Baby Has Co-Worker Crying
Q: The accountant in one of the offices outside my area brings her infant to work every day. No other employees bring their children to work. I keep telling myself it’s none of my business or maybe I’m jealous because I don’t have children, but because of the infant, she spends most of her day with the door closed feeding, changing diapers and just holding the baby.
If we have messages or other work for her, we have to wait until her door is open. If the baby is not sleeping or being held, it cries. I have trouble concentrating and can’t hear clearly when I answer the phone, not to mention that the high-pitched crying gets on my nerves. When customers come in and need to see her, she greets them holding the baby. When her other kids are sick, she brings them into work and the office becomes an in-house day-care center.
Also, she is late every morning, takes an hour and a half for lunch and leaves early. She then supposedly makes up the time over the weekend. If I’m just a few minutes late, our boss points it out to me. Would I be out of line to talk to my boss about it? She has told me she would rather be a stay-at-home mom, so maybe he accommodates her because he doesn’t want her to quit, but I’m as good at my job as she is at hers.
A: Jealousy doesn’t enter into it. You have described a completely unprofessional work environment and you have a right to discuss it with your boss. But be careful how you approach it. He obviously favors her and will probably not change his mind about accommodating her needs. One approach to take is to ask for a change in office location. Emphasize that you do not need to be located near her since she is rarely available without notice and if you moved away from the crying, you could get more accomplished.
She outperforms male counterpart but is paid less
Q: I’ve been the top sales representative for the 15 months I have been in the job. The company has tremendous turnover because of its unfair tactics, but I stay because of the big commissions. We have a strict policy not to discuss our salary base and commissions. Recently, though, one of my co-workers revealed his base pay, which was higher than mine, though his sales are lower. I am a female. I don’t think my co-worker would be fired for telling me his pay rate because the company is short-staffed. Should I mention that I know about the difference?
A: Whether your co-worker would be fired for mentioning his salary is not the issue. It’s never a good idea to reveal another employee’s confidential matters. But you can take advantage of that knowledge, assuming your co-worker was telling the truth. Write a memo highlighting your sales figures for each month and state the amount that you think you should be paid, which should at least be equal to what your co-worker receives. If your boss refuses to increase your salary base and commissions, you may want to meet with a lawyer to discuss possible sex discrimination.
Colleges justified in stringent interview requirements
Q: I’ve been thinking about working part-time at a community college. I received applications from several local schools and the requirements astonish me. All ask for three to six recommendation letters plus college transcripts, which cost me $40 a set. I don’t mind supplying the information, but not before I know whether I’m even being considered for the position.
A: Community colleges have to meet state and federal requirements in their employment process under equal opportunity legislation, according to Jack Thompson, retired dean of business and social science at Oakton Community College, near Chicago. Such front-end requirements ensure that all applicants are equally screened, he said. Requiring college transcripts is an expense to you, but saves the colleges a great deal of time and money weeding out unqualified candidates.