Meal Break for a Recent Grad

Q: I started a new job recently. I graduated from college in May, 2014. I want to make a good impression. During my interview, I was told that hard work, being flexible and having a good attitude was important. I am trying really hard to do all of this! I do question one thing though. Others get a lunch hour and are able to do an errand, eat lunch or make phone calls. I was told that I should spend my lunch hour covering for the receptionist. I eat my lunch at the front desk. I must bring my lunch since I don't have the same flexibility as others. Sometimes I need to run quick errand or make a call. This doesn't seem fair that others get lots of freedom and I don't. What are your thoughts?

A: You have good instincts! Not only is this unfair but it sounds like it could be illegal. In Massachusetts, employers must provide a 30-minute meal break when an employee works six consecutive hours in a single shift. Assuming you are full-time and work six hours or more in single work day, you should be given a 30-minute meal break during your work day. The 30-minute meal break cannot be broken up into smaller chunks of time (e.g. two fifteen-minute breaks) and still comply with the law. An employee can voluntarily waive this meal break, but it sounds like you would like this meal break! In Massachusetts, employers can must allow employees to be free of handling work-related tasks and employees must be able to leave the work premises during this break. Also, the meal break can be unpaid since it is not time actually worked.

If my assumptions above are true, I would suggest talking to your supervisor. Explain that you are more than willing to help out covering the front desk, but that a meal break would give you a true break during the day. Hopefully your supervisor will understand. You can also explain that it is difficult seeing everyone else leave during the day when you don't enjoy the same break. If your supervisor still seems resistant, I would suggest sharing that your understanding is that a 30-minute meal break is the law after working six hours.

For more information, visit http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/wage-and-hour/meal-breaks.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.

Shoveling out a Colleague

Q: I work for a small start-up. All of us do everything all the time! Recently there was a snowstorm. Our building maintenance team did a poor job of plowing. There were a few employees who had cars that got plowed in. Our CEO asked us all to chip in to shovel out the plowed in cars so people could get out. I think we should have just paid for cabs for them to get home. Have you ever heard of employees being asked to shovel out the cars of co-workers?

A: Many of us have been stressed by snow storms this winter. The snow has created chaos with travel schedules, work commitments and the challenges of working at home when you are typically not a telecommuter.

As you mention, some employees have had their vehicles plowed in. I know some of my clients received mandates, which came from commercial landlords. In short, the mandate is "move all employee and visitor cars by X time or they will be towed." I am wondering if your CEO received such a message but perhaps did not communicate this instruction. Plows struggle with clearing parking lots if many cars are left there, especially for several days. As I recall, during a recent blizzard, there was a parking ban in Boston and cars were towed if they were left on the street overnight. My guess is that your CEO faced a similar situation.

I have heard of co-workers pitching in to ensure a colleague can move their car. Usually the shoveling is done on a volunteer basis and those with bad backs or other physical challenges are exempt. Often there are not enough shovels to go around so the effort is shared among many. Depending on the number of employee stuck and where they lived, cabs could get expensive. Additionally, cab service may have been hard to come by since cabs are often in great demand during storms. Start-ups are usually watching every penny so cab rides for all are unusual.

I just hope the groundhog is wrong! Go Pats!

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.

Moving into a leadership role as an individual contributor

Q: I want to move into a management position. I have four years of experience at my current company. All of the supervisory job postings say "management/leadership experience required." My question to you is -- how am I supposed to move up the ladder if this experience is required? I am in an individual contributor role.

A: Your situation is not uncommon. How does an individual contributor move into a management role? It's not impossible. You probably have management and/or leadership experience in your background already. Perhaps not in a corporate title though.

I consulted Evren Gunduz, Ed.M., CEO/Founder of Enjoy Life Leadership Academy. Gunduz's firm provide leadership training to thousands of young adults across the US and internationally as well. Gunduz offers this advice: "Apply for the position and frame yourself as a leader. There is a paradigm shift occurring in how we define 'leadership,' from commanding and directing in front of a group to how well a person collaborates within a group. Those that can push themselves and empower others to be better versions of themselves at work and in life are leaders. Leadership is less about title or position and more about doing and action. We all have management experience, it just may not be in the traditional sense of having a titled position within a company or organization. Were you ever in a band, student group, or committee? Did you ever participate in a group running race or other athletic team activity? Even though you don't have a management title in your current job, did you ever participate on a collaborative work team? If your answer is yes to any of these or other group experiences not mentioned, then you have management and leadership experience. Draw from these experiences and frame your application in a way that highlights how you lead and manage in these environments. Get creative and show that that the skills utilized in leading and collaborating within all the groups and teams you are a part of are transferable to a management position, because they are! In all instances, whether you are collaborating with a marathon relay team or a group of employees in an office, you are simply managing people and the skills it takes to lead and manage people are ubiquitous. And, more often than not, our leadership skills are better honed in our informal groups outside of our jobs versus our structured groups at work."

Finally, explain that you are motivated to move into this role because of your leadership experience and your experience within the company. Your institutional knowledge is valuable to your employer too.

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.

Minimum Wage for Cashiers

Q: I had heard that the minimum wage was going to increase in Massachusetts. I am applying for cashier jobs and they say they will pay minimum wage but it seems awfully low. What is the current minimum wage in Massachusetts? How does overtime work in Massachusetts for cashier positions?

A: Most employees in Massachusetts should be paid the minimum wage or higher. The current minimum wage in Massachusetts is $9.00, as of January 1, 2015. There are a few exceptions. For example, employees who are eligible to receive tips as part of their income (e.g., waitresses, bartenders, etc.), may be paid $3.00 per hour. However, tipped employees must still earn more than $9.00 per hour when all of their wages are combined. Some agricultural employees can also be paid $8.00 per hour. On January 1, 2016, the minimum wage in Massachusetts will be $10.00 per hour and then on January 1, 2018, the minimum wage will be $11.00 per hour. Visit http://www.mass.gov/lwd/labor-standards/minimum-wage/ for more information on the minimum wage law in Massachusetts.

Most cashier roles are classified as non-exempt. This means that the role is eligible for overtime pay. Overtime compensation should be paid when a non-exempt employee works more than 40 hours in a single work week.

On a related note, there is a new sick leave law that was passed in November, 2014. It requires employers to allow employees to earn and use sick time. Employers with 11 or more employees will need to offer paid sick time, however employers with fewer than 11 employees still have to offer the sick time but it does not have to be paid. The law isn't effective until July 1, 2015. Employers should think about how to implement this law in advance of July 1, 2015.

You are smart to ask questions about the minimum wage. For most cashier roles, you should be earning at least $9.00, at least in the state of Massachusetts.

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.

Job Doc chat with Pattie Hunt Sinacole @ Boston.com 1-12-15

It was a busy day on the Job Doc Chat. This week Pattie answered questions about presenting your most successful stats only, following up in January about a pre-holiday interview, being asked by HR if you would be interested in a different position within your company, working at a university versus in the private sector, finding out why you were rejected from a job, where to learn interview skills, not happy with a new job after earning an MBA, making the most of a job where you feel undervalued, working for a major tech company without a tech degree, being bored with your job and having nowhere to move up, having trouble landing a senior marketing role, making a lateral move to a new company, switching careers in your 50's, tips for writing resumes, whether to leave a new job after just a couple of months, looking for a new challenge but keep getting offered similar positions, and more... Read the transcript at http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/jobdoc/2015/01/monday_noon_job_doc_chat_with_13.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.

A verbal commitment of a salary increase

Q: When I was hired almost one year ago, my manager told me that they would "look at my salary" at the one-year mark. Nothing has been mentioned since then. I have been given positive feedback from him on a regular basis. But not a whisper about a salary increase. What do I do now?

A: Good for you for performing well! There are a few life lessons in the world of career management that I would like to share. If you have a few items on your "must have checklist" before you accept a new job, always to try negotiate them into the deal BEFORE you accept the offer. When possible, get these requests (like a commitment of a one-year salary review) in writing. It is almost always easier to get a commitment before you begin working, when you are still a candidate. Hindsight doesn't help you now though. In the future, keep this is mind.

I think approaching your manager in a respectful and professional way is the best route. Ask to meet with him private and not "on the fly" when others can drop in. During this first meeting, prepare a few bullet points to keep in front of you so you cover the topics which you plan to discuss. Ask if the two of you can meet around your one-year anniversary date to discuss your performance over the past year and goals for the upcoming year. Draft goals in advance. This shows you are serious and eager to perform well again during the upcoming year. Remind your manager that you want to discuss your salary since you will be approaching your one-year anniversary. Prior to the second meeting, try to understand your company's system for handling performance evaluations (if one even exists), salary increases, etc. Some employers have a prescribed and documented system for handling compensation, while some companies are very informal and operate very casually in this regard.

Finally, if your manager doesn't provide a document that summarizes your performance, I suggest you summarize the meeting so that there is a record of the meeting and your performance in year one.

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.

Transition to Biomedical Engineering Role

Q: I am eager to enter a new field, specifically biomedical engineering. I have an undergraduate degree in a related field (biology). However, my biology degree is not a perfect match for a biomedical engineering job. Do I have to return to school and earn a second undergraduate degree? This seems like a huge investment when I have some transferable work experience.

A: Congratulations! Your targeted field of biomedical engineering is a growth field and will likely offer tremendous career opportunities. I don't think you need to return to college and earn a second bachelor's degree. Instead, I would recommend that you consider exploring a certificate in biomedical engineering. After a quick search online, I found two Massachusetts colleges who offer certificate programs in biomedical engineering. The first college is University of Massachusetts Lowell. It seems that this program is primarily online. The other program I found is offered by Tufts University. Students at Tufts can receive credit for the certificate coursework if they are interested in pursuing a graduate degree at Tufts. Both are reputable colleges with strong biomedical engineering programs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job outlook for biomedical engineers is quite strong. Biomedical engineers often work in hospitals, research facilities or manufacturers of specific medical devices or healthcare instruments. The BLS reports the median pay for these roles is around $86,000 per year (2012 data).

One other resource to explore is the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). Visit www.bmes.org for more information. This site is a wealth of information and offers a job posting section as well.

Your degree in biology will be a solid foundation for your career in biomedical engineering. Good luck on your journey!

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.