My co-worker is loud and obnoxious. What do I do?

Q: I work next to a man who is loud and obnoxious. I don’t think he realizes how loud he gets. He wears ear buds and may not be able to hear himself. He swears and groans at events throughout the day. The rest of us do our best to ignore him. He also lets the world know when someone has ticked him off. How do we convey the message to him that he is annoying and creepy?

A: Ah the joys of a loud co-worker! It is no easy task putting up with another person’s grunts and groans.

I have a few suggestions though. First, when folks sit in an open environment (which I am assuming is your situation), it is helpful to discuss and post ground rules. Some common ground rules might be – 1. no eating at your desk, 2. no grooming at your desk, 3. noises above a normal talking volume are frowned upon. These guidelines may seem silly to you but I think I have heard every complaint about open work environments, from nail clipping to the odor of fish. I remember when I was pregnant, odors really affected me and would truly make me nauseous.

Another option is to leave a copy of this column on his desk. Your co-worker will “get it” then. He might be offended initially but then curtail his behavior. Hopefully he is mature enough to be able to accept the feedback.

I can empathize with your colleague since I am a loud person. I chomp ice loudly (or so my friend Kim says). I talk loudly, especially when on the phone (or so my husband says). Us loud folks sometimes don’t know when we are annoying. We just get lost in the moment!

In short, few people truly intend to offend. However, that doesn’t mean that their behavior is acceptable.

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.

No COBRA?

Q: I just left my company and I was told my benefits ended on my last day of work. I thought I would be eligible for COBRA. When I asked my former manager, she said that I was ineligible for COBRA because my former employer is too small. Can you help me understand this?

A: I hate surprises. Good ones or bad ones, but bad surprises especially.

Most of us know a bit about COBRA, a federal law requiring most employers to offer benefits continuation after an employee leaves an organization. The federal COBRA law only requires employers with 20 or more employees to offer benefits continuation. However, Massachusetts has a law very similar to COBRA, called MiniCOBRA. MiniCOBRA requires most employers, with 2-19 employees, to provide benefits continuation to employees who have lost coverage. Although leaving an organization is probably the most common reason for being eligible for either COBRA or MiniCOBRA, there may be situations where an employee loses coverage for another reason (e.g., a reduction in work hours). Both of these laws require employers to offer benefits continuation to employees who have lost coverage, but also family members who have lost coverage. Here is a link that will share some useful information on MiniCOBRA http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/insurance/health-insurance/consumer-guides/minicobra.html.

Employers can deny an employee benefits continuation for very limited reasons. “Gross misconduct” can disqualify an employee from benefits continuation. Although the laws don’t define exactly what this means, most agree that a termination for tardiness or poor performance are not legitimate “gross misconduct” reasons for disqualifying an employee from benefits continuation rights. Legitimate reasons for denying benefits continuation rights might be theft or committing some some type of violent act within the workplace.

I would re-connect with your former employer after you have had a chance to review information on COBRA and MiniCOBRA. Your employer may not aware of the state law.

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.

Can you go back to an employer you left years ago? And how?

A recent survey by staffing firm Spherion found that one-third of workers surveyed had gone back to a previous employer.

As long as you didn’t burn any bridges at your former workplace, you shouldn’t feel weird about returning to a previous employer.

In fact, being a “boomerang employee” — a worker who returns to a job after some time away — is becoming more common, a recent study by Spherion Staffing Services found.

Spherion’s online survey among 1,000 full- and part-time workers reports that nearly one-third of U.S. workers have boomeranged at least once in their career. An additional 41 percent of workers surveyed said they would be open to returning to a former employer.

Local career consultants said Spherion’s findings were unsurprising.

Patricia Hunt Sinacole, founder of consulting firm First Beacon Group LLC and a contributing writer for Boston.com’s Job Docs column, said she’s never seen a stigma attached to boomerang workers among her clients.

“I think it’s a great practice if the person had sort of a successful run the first time,” Hunt Sinacole said. “They often know the culture, the competition, and a little bit more about expectations and how decisions are made, assuming they haven’t been gone for 45 years.”

Hunt Sinacole said many companies she works with actually prefer recruiting former employees.

“Often, my clients say,  ‘It takes so much time to get someone new up and running,'” Hunt Sinacole said. “Hiring boomerang employees shortens the orientation period.”

Elaine Varelas, a managing partner at career management firm Keystone Partners, agreed, saying organizations have grown far more accepting of boomerang workers, provided they maintained a good relationship with their former employer. Varelas is also a contributing writer for Boston.com’s Job Docs column.

“The best thing you can do is leave well,” Varelas said. “Don’t bad-mouth an organization on your way out the door. Don’t throw your colleagues under the bus. Talk about the positive experiences you had in that place and talk about the things you want to gain in your new position.”

Even after you’ve left an employer, Varelas said you can continue cultivating a positive relationship by sending talent or business their way, if appropriate.

“Do everything you can to support the business efforts and activities of the organization, and then you haven’t let anything negative fester between that relationship,” Varelas added.

Despite the rise in boomerang workers, some employees are firm about permanently closing the door on former employers.

One in three workers Spherion surveyed reported they would not consider going back to a previous company, deeming such a move either a “step back” in their career or considering the company culture a bad fit.

Still, with companies casting a wider net for talented workers, you might want to think twice before sending that scathing “goodbye” email, or tweeting out your dramatic exit from a job. As Hunt Sinacole pointed out, “Sometimes, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”

Justine Hofherr covers the jobs beat for Boston.com. Writer. Bibliophile. Scone-baker.

Hiring woes

Q: My manager is the worst interviewer in the world. He just chit-chats with candidates. He doesn’t really interview them. We end up hiring these new employees who are really not qualified and make everyone else miserable. They don’t show up for work, they annoy others because they don’t have basic work skills and they don’t care about our customers. The original team is very committed to our customers. What should we do?

A: Working with colleagues who are less committed can be de-motivating. It sounds like you have a core team who are very focused on delivering results to your customers. Your manager should be asking questions about customer service, after a few “chit-chat” questions.

Beginning an interview with a few non-interview questions is fine. Questions like “Did you find us ok?” or “When will spring really begin?” are all ways to warm up a candidate and set the tone for a friendly back and forth. However, it sounds like customer service skills are critical. Some questions that your manager might want to ask are:

1. Tell me about your customer service experience.

2. Describe to me a time when you have had to interact with a very challenging customer.

3. What has been your favorite role of your career? If the candidate does not mention one with customer interaction, this might be a yellow flag. What has been the least favorite role of your career? Again, if the candidate includes a role with heavy customer interaction, this could be a concern.

4. How would you describe a strong co-worker?

5. How would your former co-workers describe you?

6. Describe to me the last piece of negative feedback a supervisor shared with you.

Notice I shared questions where a simple yes or no wouldn’t suffice. I focused on customer service skills and how this candidate interacts with co-workers. We have all worked with colleagues who are helpful and will chip in when a co-workers is harried or overwhelmed. When they are able, they assist a colleague. Then, we have those that look the other way when a co-worker is struggling. Or they volunteer for a project and and you find them surfing the net picking out new shoes. It is frustrating and I have worked with both types.

Every hire is a risk. In a relatively short amount of time, an interviewer has to assess a number of factors, including skill (can the candidate do the job?), cultural fit (can they add to the work environment or will they detract from it?), and co-worker relations (can they work well with others on the team, if this is important). In our firm, we help clients terminate more employees for cultural fit and how well (or not well!) they work with others. If a colleague can contribute to your work environment or positive co-worker relations, they are usually a keeper!

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.

Disclosing vacation plans as a final candidate

Q: I am planning to take a family vacation this summer. We have already booked our plane tickets and hotel for the first two weeks of July. I am also interviewing for a job and am a finalist for two different roles. My question is when do I disclose my vacation plans? I don’t want to be kicked out of the final pool just because of a family vacation.

A: Vacations are important, a time to recharge the batteries and make memories with family and friends. A two-week vacation, especially around the first two weeks of July, should be disclosed to a prospective employer.

Many employers will ask a final candidate if the candidate has any time off planned. Their goal is not to deny the time off planned but instead make sure that they can accommodate it. An employer does not want to be surprised by a new employee’s vacation plans either. There are certain weeks which are more commonly requested vacation weeks too, including time in early July (around Independence Day), late summer weeks (around Labor Day) as well as the late December (between Christmas and New Year’s Day).

As a final candidate, I would recommend that you disclose this information now. You don’t want to surprise an employer with this information and “start off on the wrong foot.” Rarely will a candidate be eliminated from a final round because of vacation plans. You should, however, make sure that you understand the company’s vacation plan and any pay that may be part of the vacation policy. Employers are permitted to set their own vacation plans and some may offer pro-rated vacation time during the first year.

As a newbie to the company though, realize that you may not be eligible to take these commonly requested weeks in future years. Often companies let the most senior employees take these weeks, if there are several employees who have asked for these week.

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.