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Good relationship with supervisor
benefits employee

By Andrea Wolf, Globe Correspondent, 1/19/03

Need advice about managing your career or your workplace? The Job Doc can help. Our specialists can answer your questions on topics ranging from career transitions to management issues. E-mail queries to jobdoc@globe.com, or send letters to Job Doc, c/o the Boston Globe, P.O. Box 2378, Boston, MA 02107-2378. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

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Two years ago, during a round of company layoffs, I was reassigned to a new manager. We had met before but had not worked together. It is very apparent that neither of us is happy with the change. With previous managers, I have learned skills that have helped me a great deal, and these managers continue to mentor me. I feel as though I have not learned anything from my current manager, and I'm sure she feels the same about me, as my annual performance review illustrated. I usually come away frustrated from our meetings because I don't feel that she communicates her expectations clearly. Since landing a new job in this market is almost impossible, how can I safely and diplomatically communicate to my manager that I feel she is not communicating effectively, explain that I've learned nothing from her in the past two years, and motivate myself to perform at a high level in this job until employment prospects are stronger?

It is unfortunate that your working relationship with your new manager is negatively affecting your performance. With company layoffs, resulting managerial shifts can cause difficulties for employees. The key question is how you deal with it.

If your new manager does not communicate her expectations clearly, then it is your responsibility to ask her what she needs and wants. What is necessary for your survival in the organization is to manage up, which means managing yourself.

Let's start by taking a look at the context of your problems and the role of your new boss. With the major change going on in your organization, both you and your boss are going through a big transition. You need to understand that your manager may be experiencing some of her own professional and personal issues related to the transition. Without good leadership, your boss may be left dangling, which hampers her ability to effectively handle the changes. Therefore, it is important for you to closely and carefully communicate to gain a perspective of the situation and resulting expectations.

How do you manage yourself? You can start by changing your negative attitude and taking responsibility for your relationship with your boss to more fully understand her. Try to uncover your boss's strengths and values and how she performs before you write her off. Not only is it necessary for you to find out how she works, but also to adapt yourself to what will make your boss effective in the company. You have an opportunity to help your manager be more successful, which will make you more highly regarded in your boss's eyes.

Next, you need to take greater responsibility for communication. Remember, you don't need to like your boss, but you need to understand her in order to build a working relationship. Many personality conflicts arise from not comprehending our boss's goals, needs and expectations. Initiating conversations to gain clarity will be an advantage to you and your boss.

You mention your concern about not learning anything from your boss. You cannot communicate that directly as you will shoot yourself in the foot. All managers have particular strengths and weaknesses. It is important for you to identify your manager's strengths so that you can tap into them for mentoring and professional development.

Starting out with an unsatisfactory performance review is problematic. Remember that your boss has been evaluating you from day one. An experienced manager teaches rapidly when she has determined that you are worth the investment. She may need to see more of how you work in order to gain respect for you. In conclusion, if you do a better job of managing yourself and communicating with your boss to clarify needs and expectations, then you have the potential to be more motivated and satisfied in your job.

Pay expectation falls through

My annual review was due several months ago. My boss told me he did not have time to write up a formal review but acknowledged that my work performance was excellent. I had done a salary comparison for my position which indicated my salary was on the low end of the competitive scale. This information was shared with my boss and I asked for a merit raise as well as a salary adjustment to bring me in line with the competitive scale. My boss agreed with my assessment but said he had to discuss it with the higher ups. It is now six weeks later and my boss just told me that despite my excellent work performance, there will be no salary adjustment and only an average raise. He has yet to write up a comprehensive review. I am very disappointed, angry and upset with this decision and feel that my boss, for whatever reason, did not really go to bat for me with the president. I also feel strongly that if a man were in my position, the salary and raises would be higher. Any suggestions or recourse? Should I drop it, approach my boss again, look elsewhere or just forget about it? Is there any place to get salary information comparing male salaries to female salaries? The whole episode has taken the wind out of my sails.

I can understand why this knocked the wind out of your sails. You did your homework and want to be treated fairly. Your boss verbally agreed with your assessment. The question is how much did your boss promote you to senior management.

There appears to be an inconsistency with your boss's verbal acknowledgement of your performance and the follow-up salary actions. Annual salary adjustments are often reflective of how well the company is doing and also dependent on the economy. Currently, companies are very conservative around salary increases. If this is the case, then your manager's hands may be tied.

I recommend that you have a discussion with your boss on the reason for the salary action. Be prepared to ask good questions to seek the facts. Also, ask for a written performance review.

You raise the question around a double standard for males and females. Do you have examples of lack of fairness to back that up? I suggest you seek help from human resources to answer your questions around salary and gender equity.

Turning hobby into a career

I have spent the last seven years in the recruiting industry. I have no passion for this type of work, but have been successful and have managed to provide nicely for my family. One of the greatest loves of my youth had been creative writing. I have recently begun writing for a small local newspaper as a hobby and I can't describe how much I am enjoying it, but it doesn't come close to paying the bills. Can you offer suggestions for avenues to explore in an attempt to eventually turn this into a career without exposing my wife and children to any unwarranted monetary risk?

It sounds like you are unfulfilled after a seven-year career in the recruiting industry, which has led you to tap into your buried passion for creative writing. Your career decisions have been based on your value system of providing for your family as the top priority. Now you are expressing the need to do more meaningful work and want to know how you can do it without risk to your family.

My advice is for you to develop your writing as a parallel career. If you have been ''successful'' in your existing career, you may want to stay in it while developing your parallel career. I suggest that you expand your writing experience both outside and inside work.

You have already started by writing for a small local newspaper. Why not explore other writing opportunities within your current profession? There may be opportunities to write articles as a recruiter on career topics for Web sites such as Monster.com. You need to explore what is out there by seeking avenues within your profession.

A way to begin is to identify yourself as a freelance writer while holding onto your job, which will allow you to continue to provide for your family. This way you are building toward a career change by gaining writing experience and developing a portfolio of writing samples. To be valued in the market as a writer, you will need experience and samples to back that up.

Firm may increase time spent on job

I've heard rumors my organization may increase its standard workweek from 35 hours to 40 hours. What are the laws governing their rights to increase compensation to reflect the additional hours? Are there any ways I would be protected from an increase, such as my job description, or a written job offer that says my position requires 35 hours? I will be disappointed if they are able to increase the hours I work as I specifically seek positions which require only a 35-hour workweek. And, if I were required to work longer hours and received no pay increase, I would essentially be taking a pay cut.

Jeff Hirsch, a labor lawyer with Robinson and Cole and author of ''Labor and Employment in Massachusetts,'' offers the following observations on your question.

''In evaluating your situation, we need to know if you are exempt, paid a salary, or if you are nonexempt, paid hourly,'' said Hirsch. ''In order to be exempt, you must be paid a salary. However, it is possible to be nonexempt and receive hourly pay. This is where things get a little complicated.

''If you are nonexempt and paid a salary for your basic workweek then it would be possible for an employer to give advance notice of a longer work week and require you to work those hours for the same compensation. If you are nonexempt and paid hourly, your employer would be required to pay you for all the hours you worked at your hourly rate.

''It may be possible to negotiate a new rate of compensation with the employer prior to effective date of the change,'' he added.

Hirsch notes that ''this is part of the Fair Labor and Standards Act of 1938, a federal law that defines exempt and nonexempt and requires minimum wage for overtime. A five-hour increase is not breaking the 40-hour ceiling for either. There is no legal obligation to increase pay here and therefore, you would be taking a pay cut.

''If you are an hourly employee (nonexempt), you would need to be paid an increase as the employer is responsible for paying the additional time,'' said Hirsch. ''Therefore, an employer would owe you five more hours pay, simply because you were being asked to work five additional hours in each week. Nonexempt employees must be paid for their actual hours worked. Exempt employees receive a salary in exchange for performing their job responsibilities, regardless of the hours they work for the employer.''

Andrea Wolf is vice president of career management at Right Management Consultants.

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