It’s 5 solutions to 5 questions. Right here we go…
1. Our off-site features a physique fats evaluation
I began a brand new job lately and I’ve been invited to hitch an off-site in a couple of weeks time, out of the country.
At a briefing assembly this week, our group was given a preview of the agenda for the off-site, which is a mixture of working periods, outside actions, and group meals.
Nevertheless, the agenda additionally features a two-hour slot for an InBody check — which, for these not acquainted, is a physique composition evaluation that gives an in depth breakdown of physique weight when it comes to muscle, fats, and water. It’s been offered as an “non-compulsory,” “enjoyable” exercise. Even so, am I off-base to suppose it is a fully inappropriate factor to have in a piece setting? Most worrying, it’s additionally been talked about as a “conventional” exercise, which now has me questioning about what kind of tradition I’ve ended up in.
You aren’t off-base. That is inappropriate in a piece setting.
It’s non-compulsory. so skip it. If anybody asks why, say “Oh, it’s not my factor” or “No actual curiosity” or “I’ve at all times figured that’s between me and my physician.” When you’re snug with it, you additionally may ask some coworkers about it — “they mentioned this was a standard factor — what’s up with that?” Who is aware of, possibly you’ll hear the CEO loves it and nobody else participates, or that not less than a bunch of different folks suppose it’s bizarre. I wouldn’t essentially conclude you’ve resulted in a very messed-up office tradition; plenty of firms have This One Bizarre Factor We Do. However I can see why you’re alarmed.
2. Now we have to make use of six PTO days to take a five-day trip
A number of years in the past, I labored for an organization with a trip coverage I discovered actually bonkers. I labored on the company headquarters of a giant regional chain. Everybody on the company workplace was salaried and exempt and labored an ordinary 40-hour work week, Monday via Friday. It was extremely uncommon to work late (and nobody labored on weekends). We received three weeks of PTO a yr.
The bizarre factor was: when you took off a full work week of PTO Monday via Friday, you have been required to make use of six PTO days, not 5. The reasoning from administration was that technically, we have been all speculated to work a 46-hour work week (eight hours Monday via Friday, plus six hours on Saturdays), however they merely by no means enforced the “requirement” to work on Saturdays. And this coverage solely utilized to taking off Monday via Friday—you may take off 5 (or extra!) consecutive work days (as an example, Wednesday via Friday, then the next Monday and Tuesday) with out having to make use of an additional trip day for the Saturday you “missed.”
Neither the 46-hour work week nor the bizarre PTO coverage was ever communicated earlier than hiring, and it wasn’t documented within the worker handbook—folks would discover out about it via the grapevine or after they tried taking per week off.
Naturally, this triggered loads of anger amongst workers, however no person would push again as a result of administration was very poisonous and punitive each time somebody questioned authority (that’s an entire separate letter). Individuals simply accepted it or discovered some workaround to keep away from dropping an additional trip day. In a single memorable occasion, a co-worker took PTO Tuesday via Friday, got here to work on the next Monday, then took PTO the following Tuesday via Friday (they really flew residence to work that Monday, then flew again to their vacation spot to complete their trip!).
I do know that in circumstances like this, the reply to “Is that this authorized?” is sort of at all times “Sure, but it surely sucks.” However I’ve at all times puzzled if this not less than tiptoed as much as the road of one thing shady (particularly because the firm was identified for sketchy labor practices, like hiring long-term freelancers and treating them like workers). I additionally can’t fathom the reasoning behind such a coverage — there was zero affect on workflow if somebody took a Monday via Friday trip, and we have been by no means requested to really work on Saturdays.
Can an organization actually require salaried, exempt workers to take an additional PTO day for a weekend day they’re by no means really required to work? And why on earth would an organization accomplish that?
What?! That’s one of the vital weird insurance policies I’ve ever heard in my 100 years scripting this column, and that bar is sort of excessive. (To be clear, there have been many far extra weird occurrences. However as a company coverage, that is up there.)
They claimed that they had a 46-hour work week that nobody was ever knowledgeable of and that wasn’t practiced as a result of it was really faux? And it was faux — as demonstrated each by the truth that nobody ever labored Saturdays or over 40 hours per week, and by the truth that they didn’t inform new hires about it. In case you have a coverage of working Saturdays in a company job, you inform folks about it earlier than hiring them. They didn’t, as a result of the coverage isn’t actual.
As for why an organization would do that … I can’t think about. Perhaps a decade in the past they actually did work Saturdays and nobody ever up to date the coverage as soon as that modified (nonetheless fairly indefensible). Perhaps there’s a sociopath in HR. Who is aware of.
However whereas there is perhaps a state regulation on the market that this might violate (California, is it you?), in most states this might be authorized. No regulation requires your employer to offer you trip time, so firms can typically make up no matter bizarre guidelines they need to about it.
P.S. I’d wager cash you shouldn’t all have been categorized as exempt although.
3. Ought to my resignation letter embody 700 phrases on why I’m leaving?
I’ve determined to go away a company that I’ve labored at for nearly six years. I’ve some frank, essential suggestions that I wish to undergo the group’s leaders; it’s a small group and I’ve labored carefully with them up to now. Is the resignation letter an applicable place to stipulate the the reason why I’m leaving? My present draft is about 700 phrases.
They’ve performed exit interviews up to now, however not constantly, and I need to doc my suggestions in writing earlier than leaving. I cannot want them as references as I’m quitting to work for my very own enterprise.
Noooo, don’t do it. First, a resignation letter completely isn’t the suitable place to supply suggestions. A resignation letter must be about two sentences and is used solely to doc your choice after the dialog the place you resign. Second, if you wish to give that form of suggestions, I’d strongly suggest that you simply do it in a dialog, not in an unsolicited letter — however I’d much more strongly suggest that you simply rethink doing it in any respect. In the event that they have been actually open to enter, you most likely would have had alternatives to offer it earlier. Important suggestions shot at folks as you’re strolling out the door doesn’t typically carry a ton of weight or credibility, and it’s an funding of your emotional power into a spot that you simply’re making an attempt to sever ties with.
(Additionally: don’t write off the chance that you may want them as references in some unspecified time in the future. Hopefully your new enterprise will thrive and also you’ll by no means apply for a standard job once more, however enterprise ventures don’t at all times work out that method.)
Associated:
ought to I inform the reality in my exit interview?
4. Did my trainer destroy my faculty purposes?
When making use of to varsity, I requested my highschool historical past trainer to jot down a letter of advice for me. Our college had a system in place the place the lecturers would submit letters via an internet portal. The scholar can’t view the letter till after submission, and solely then in the event that they request a replica.
Months after submitting my purposes I wanted to make use of this letter for scholarships and so I requested a replica. To my shock, I noticed that my trainer had, in actual fact, used my older sister’s title repeatedly all through the letter, as a substitute of my very own. All the details listed have been the identical, we each have been 4.0 college students, each class president, and each had this trainer for a similar AP class, simply two years aside!
I received rejected or waitlisted by each faculty I utilized to. It has been nearly a decade now and I nonetheless surprise. How dangerous of a mistake was this? Is that this sufficient to reject an applicant by itself? Wouldn’t it be worse in an expert context, somewhat than educational?
Nah, they’d nearly definitely simply assume the trainer despatched the incorrect letter. I doubt it was a significant component in your purposes.
Professionally it is perhaps a bit weirder, though there too you’d typically assume the trainer tousled. (Though in most industries, written letters of advice for jobs aren’t a lot of a factor anyway, particularly from highschool lecturers.)
5. Explaining why I’m leaving a job after 15 years
I’m battling how you can finest clarify my choice to go away an organization after 15 years of employment. The job had run its course and I used to be not making the cash I ought to have after being there that lengthy. I don’t need to seem damaging or cash hungry at an upcoming interview.
First, it’s not money-hungry to consider you must be incomes extra. However you’ve been there 15 years! You don’t even want to say cash; you’ll be able to merely say, “I’ve been right here 15 years and I’m able to tackle one thing new.” Everybody will get that. It’s one of many best solutions to offer and to know.