Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with employer

Can I file a complaint about a 401k rollover problem?

mayann — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:56:04 -0800

Is there any regulation governing how long an employer can take to process a terminated employee's request to withdraw her money from the employer's 401k plan and send to a roll-over IRA (there was 0 employer contribution to the 401k)? It took a former employer 8 weeks to process my request. I lost out on a $300 bonus TDAmeritrade was offering for IRA rollovers. It is all my own money and I think I should have been able to gain access more quickly to it. Any grounds on which I can file a complaint?

Bitch better have my money...

Fupped Duck — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:11:45 -0800

Negotiating Filter: Please help suggest a way to negotiate with tight fisted mgmt so they will recognize an above the call of duty sale with an above the call of duty commission above the existing commission structure A friend is a national Sales Mgr for a small company that manufactures a unique (patented) device for boats. The company is owned/operated by the husband (inventor of the device) and his wife. Sales have been good with steady growth in the 5 years since they started up.
As sales manager, he routinely sells to dealers and the occasional distributor, and is compensated for this with salary, + a small commission plus bonus if certain goals are met.
Some owners are very much enlightened and cognizant that its a team that makes their company a success and it comes across in the way they share the spoils of success.
These owners, not so much. Their attitude is more akin to "we thought of it, and the employees are here to help us capitalize on our continued success".
The last sales manager quit after he missed his bonus by less than 1/4 of a percent (in large part due to production probs caused by the owners). They declined to pay his bonus, and pulled up in his and hers Mercedes the next day. He left over this not long afterwards.
At issue here is my friend the sales manager, at a trade show, has opened up a very large new account with a very large boating mfr, and at higher pricing than they give distributors (for scale, a distrib account is usually a bit smaller than the value of this new deal with the snow mobile mfr).
So this is a home run for the SM, and now that the deal has been cemented, he'd like recognition in the form of a higher commission than he normally gets since this is far and above a larger account than he's expected to land.
He feels quite certain that if he doesn't ask for more, they won't offer more on their own initiative.
Asking outright seems like a sure path to sore feelings / expectations on both sides of the table. I suggested that he present the deal with pride to the owner along with an explicit pledge to repeat this performance if the incentive is there, but even that message presents a real risk of being poorly received and generating acrimony . Is there a better way to broach the topic?

I found out I need surgery and I have no health insurance.

likeapen — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:31:13 -0800

I found out I need surgery and I have no health insurance. Should I go back to my former employer and ask to be added for a couple of months more or would that take 3 months again like when I first started out? Has anyone done this before?

Re: That Job I Want

landedjentry — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:43:33 -0800

Job applicant reminder emails: Nuisance or Necessity? I'm applying for a bunch of jobs that prefer email submissions or have form apps on their website. I realize the job market's tight right now, but I've gotten few responses in the three weeks I've been looking.

Most listings say things like "no calls, please" or "we'll contact you if we're interested." Is it still worthwhile to send a reminder email, say, a week or so after I applied? Traditional wisdom says yes, you should call, but it seems online etiquette would suggest differently.

I'm a little worried I've been doing something wrong, as several of my former M.A. classmates have been getting jobs and interviews with little problem. I'm going to talk to them, but I'm wondering if any of you had advice. Thanks!

FWIW: Recent graduate with an M.A. in new media/politics, applying to entry-level communications/nonprofit jobs mostly in DC and other east coast cities.

Where to apply to become a tour guide in Japan?

DoctorFedora — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:10:02 -0800

Getting a job as a tour guide in Japan? For reasons not worth going into here, I'm looking for information (i.e. companies to contact, for example) on becoming a tour guide in Japan for English-speaking groups. Preferably in Kansai or Chubu regions, though I'm mostly just looking for a step in the right direction and then hopefully working from there.

Assume for the purposes of this question that a work visa is a nonissue, although places that could be applied for from within the United States would probably be preferable. Japanese language skill is sufficient for this sort of thing.

Meet Fido, Head of Document Destruction Services.

invisible ink — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:03:41 -0800

Inspired by this thread, how do I go about finding an employer that allows its employees to bring their dogs to work? For those of you fortunate enough to be in this type of situation, how did you find your job? I am a patent prosecution paralegal and open to the idea of relocating.

How to form an alliance with the IRS?

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:37:00 -0800

How do I bust my employer for TAX FRAUD? Yes, my employer is TOTALLY defrauding the government. He runs a retail business (about $15M Gross/year) in California. I have ALL sorts of documentation about not reporting large sums of cash (3-4M during christmas season), all sorts of documentation about where that money is physically kept, and a written discussion about how they get around good accounting.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it either about how open they were about all fraudulent activity. The employers also are HORRIBLE to all the employees...they scare them into subservience. So i want to bust them!

How do I do this? If you're going to refer me to this, yeah, I've been there and done that. I filled out the form, included ALL sorts of relevant info (tax forms, contradicting bank statements, emails, etc, etc.). I did that over a YEAR ago, and still haven't heard back. I also decided to do it with my real name/address/contact info. It wasn't even anonymous, because I knew how ludicrous it would sound to have ALL this concrete info about HUGE fraud. It really is crazy.

I understand that the IRS doesn't really have the time or manpower to investigate "my neighbor claims to use gel ink pens for work. But I see him using it for personal tasks". But this is HUGE. They have been defrauding the IRS for AT LEAST $1M EVERY year for 5+ years.

Anybody have any real advice. If you would prefer not to post on here, please feel free to message me.

Stay awesome, MeFites.

How long does my former employer (in New York State) have to get me my final paycheck?

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:45:14 -0800

How long does my former employer (in New York State) have to get me my final paycheck? I recently resigned from my job. It was a fairly amicable split - I gave my two weeks notice on January 25th and let them know that February 8th would be my last day. The regular payday of February 15th has come and gone, and I still haven't received my final check.

I know some states like California have very strict laws about when the final check has to be issued, and I know that New York state gives the employer slightly more time, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly how long they have. The Department of Labor website hasn't been any help. Can someone please let me know where I stand legally?

BTW, if it matters, the company is in serious financial trouble and was not able to make payroll for its current employees on the 15th.

Am I being underpaid?

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:35:24 -0800

Am I getting screwed by my employer with regard to pay? I really like my job. It’s everything I want it to be and my employers seem to be pleased with me as well and tell me they have big plans for my future. I’ve worked here for three years and though I started on a pretty low salary (considering my age, experience and university degree), I was willing to accept it as I had no formal qualifications in my field and I was fine with the idea that I needed to prove myself. So the last three years I have spent studying and taking exams. I will get the results of my final exam in a few weeks (I expect to pass) and then I will have a qualification which is probably the highest qualification in my line of work and highly regarded. However, ahead of my results, they decided to give me an unofficial promotion and basically pass the new job responsibilities over to me that I was promised once I passed all my exams (which I was very happy about, it’s what I had been working for).

We got our annual pay reviews today and I got the lowest possible increase that I was expecting. I was thinking in a range and the figure I got was the lowest end of my range. My boss told me that our parent company generally uses a 1.5% increase per year as guidance, and takes into consideration all of our benefits, which are quite good. He said that I had gotten one of the highest percentage increases of all the staff (10%). However, despite me having a university degree and now one of the highest qualifications in my field and having lots of new, major responsibilities, I don’t even make the national average salary. And I’m not in a low paying field - I work for a large multi-national bank in what should be a decent paying job.

I’m pretty confident that with my qualification I could get a job with a higher salary. I believe I could make at least 20% more. Can you please give me some perspective? It seems like a huge insult that in my 30’s and with the education and qualifications that I have that I would not even make the national average. I feel like I’ve had a carrot dangled in front of my face since I’ve started here and that once I gained all my qualifications I would be rewarded, and I don’t think I have. Well, I have in the sense that I have a lot of new responsibilities that I’ve been clamoring and working for since I started, but seemingly not the salary to back the extra work.

I have no idea how the whole process works and I may be over-reacting but I just feel hugely insulted. I’m hoping that someone who knows a little bit more about the process may be able to shed some light for me. If I am out of line, please let me know. If you think I should be looking for a new job, please let me know that too. I didn’t say anything at the time of the review - would talking to my boss about my dissatisfaction help? I have always gotten good performance reviews, my boss has let me know that they’re really looking forward to advancing me over the coming years. But they’ve been saying this since I’ve started and while they have done this (paying for training, giving me new responsibilities etc), I don’t think my salary has reflected this. Also, once the salaries are decided as far as I know they cannot be changed, so I don’t think it’s a matter of asking for more. Thanks in advance for any help.

Not exactly taming the shrew, it's more like tolerating her.

mitzyjalapeno — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 09:06:35 -0800

My very emotional former boss has become my friend. Please help me learn how to deal with her/mine/our issues. Long explanation follows. Alright, so I worked there for eight years. A year or so after I started, my manager decided to retire and trained me to take over almost all of her duties as well. She retired and suddenly, I was spending most of my time with the owner of the company, right across the desk from her, every day, and I was the only employee. I got a lot of on-the-job training, and I also became her very close friend.

With every day that passed, more responsibility was shifted onto my shoulders. After three years or so, the situation had become strange, although I didn't realize it, based on my limited experience in situations like this. Every morning I woke up and within twenty minutes she was calling, asking when I was coming in, letting me know what she expected of me, what the highest priorities were that day (this usually changed overnight and sometimes duting the work day) and I was on 24-hour call every day of the year. She called me on more than one Christmas to wish me a merry Christmas, but she followed it up with, "well, I wasn't going to ask you to do this, but since you're already on the phone..." It was difficult for me to just not answer the phone. We had last-minute crises, that she seemed unable to handle, and when I missed an emergency call, she would guilt me for months afterward. I expressed to her that I would never do anything to willfully harm the company or her, and she would say, "oh, I know. I'm just mentioning this bad situation because of how it's affecting us now, etc., etc." I fluctuated between feeling guilty and feeling manipulated and used. She was completely computer illiterate, and insisted on me handling all of her paperwork as well as my own, but she critiqued everything, down to every single word, but she was indecisive on what to write instead, to the point that we would spend more than a half-hour writing a single paragraph email. She was an extreme micro-manager - she would ask me to do something, and not thirty seconds later, as I was doing the task, she would ask me if I had finished it yet, and here's something else to do right now. On top of it all, I had no benefits, no sick/personal days and my pay was always just a few dollars above minimum wage. [She thought my pay was right in the middle of what was fair for what I was doing, regardless of the fact that I was working about 3 jobs every day.]

Upside: she was flexible with my time, she was sometimes understanding and she bonused pretty well, although not reliably. I eventually fought for and got sick pay, and I got raises, but it was based on her "feelings" of my productivity and not my actual productivity. [She didn't know everything that I did throughout my time there to make that office run, and she never tried to figure it out. Also, I never knew if I would be able to afford Christmas presents, for anyone, even my kids, until the absolute last minute. Some years the bonuses were huge, and some years the bonuses never came.]

Fast forward five years. The week before this Christmas, she got nervous and antsy, and she made me antsy. I began to snap at her, almost without being able to control it, and she snapped back and asked me why I was angry with her. All of my explanations were met with "I didn't say that, and I don't think that I could ever say that." I got frustrated and eventually walked out.

The company is in its busiest season right now, possibly the busiest since I started there, but I'm at a point where I can't turn back. I've looked into some other jobs, and I've been offered nearly double what I was making with full benefits and a third of the workload. I worked with her yesterday, to finish end of year taxes, and she broke down crying several times. She's also been crying on the phone. I can understand that she's in a bad spot right now, and that she's stressed. But I think that I'm being manipulated all over again, and I don't want to go through that again. I also don't want for her, as a friend, to feel that I don't care about her.

How can I express to her that I need to move on, but that I still want everything but the best for her? I've tried, but it doesn't seem like she believes me. Am I just being manipulated into coming back?

(Yesterday I went back to take care of employee and contractor taxes. I need to do my personal taxes, and I've already been contacted by several of the contractors for their info. I see yesterday as much for me as for her.)

How can I repair a history of poor workmanship and communication to my boss?

oneous — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:45:49 -0800

I do very small-time contracting for a small, casual, cutting edge usability consulting company and I'm in school at the same time. My boss (the youngish CEO) scheduled an ambiguous meeting with me this week which is surely to tell me I need to shape up. I began this job looking like a hotshot, speaking well and smart, but I got serious depression and colds and have been producing questionable work for about a month and sounding completely incompetent at meetings. Recently I was produced some work for a brand new project and he thought it was terrible. After that he has avoided the subject of that project with me and sort of trailed off when I asked about it; Instead he gave me a different project to work on.

The thing is, this is by far the best job I've ever had; I'm being asked to do work that I can respect and my boss and coworkers seem like not-fools. I'm dying to look fantastic and get a shot at getting hired as an employee.

Is there any good way I can explain my incompetence at the meeting, or should I avoid trying that? What's the best way to show that I serious promise for the future even though I'm not doing well right now? Is there a good way to get an answer on that project that seems to have vanished? How do I demonstrate that I can be ORGANIZED and reliable? Of course I have the excuse of being in school, but that hasn't been the cause of my mediocrity and I want to encourage him to give me MORE work in the future, not less.

Thanks a bunch and cheers!

Have Studies Been Done On Criminal Background Check Accuracy?

peacecorn — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 05:53:10 -0800

How reliable, statistically speaking, are criminal background checks? Criminal background checks from a large national agencies (ADT, ChoicePoint, etc) obviously aren't infallible. But has anyone done actual studies on this topic?

I'm asking from an employer's perspective, not as some scofflaw looking to see what my chances of "slipping through the cracks" are. I need to report on how thorough and complete these checks really are, so I'm looking for hard data.

I found this MSNBC article in which an expert off-handedly mentions "we've done studies and...," and I saw this from the CS Monitor which uses a small sample sized criminology study.

Problem is, I'm not sure these data points represent enough evidence to counter the gut-feeling assumptions of my audience of the infallibility of the background check process.

The ideal study would be of a large sample and would focus on felons slipping through the cracks due to missing data (i.e., credit check data is useless, and details about the many people with data that IS on their report in error isn't as helpful as I'd like).

Anything like that out there?

You thought "Official Use Only" included porn? For real?

colgate — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:22:47 -0800

You thought "Official Use Only" included porn? For real? I was entrusted with a laptop owned by the public sector (recent employer). I let a friend use the laptop to do writing work while his computer was broken. I deemed this acceptable because at no time did he have access to employer's VPN-protected data. However, it would appear that he downloaded pornography. Should I go back first thing Monday morning to clean up all traces before they use it? (and if so, how?) Or should I come clean to recent employer about this possibly questionable unauthorized use? This would be very uncomfortable as I am looking for a new job with the same employer. However, if they are going to see evidence on the computer, I would much rather they know I lent the machine than have them believe I used their laptop to access pornography. It is quite possible that the laptop will never be closely examined, but I believe it is a possibility.

I discovered this just before I had to return the machine. I deleted cookies, temporary internet files, recent file lists, etc before I dropped it off, but I'm worried there may still be traces. In scanning through cookies, the only objectionable site I found was stileproject.com. The file names in the Windows Media Player recent list were not explicit, but googling revealed their content. I dropped the machine off already, but I know they won't so much as turn it on before sometime Monday.

How much do mid-size companies pay for health care on behalf of their employees?

Asherah — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:23:52 -0800

How can I determine or calculate the average amount a company pays for healthcare/benefits for a single full-time employee? I'm discussing the possibility of a merger of two positions with my current employer and I'm trying to calculate the cost savings of eliminating the need for an additional full-time employee. Are there statistics available on the web, or would I be able to calculate the amount of money a company pays in health care premiums and other benefit costs (monthly or annually) for the average full-time American worker? I realize there are probably many variables involved, so an average range is all I'm looking for. (If needed, this job is an Administrative position at a medium size, national financial institution that would pay in the range of $35-$45K, annually.) Also, would it be possible to contact our HR department directly, as in, would the company even disclose that information?

you need to just let it go

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:03:29 -0800

I quit my job 3 months ago and my former boss won't stop harassing/threatening me. Unfortunately, politely asking him to stop is not an option. 3 person company, i was the #2 guy. I resigned for multiple reasons, including his erratic and litigious behavior affecting my own reputation in the industry. I started my own company which he found out about 1 month later. yes i have a non-compete which i am adhering to the letter.

Since resigning, once a week or so i receive an e-mail or voicemail to the effect of "you're busted", "you're going to pay for this", "no one likes you", "i'm suing you tomorrow", "you have no idea of the legal battle you're up against". One note even threatened to send my wife an innapropriate e-mail i sent to a former intern (I did no such thing), and i have heard third hand that he has told former contacts that I was fired for stealing and doing 'very bad things'. No, suing him for defamation just escalates things, and no-one really believes him.

My lawyer says he is within his legal right to threaten suit, though true to form i know he never will. i have never responded to him, but he simply won't stop. he's obsessed. is there anything i can do here, his e-mails cause me to not focus on my business for several hours (or more). Clearly the 'eventually he will stop' isn't proving to be true.

My boss/employer has been avoiding me for a month in regards to my benefits. I've been a full timer for 3 months without any benefits.

cheero — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 12:00:12 -0800

My boss/employer has been dodging me for a month in regards to my benefits & raise. How can I get him to do his job before I quit while walking out the door? I have been working full time for 3 months and I have not been offered ANY benefits even though I requested a meeting with him four times. Is there anything legal I can use to my advantage? For the past 6 months, I have been working for a real estate development firm. I started out as a part timer (26) hours and then moved up to 34+ (full time) in the past three months.

I have not been offered any benefits. I requested to meet with the boss so I can go over my benefits and a raise but he has neglected me for the past four weeks and I am getting fed up. Every time I try to meet with him, he tells me he is busy and he leaves the office or spends the rest of the day locked in his office talking on the phone.

Is there anything law-related I can use to my advantage in regards to this matter? I thought benefits were to be offered to full time employees right away. So far its been 3 months and I received absolutely nothing.

Thank you in advance

Should I submit by psychiatrist bills to my employer?

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:27:03 -0800

It's time to submit my out-of-pocket medical expenses to my employer for reimbursement under the pre-tax medical account program. All my receipts are for psychotherapy, psychotropic medication, and other indicia of mental illness. Is it professionally "safe" for my employer to have this stuff? Does anyone know of a reason why I should not do this? If I don't put in these receipts, I lose the payroll deductions forever. But mental illness still carries a stigma in the workplace. I'm an attorney at a fairly large firm, if that matters, and the person in payroll processing these receipts has no idea who the hell I am.

In DC, what can a previous employer who terminated an employee say to a job applicant's prospective new employer?

onepapertiger — Wed, 30 May 2007 09:00:58 -0800

In DC, what can a previous employer who terminated an employee say to a job applicant's prospective new employer? I found this on an About.com portal on DC Employment law:

A previous employer is free to provide any non-confidential information about a previous employee, as long as it's true and isn't provided to maliciously harm the employee. An employer, who provides false information that disparages the employee, may be liable for defamation. In order to avoid potential liability, many employers often refuse to comment on a past employee's job performance and confirm only dates of hire and separation, plus wage or salary information.

Is the fact of being terminated considered confidential or non-confidential? Also, is there a number to this statute or rule?

How do I motivate myself to be a good cog in the machine?

croutonsupafreak — Mon, 21 May 2007 10:00:37 -0800

How do I motivate myself at work now that I'm at a much bigger employer and my contributions to the organization aren't that important anymore? "Just do it" is the WRONG answer. So it GTD. I need a new way of thinking about the world, or a life coach, or something. At the start of my career, I had jobs at small organizations where the amount of effort I put in had a visible effect on the quality of the product we put out. I worked long, hard hours, and was passionate about my field. I'm still proud of the contributions I made, and of my rapid career rise. (I'm in a field where people rise by moving to larger, more prestigious, employers.)

About a year ago, I was hired by a fairly large employer, where my contributions are much less significant. I'm doing about 25 percent as much work as I'd done in the past, and for that I get praise, good performance reviews, and raises. Meanwhile, I spend most of my on-the-job time feeling bored and surfing the web.

It doesn't have to be this way! If I contributed more, my extra efforts would be welcomed. I could do more of the small projects I've always done, and I could even do some big projects I've always dreamed of doing. I finally have the time and resources to make it happen. But now that I'm such a small cog in the machine, now that even full-out effort makes relatively little difference to the organization as a whole, I can't seem to make myself work any harder.

I've read through a lot of "how to get motivated" threads here. I've even posted my own questions on the subject from time to time. I don't think a system that I come up with on my own, a kick by myself to my own pants, is going to help. I need some kind of outside intervention or a new paradigm or something.

I feel lost. I'm not happy being so bored at work, but I don't get much satisfaction out of trying to work harder, either. What should I do?

Why is work bonus separate from the paycheck?

The Behatted Wild Man of Greenfield — Sat, 19 May 2007 10:10:06 -0800

My employer gives out bonuses as separate checks, which are taxed separately. Why? Any type of bonus is always issued as a separate check, with the usual taxes taken out.

What's the reason a place of busines would do this? Why is it not included in the regular paycheck?

Should I Let Them Contact My Ex-Manager?

whitebird — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:35:12 -0800

I was fired from my last job--due primarily to a personality conflict with my former manager--and am applying for another one. They want to know if they can contact my former manager. I can only give a "Yes" or "No" answer, I believe. Additionally, the job I'm applying for is a federal one, if that makes a difference. What's best? Thanks in advance!

I have decided to go!

youngergirl44 — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 09:30:13 -0800

How do I schedule interviews for a new job while I'm employed full-time? Two months after this post, I've started looking for a new job. Even though I've been working since I was 14, this is only the second time I've gone through this process of searching and interviewing, and have never done it while employed full-time. To complicate things more, I've just returned from vacation and have taken a couple of days off for Christmas - I have no vacation or personal time left for the year, any time off will be unpaid. I'm not concerned about losing money or hours of work, just the appearance of taking so much time off recently. I also work in the suburbs but am applying for jobs in Chicago (closer to home), so interviewing on a lunch break isn't really an option. Do I really just need to bite the bullet and take more time off? How do I do it without tipping off my employer? Can I ask prospective employers to be flexible in their schedules to accomodate my 8 to 4.30 work hours?

Employment forms and requirements?

suchatreat — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:44:35 -0800

I work for a small company with less than a dozen employees. We currently have no formal hiring process, forms or other documentation. Scary? I think so, and I need some help to remedy the situation. I filled out zero paperwork when I was hired awhile back, no tax forms, application, NDA ... you get the idea. Not even a copy of my driver's license, which I know is required by the federal government. I assume the feds and locals would appreciate my company complying with their rules of what needs to be documented, posted, and gathered.

Can you point me in the right direction? State labor department site, and the federal as well, left something to be desired.

I hope I get a helmet for Christmas.

wabashbdw — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 09:56:22 -0800

Are there any laws that pertain to how much time an employee is given to consider their insurance options? My employer dropped a bomb on me last Friday concerning the company health insurance, and I've since determined that I'll be better off purchasing a policy on my own. Due to the timing of this revelation, I was basically given 9 business days (not counting Christmas) to secure an alternate policy.

Of course, there is no realistic scenario in which 9 business days is adequate time to opt out of the company insurance and secure an alternate policy, so there is a chance I will be uninsured for a week or two after the New Year. Are there any laws that demand the company provide more time for such a situation? Or should I just suck it up and pay a ton of money for a short-term policy to cover the potential gap in coverage.

Who's the boss?

ubu — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 10:11:47 -0800

Does anyone know anything about the law regulating a staffing business? Specifically, does anyone have experience setting up a staffing business in which the staffed workers are NOT considered employees of the staffing company? I have googled the heck out of this, but haven't found any good leads. I am particularly interested in Missouri law.

From what I've seen, it seems that a temporary staffing company is considered an employer of its workers, while an employment agency that places candidates for permanent positions is not considered the candidates' employer. But is the distinction really temporary vs. permanent? Or does it depend more on other factors, such as who maintains the payroll?

I know this is a very specific question, and I don't really expect anyone to have all the answers for me, but if you have any experience in the area and could point me to some useful resources, that would be very much appreciated.