Q–I registered at employment agencies to help me find a secretarial position, but the counselors try pushing me into working as a temporary, rather than getting me interviews for permanent positions. One counselor told me that most companies can’t afford agency fees for hiring a permanent employee and that employers like to check a person’s performance as a temporary before hiring a full-time employee. Something smells fishy here. What if, after I give my best as a temp, the company decides I’m not right for the position?
A–The situation you call fishy is actually smart hiring practices. Hiring a full-time employee costs a company money–administrative costs involved in the hiring process, benefits, training and, of course, a full-time salary. If you put all your effort into performing and you are still not up to that company’s standards, it’s better for the employer to find out while you are only a temporary.
On the brighter side, you may get a great job that you would normally not have been able to land after proving yourself as a temporary. Here’s a reader’s positive experience on taking temporary work that may help you:
“I left a job with one bad manager, only to begin a second job with a manager from a horror novel. In less than two months, I was fired because management said I had a bad attitude. I registered at an employment agency that placed me in a temporary position with a major company. I was happy from the first day there. I learned that I didn’t have a bad attitude, just two bad jobs.”
Q–Our company absenteeism policy allows us eight days off per year. When we don’t use those days, they are carried over to the next year. The problem is that when we do use sick days, we are threatened with disciplinary measures. The company considers these days their time.
A–Something is wrong with this picture, or perhaps something is wrong with the person administering this policy. If an individual blatantly misuses sick days, management should take disciplinary action against that person only, not its entire work force.
Q–I work for a company that has more than 100 employees, but it has no human resources department. I sometimes work up to 10 hours overtime a week, but to cut costs, the company gives compensation time instead of pay to hourly employees. Once in a while, the company will pay overtime, but never at the proper time and a half. Can I refuse overtime without getting fired?
A–Your company’s policy violates Illinois labor laws. The laws can’t prevent your getting fired, but you can file a complaint with the labor department so it can review your company’s overtime practices.
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Problems on the job? Write to Lindsey Novak, At Work, Financial Department, 4th Floor, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611, or, via e-mail: AtWorkbyLN@aol.com. No phone calls, please. Answers will be supplied only through the newspaper.
