Q–My company offers a $1,000 referral bonus after the new hire you referred has been employed for 90 days. I have referred two people I previously worked with. They would not have known about these openings without my help. Am I supposed to offer them a portion of the bonus or take them out to dinner, etc.?
A–They get the job, you get the bonus, and that’s all the exchange that needs to be made. By referring a person, you are staking your reputation on his or her job performance. Even if you are not asked directly, you are saying that the person is skilled, has good work habits and has earned your respect. Perhaps it is they who owe you a dinner?
Q–I admit that not all managers are bad, but finding a good one is the exception, not the rule. The comic strip Dilbert seems to accurately point out the bizarre actions of corporate America’s managers and employee grumbling. Has management always been this inept or has a new type of personality started to advance into management?
A–Just as not all people are bad, not all people are good either. But three things could cause this. Typically, people advance into management positions according to their on-the-job skills. These abilities don’t automatically transfer into managing people well. Second, most MBA programs focus on marketing or finance and economics, not on interpersonal skills. Third, some personalities change when they accept more authority than they can handle. All these situations show why it’s important to consider the chemistry between you and a potential boss before accepting a job.
Q–I work for a small company where the owner acts as the office manager. He tolerates unprofessional attitudes and low productivity from some employees, while demanding more from those of us with a greater sense of responsibility. The company has a high turnover rate, but because he doesn’t pay enough, he has trouble getting qualified applicants. His business is growing because a few of us carry the ones who don’t produce. How do we get him to listen?
A–Tell him you are no longer going to carry your co-workers’ workloads. If the owner can’t successfully manage employees, which includes hiring and firing, he needs to hire someone who can. Suggest that he hire a temporary professional to develop a supportive staff and manage the office until things are running smoothly. If he doesn’t understand how low morale can destroy productivity, you may want to look for a new job before the situation becomes intolerable.
Q–In one of your answers, you said that the department manager was not an hourly employee and should be treated like a professional. Hourly employees should also be treated as professionals. I am a power plant head operator with 28 years experience, have a degree and I am paid hourly. I consider myself a professional and so does my manager.
A–All employees should be treated with respect and professionalism. But non-exempt employees (those who receive overtime) are under different labor laws than exempt employees (those who do not receive overtime). If a manager who receives a salary regardless of the number of hours worked, needs to take off for a couple of hours during the day for a doctor’s appointment, for example, the company cannot dock the employee. Hourly employees either punch a time clock or keep track of their hours and are paid according to their time on the job.
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Write to Lindsey Novak, Jobs, Room 400, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. E-mail her at AtWorkbyLN@aol.com.
