Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Job Doc Chat with Pattie Hunt Sinacole on Monday, August 31
This week on the Job Doc Chat, Pattie answered questions about an employer's responsiveness to job applications and how to deal with annoying coworkers. She also tackled the tough question of how to ask for a raise, see all this and more here: http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/jobdoc/2015/08/job_doc_chat_with_pattie_hunt_16.html
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Pursuing a Second Career in Interior Design
Q: I am 35 years old and a stay at home with two small
children. My undergraduate degree was in political science. It was a
degree that I never really used since I worked mostly in marketing and
non-profit fundraising before my children were born. I am now most
interested in interior design. Do I need to work on a second
undergraduate degree? The expense of such a program would be a hardship
for our family.
A: Congratulations on discovering what is interesting to you as the next step in your career. I am thrilled that you have earned an undergraduate degree.
A second undergraduate degree would be both time-consuming and expensive. I would suggest that you research certificate programs in interior design. It is a more practical way of formally educating yourself and it will be quicker and less expensive to complete this type of program vs. completing a second undergraduate degree.
Several local colleges offer certificate programs in interior design. As an example, Massachusetts Bay Community College offers an interior design certificate program which includes a nine course curriculum. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) also offers an interior design certificate program also.
You could also gain valuable experience by beginning to work with an experienced interior designer or working in a retail shop where interior design services are offered. Not only will you gain experience, but you will add professional contacts to your rolodex.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
A: Congratulations on discovering what is interesting to you as the next step in your career. I am thrilled that you have earned an undergraduate degree.
A second undergraduate degree would be both time-consuming and expensive. I would suggest that you research certificate programs in interior design. It is a more practical way of formally educating yourself and it will be quicker and less expensive to complete this type of program vs. completing a second undergraduate degree.
Several local colleges offer certificate programs in interior design. As an example, Massachusetts Bay Community College offers an interior design certificate program which includes a nine course curriculum. The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) also offers an interior design certificate program also.
You could also gain valuable experience by beginning to work with an experienced interior designer or working in a retail shop where interior design services are offered. Not only will you gain experience, but you will add professional contacts to your rolodex.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Canoeing, Napping and Cycling -- Is This Acceptable?
Q: I work in a very casual technology company. Most
employees really put forth an effort every day and on every project.
There are a few who take advantage of our casual culture. They take
afternoon bike rides, head to the Charles to canoe for a few hours,
arrive at 10am and leave at 3pm. I even found one colleague asleep in
our employee lounge. Our CEO is a young, relaxed guy and very fair. He
trusts people, maybe too much. I will admit though we do fire
employees who are not meeting expectations. What are your suggestions
for addressing the folks who seem to take advantage of the perks within
my workplace?
A: More and more companies are moving to a very employee-centric work environment. If employers are expecting employees to be available during the evenings and weekends, employers are giving employees a bit of extra flexibility during the week. With that said, most employees are respectful and appreciative of such an environment. However, there are some who take advantage of such flexibility. Many companies are giving employees the option of working flexible hours if they can still complete their work. Instead of watching when employees punch in and punch out, managers are evaluating an employee's productivity and results vs. the actual hours worked. The real question is are they getting their work done?
The managers of the employees who take advantage, may be observing these behaviors too. Perhaps these perceived slackers are working remotely until 1:00am on the tight deadline. Or they may have been partying the night before at a local bar. You and I don't know. You have to trust your employees and their managers. However, if some are taking advantage of that trust and not getting their work done, managers should be addressing these concerns with the employees. It sounds like some employees have been terminated for not doing their jobs well. This is sometimes a necessary evil. This may be an encouraging sign -- that managers are monitoring performance and responding appropriately to those who can't effectively perform their job.
Kudos to your employer for building a trustful work environment. Most will respect it but some will not.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
A: More and more companies are moving to a very employee-centric work environment. If employers are expecting employees to be available during the evenings and weekends, employers are giving employees a bit of extra flexibility during the week. With that said, most employees are respectful and appreciative of such an environment. However, there are some who take advantage of such flexibility. Many companies are giving employees the option of working flexible hours if they can still complete their work. Instead of watching when employees punch in and punch out, managers are evaluating an employee's productivity and results vs. the actual hours worked. The real question is are they getting their work done?
The managers of the employees who take advantage, may be observing these behaviors too. Perhaps these perceived slackers are working remotely until 1:00am on the tight deadline. Or they may have been partying the night before at a local bar. You and I don't know. You have to trust your employees and their managers. However, if some are taking advantage of that trust and not getting their work done, managers should be addressing these concerns with the employees. It sounds like some employees have been terminated for not doing their jobs well. This is sometimes a necessary evil. This may be an encouraging sign -- that managers are monitoring performance and responding appropriately to those who can't effectively perform their job.
Kudos to your employer for building a trustful work environment. Most will respect it but some will not.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Monday, August 17, 2015
A missed opportunity for a compliment
Q: I work for a healthcare company on the south shore.
Recently, a vendor asked me to schedule a time to come to our office to
present an award. I explained that I would have to check with my
director and asked the vendor to give me two or three dates that would
work. We had had the same discussion last year. Evidently, the award had
been given to my director to give to me. I never heard a word. I am now
mentioned as a recipient for next year's award before this year's award
has been presented. I would like to think that the workplace would
benefit from this.
The question is, why would this recognition of the organization not be notable?
A: Thanks for asking this question. It sounds like you might be feeling a bit slighted and possibly rightly so.
In my opinion, this would be a good opportunity to share a kudos, high five or simple compliment. "Hey Kathy, ABC came in and dropped off this award for you. Let me explain why you received the award. Congrats!"
However, in some organizations, there are lengthy and detailed conflict of interest policies and guidelines. I am wondering if your director may have had concerns about a potential appearance of a conflict. If, as an example, you are a purchasing manager and this was a vendor giving you an award. This may be a potential conflict because it may influence your vendor selection decisions.
If you have no decision-making responsibilities around the selection of the vendor, then I don't see a potential conflict. Some companies are more rigid about this than others. Employers will sometimes say that any gift or award given by an outside vendor, to an employee, must be refused. Other will demand that any gifts, awards or other items of value must be disclosed. Sometimes there are monetary limits. For example, anything valued below $25 does not need to be disclosed but anything above a value of $25 should be disclosed.
Either way though it was a missed opportunity to give you a pat on the back. Even if your company has a strong conflict of interest policy, your director could have told you that you were a award recipient but you cannot accept the award.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
The question is, why would this recognition of the organization not be notable?
A: Thanks for asking this question. It sounds like you might be feeling a bit slighted and possibly rightly so.
In my opinion, this would be a good opportunity to share a kudos, high five or simple compliment. "Hey Kathy, ABC came in and dropped off this award for you. Let me explain why you received the award. Congrats!"
However, in some organizations, there are lengthy and detailed conflict of interest policies and guidelines. I am wondering if your director may have had concerns about a potential appearance of a conflict. If, as an example, you are a purchasing manager and this was a vendor giving you an award. This may be a potential conflict because it may influence your vendor selection decisions.
If you have no decision-making responsibilities around the selection of the vendor, then I don't see a potential conflict. Some companies are more rigid about this than others. Employers will sometimes say that any gift or award given by an outside vendor, to an employee, must be refused. Other will demand that any gifts, awards or other items of value must be disclosed. Sometimes there are monetary limits. For example, anything valued below $25 does not need to be disclosed but anything above a value of $25 should be disclosed.
Either way though it was a missed opportunity to give you a pat on the back. Even if your company has a strong conflict of interest policy, your director could have told you that you were a award recipient but you cannot accept the award.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Pizza Place Job and Time and One-half
Q: I am a college student and I work at a pizza place over
the summer to make some money. I do mostly cashiering but sometimes I
bus tables and clean up the kitchen at the end of the night. Sometimes I
work long hours. When should I be paid time and one-half? I have
heard about this but unsure when it applies to me.
A: First, let me assume you are 18 years or older and are not
covered by some of the laws which apply to minors (14-17 years old).
Based on what you have described as your job duties, it sounds like you are a non-exempt employee. This means you are entitled being paid overtime. If you work over 40 hours in a single work week, you are entitled to overtime pay (time and one-half) for each hour worked over 40. Also you should be paid at least minimum wage, which is currently $9.00 per hour. Effective January 1, 2016, the minimum wage will increase to $10.00 per hour.
If your hours exceed 40 hours in one week, then you should be paid time and one-half. Your manager though can adjust your hours though to keep you below that threshold. As an example, your manager may schedule you to work three 10-hour days and then ask you to work a six-hour day on Saturday to keep you below the 40-hour threshold. However, if you worked 12 hours on that Saturday, you would be entitled to receive two hours of pay at time and one-half.
The other law that would likely apply to you would be the Massachusetts law on meal breaks. You are permitted to take a 30-minute unpaid meal break if you work more than six consecutive hours. You can voluntarily waive this meal break but then you must be paid for that time.
The Attorney General in Massachusetts has a helpful site on wage and hour laws. Visit http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/wage-and-hour/.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Based on what you have described as your job duties, it sounds like you are a non-exempt employee. This means you are entitled being paid overtime. If you work over 40 hours in a single work week, you are entitled to overtime pay (time and one-half) for each hour worked over 40. Also you should be paid at least minimum wage, which is currently $9.00 per hour. Effective January 1, 2016, the minimum wage will increase to $10.00 per hour.
If your hours exceed 40 hours in one week, then you should be paid time and one-half. Your manager though can adjust your hours though to keep you below that threshold. As an example, your manager may schedule you to work three 10-hour days and then ask you to work a six-hour day on Saturday to keep you below the 40-hour threshold. However, if you worked 12 hours on that Saturday, you would be entitled to receive two hours of pay at time and one-half.
The other law that would likely apply to you would be the Massachusetts law on meal breaks. You are permitted to take a 30-minute unpaid meal break if you work more than six consecutive hours. You can voluntarily waive this meal break but then you must be paid for that time.
The Attorney General in Massachusetts has a helpful site on wage and hour laws. Visit http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/wage-and-hour/.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Company Theft and COBRA
Q: I recently was terminated from my job. I was stupid. I used a company credit card to buy things for my apartment. I got caught. I plan to pay the company back. I thought I would be offered COBRA so I can continue my benefits. I was told by my HR Rep that I could not continue my benefits since my termination can be classified as "gross misconduct." Have you ever heard of this or are they playing hardball?
A: What an unfortunate situation. It sounds like you knew you should not be using the company credit card, but you did anyway.
Your HR Representative has shared accurate information. You can be denied COBRA, because of the reason for your termination. Many would agree that stealing from the company fits into the definition of "gross misconduct." Worse, your former employer may be pressing charges against you for theft and they will also very likely protest your claim if you file for unemployment benefits.
You may want to consider researching benefits options through the Massachusetts Health Connector, assuming you live in Massachusetts. The Health Connector offers a variety of plans through a variety of well-established carriers. The number for The Health Connector is 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765).
You also may be able to access coverage another way. If you have a spouse or domestic partner, you may be able to join his or her plan since your termination is a qualifying event. A qualifying event can be anything from a divorce to a reduction in hours (which sometimes makes an employee ineligible for benefits).
Finally, my hope is that you have learned a valuable lesson. The decision to use your former company's credit card will likely haunt you for many years, particularly if your former employer decides to press charges against you.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
Your HR Representative has shared accurate information. You can be denied COBRA, because of the reason for your termination. Many would agree that stealing from the company fits into the definition of "gross misconduct." Worse, your former employer may be pressing charges against you for theft and they will also very likely protest your claim if you file for unemployment benefits.
You may want to consider researching benefits options through the Massachusetts Health Connector, assuming you live in Massachusetts. The Health Connector offers a variety of plans through a variety of well-established carriers. The number for The Health Connector is 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765).
You also may be able to access coverage another way. If you have a spouse or domestic partner, you may be able to join his or her plan since your termination is a qualifying event. A qualifying event can be anything from a divorce to a reduction in hours (which sometimes makes an employee ineligible for benefits).
Finally, my hope is that you have learned a valuable lesson. The decision to use your former company's credit card will likely haunt you for many years, particularly if your former employer decides to press charges against you.
Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.
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