuming and filled with irrelevant information as to what I need. An example might be if you asked what kind of wood floor the company used, she would give you the name and characteristics of the wood (that's OK), but also the location an ...

Updated: Thu Oct 20, 2011

Employee Hears Slurs and Insults From Future Head for 10/13/2011

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Q: I have worked for several years as a party planner/coordinator for an organization. One of the employees who is in line for a management position makes slurs about the people he doesn't like. These criticisms range from insulting to prejudicial and bigoted. No one has ever reported him or even told him not to talk that way, so he probably thinks those listening agree with him.

This m ...

Updated: Thu Oct 13, 2011

Age Can Turn Molehill into Mountain for 10/06/2011

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Q: I am a 50-year-old middle manager with a bachelor's degree from a top college. I spent most of my life in a field that is disappearing. If I retrain, I still don't see managers hiring a 50-something newbie. Since losing my staff job three years ago, I have worked as a freelancer with modest success, but one by one, my clients have folded as the field vanishes. I think my best bet is to look ...

Updated: Thu Oct 06, 2011