r/AskHR

I work in a field where I travel to people's homes for the day; my territory is about a 10 mile radius. I was recently in a car accident, and was without a car for a few weeks; during this time, I bought an electric bike to travel between visits. I'm hooked. It's faster and safer and I'm exercising as a bonus. HR knew I was on a bike because they knew about my car, but once I got a car, they said I HAVE to use it for visits instead of the bike. However:

• they're not giving me any rationale or anything in policy that states I must use a car.
• while my signed job description does state that I have to have a car, insurance, and a license, it also states under Non-essential duties, "Driving-Never"
• using a bike over a car hasn't changed anything about the way that I do my job.

I'm also wondering, if they are able to forbid me to use my bike, can they also say that I can't walk or use public transportation?

I work in the California state university system. I started off as a part time student employee and once I graduated I was offered a full time position. I work about 35 hours a week and my department is closed from mid December to mid January each year. However, I receive absolutely zero benefits or paid sick leave. I’m hired on as a “casual worker” which has the description “casual workers are hired on a part-time, temporary, and intermittent basis to perform non-bargaining unit work that meets the “non-exempt” criteria of the Fair Labor Standards Act. They are paid on an hourly basis and are not eligible for benefits, sick leave, vacation leave or shift differential”. I’ve been working this position for about 4 years now and feel as though they are putting me under casual worker as a way to avoid giving me PTO and benefits. This has been a pretty permanent position and feel as though I don’t fit under the description of “part-time, temporary, and intermittent basis”. My understanding is that if I work for the same employer for more than 30 days then I’m entitled to paid sick leave but somehow I’ve gone years without any.
Are they allowed to do this?

Hi Everyone. I work in sales for a tech company. I'm the lead on a F500 account. I recently took paternity leave after an awkward time at the company and have returned to an awkward situation. I need help understanding what to do and what my potential options are.

I'll try to keep things brief (TLDR at the end). I was hired to be the number 2 salesperson on this specific account more than a year ago. The number 1 salesperson was talked about very highly when I was interviewing, and after being hired I learned that it was not true and they were being forced out overnight. So now I'm the number 1 salesperson by default. This job requires a lot of people management across teams, including my own. After a long period of time, I got the whole team moving in the right direction and leadership was generally happy. The problem is that the account has an extremely different culture to our own and there are a lot of ways that they don't work well together. For example, the account moves slow and requires a lot of people to make even minor decisions. It gets awkward when my company requires we hit certain metrics that aren't revenue focused. The shortest way to say this is we can't hit those metrics on paper because of how the account works in reality. Over time, my whole team started to get internal pressure to make things appear to look right, even though that didn't match the reality on the ground, ie. we're doing the right things but it won't look that way until we're actually closing the deal. Performance improvement plans started to be hinted at for everyone on my team but never actually arrived. I learned that some of the leadership exerting the pressure on my team were going to leave the company. This aligned with my baby arriving and so I took paternity leave.

I've returned recently and after more than a week, no one from leadership has reached out to me. When I look at our HR system, I can see that I'm not assigned to the team that I was previously (which I assume means I'm not on the account anymore). I've been removed from the account's team calls and Teams chats that I was always on.

TLDR: In the lead up to my paternity leave, I had a situation that might have resulted in a performance improvement plan, but now I've returned and there doesn't seem to be any communication or a plan for me. I've likely been removed from the account that I was assigned to.

I don't necessarily want to stay at the company, but I definitely want to get the best outcome for me and my family (considering the state of the economy and job market).

How do I handle things from here to get the best outcome? Do I reach out to HR and say what's going on here? Do I reach out to my sales leadership and ask if they've removed me from the account? Am I on the hook for not saying anything for the last week even though none of them have reached out to discuss the state of things and what's next? How long before they can put me on a performance improvement plan? Should I try to have a frank conversation with someone and negotiate an exit?

I work in a retail store in a mall. I’ve worked there for 7 plus years. Every year for vacation, I would take about 17-20 days of each year during are slow season, usually end of August, beginning of weeks of September. It has always been approved, with no questions asked. 

Now last year they were giving me issues because of requested off at the same time, but I was the store manager at the time. But one of my close family members passed away, and they just approved it.   

This year I stepped down to be a regular manager. (still Full time) In hopes that they would let me do the vacation again without issues. And I was met with them saying that they can’t have a manager out of the business for more than 10 business days in a row. 

I checked the handbook, and all of the policies, and it says nothing about the limit on PTO. I even wrote a email to HR, but I now sure what this really means. 

“The Associate Handbook does not specify a maximum number of PTO days that an associate may request or take at one time. However, all PTO requests are subject to supervisor approval and consideration of business needs. PTO balances indicate the amount of available paid time off an associate has accrued, but having available PTO does not guarantee approval for any specific dates requested. Supervisors evaluate each request based on factors such as operational requirements, staffing levels, and the ability to maintain business continuity. As a result, PTO requests may be approved, modified, or denied depending on the circumstances at the time of the request. I have been made aware your supervisor has approved 10 days for your requested time off due to the needs of the business and store during that time.”  

And I have talked to the store manager about it, and they do not want to get in trouble and have their job on the line if they accepted my longer vacation now. 

Edit* My question is how do I get my time off approved without the fear of loosing my job or getting my store manager in trouble?

I am newly pregnant and feel like absolute crap and also high risk. I am currently working a hybrid model 3 in office 2 wfh and thinking of requesting a 5 days wfh accommodation. Should I talk to my manager before I put the request into HR? I have my doc appointment in 2 weeks which they can fill out those accommodation forms but not sure if my manager needs to know right now.

Any Canadian Bank HR professional here?
Need some guidance on pre-employment background check.

It’s a bit time sensitive so would appreciate any help.

Thanks a bunch!

So I applied for this role in April. I’ve done 3 interviews. My last interview was one month ago today. It is now August. I did my background check and references on the 3rd of August. The department confirmed they want to hire me, and they are waiting on HR to “release the position.”

I spoke with an HR rep on Friday and he said I should hear something by the middle of this week. What could possibly be taking so long? What the fffffffff I am losing my mind. I don’t want to over communicate with them but I feel like I’m being strung along. What does release the position mean?!

I’ve already reached out to my HRBP to ask the officially company policy but would love advice here.

I’ve applied numerous times to transfer internally; I work at a large corporation and have been told official policy is to tell my direct leader when we are in a final round interview but I haven’t found this written out anywhere. On 3 separate occasions, I’ve applied internally and made it to the final round of an interview but not gotten it even though I’m told I have no feedback from the hiring manager. I told my VP each time before the final round. I was even told flat out I was going to be hired by one but then after then I learned from my VP that on two of these occasions, she herself told the hiring manager not to hire me and gave reasons like that she didn’t think I’d be a good fit there or that she thought I wasn’t ready for a promotion.

I did not go to HR at this time because she told me verbally. I have heard from 4 other individuals from my team that she has gone out of her way to deny promotions or recommend against one for people on her team or formerly on her team.

As you can see I very much want OFF this team but want to stay within my company. I have applied to numerous jobs outside the company and not been offered any. I also do not want an investigation I just want to move on. Any advice on if I can avoid telling my direct leader (who reports into my VP), or what to tell HR? I’m terrified she will sabotage my transfer again.

I took a temporary GM position in terms of working 6-8 weeks in the position and was lied to about the circumstances and employees I’d be managing. I’ve been here about 5 weeks and I called and spoke to my direct boss about 2 weeks ago and told her I’d like to step down and go back to my previous position, she said that would be okay and asked if I would work out the posted schedule (through 8/21) she just told me they’re working on it and Friday won’t be my last day and I’ll have to continue working the position until they find someone else to fill the slot. Is this okay? I don’t want the responsibility anymore I feel as if there’s something I should be able to do about it.

I’ve worked at the same company for 16 years. Had an injury that resulted in a 6 month recovery on short term disability. I began vaping THC during my time off (which is legal in NY).
I got another job recently and during the onboarding process, they are sending me for a drug test (10 nondot urine). It’s kind of murky online whether THC is tested for (it’s illegal for companies to do so in NY unless they have federal ties/contracts etc, but idk if the new place does). I did quit vaping when I found out I got the job, but I’m worried it will still be in my system.
I’ve already put in my notice at my other job, so I’m freaking out a bit. A friend suggested I should preemptively call HR of the new company and explain the situation, ask if THC is tested for/a dealbreaker, then ask for an extension or retest if possible. As HR, would this be a good or bad idea?

My employer is based in a Midwestern state but has employees all around the country.

I am in Florida, and the policy for me is that I can roll over up to 40 hours of PTO at the end of the year, and if I have more than that accrued, I just lose it.

However, this is illegal for an employee to do in California, so this policy does not apply to those employees.

I'm just wondering if this is typical for employers to apply policies differently like this?

I work at a Fortune 500 company and I’ve been asking for my job description for the last year and HR has not provided one and told me that one doesn’t exist!! I’ll bullet point the details below but please ask if you have any questions because I’m really looking for advice!

-My job code does not match my coworker
-My manager denied my job equity review (since he doesn’t see the need to reclassify my role)
-The last update I got was that my job description was being rewritten, but still haven’t been provided what is in place currently
-I put in a complaint and an investigation is ongoing (3weeks already)

Idk much about job codes, but I think it’s pretty telling that something fishy is going on here. What do you think my HR professionals?

Any insight is MUCH APPRECIATED!!

I’m looking for recommendations on how and when to escalate. I work remotely in TX for a company that’s in CA.

I’ve been a top performer for over three years and was promoted prior to this new manager joining. She had backfilled the position.

Everything had been going fine, until about 3 months in, she gave me an ultimatum to pivot work priorities or be moved to another team. Our priorities as an org have not changed. I reported this to my skip level, who spoke to my manager. The following day, my manager invited me to talk.. where she gave the same ultimatum again. But there is no other role and this hadn’t been discussed internally with leadership prior.

Months have passed and this manager is constantly piling more and more work on my plate with unreasonable deadlines, conflicting feedback, and shifting priorities. I have much of this documented.

I have heard from other leadership that my manager is speaking poorly about my performance to them. And that they “don’t really believe it”. Yet no action (to my knowledge) has been taken either way. I’m severely burnt out and no longer enjoy my work.

I’m looking into our mental leave policies and seeking advice on next steps to take internally. I feel that if I left, my manager would find someone else to scapegoat.

Hello, my husband would like to use FMLA to take leave to bond with our 5 month olds. The HR at his company seems very incompetent and has asked him to fill out forms WH382 & WH380E. I believe this is incorrect.

Form WH382 looks like something only HR should complete and seems irrelevant for baby bonding, and WH380E is if he has a serious medical condition. From my understanding of DOL fact sheet 28Q, he does not need to complete any certifications.

So, is all he needs to do is send a email indicating he is going on leave and to bond with his kids? (And provide their birth certificates if necessary?)

Can someone please advise whether there any forms he will need to complete at all? Is there something about the process I am missing?

My wife is dealing with a workplace injury and i have been staying home since 7/15 to care for her while she’s off her feet. However, her workers comp doctor has refused to complete my FMLA forms, stating that its for MY doctor to do since I am not a patient of his. That seemed wrong but I asked my doctor and they agreed they would do it. Talking with a Hartford rep later, they confirmed that the doctor treating my wife is responsible for certifying.

I called my wife’s doctor again and he said he would only do it if MY doctor faxed him a letter specifically stating that he declines to do it. My doctor refused to provide such a letter and I can only imagine his reason being that he was done with the back and forth.

His office did, however, complete my EDD forms and somehow put my wife’s primary doctor’s name on it. In addition, they put my expected return to work date as 7/23 while entering her estimated recovery date as 9/15 so I’m stuck waiting to see if problems arise from that.

I updated my Hartford claim analyst with this info so thats another 24-48 hrs before hearing what can be done next.

I’m hoping Hartford can compel the WC doctor to do his part but if not, is legal action the next step?

Recently, a coworker who does similar project management work that I do is on a temporary leave. I wasn’t asked - I was told - I was going to be taking over their work in their absence.

I said I’m happy to support a team that needs me but I want to be compensated for taking on additional projects that are somewhat out of my scope.

They told me I need to complete a “time study” that shows what I’m doing every hour of everyday. This is honestly exhausting me because it’s very tedious and my workload just doubled.

My question is… is this normal? There is a very clear increase in responsibilities.

Another question: should I be asking for my increase to cover the time I was doing the time study? It’s unclear whether that would happen or not.

thank you in advance !

[SC]
South Carolina SC.
My dad is a night ranger for a county park. He makes sure everyone is out of park at close, locks gates, watches for people sneaking, and supports as needed. Typically he works like 6p-1a and he is alone much of his shift.

He is 75 years old and does have controlled Parkinson’s (no tremors with meds) so sees a neurologist and had bypass surgery two years ago and had post op delirium so missed about a two months of work when that occurred.
I am cleared to be at all of his appointments bc his memory is that of a 75 year old guy that doesn’t pay good attention, but his neurologist doctor said he was doing well at his appointment last week.
He’s worked there four years so did miss time when he had his bypass surgery.

He drives a park ranger vehicle from one park to the other to lock gates at night. His supervisor radioed him the other night to go give a car a battery jump that was dead near the park.
He did and when he was back on the road driving the hood flew up and cracked the windshield bc it didn’t latch when he shut it.
They had him take an immediate drug test/alcohol test which he passed he doesn’t use either.

They called today to say he has to see their doctor for a fit for duty exam. He is very distraught that they are going to fire him and I kind of feel like it seems that way too.
Questions:
-Bc I am cleared for his personal medical awareness, can I attend (I assume no). He lives in my garage apartment and I go to most of his personal doctor appointments.
-I am reading that he should only be asked questions that directly relate to his duties, but how do I ensure this seems followed?
-Anything I should tell him to ask the doctor or look for or to interject if certain things are said / requested / asked?
-I assume he wouldn’t be able to request accommodations as he is the only person there much or his shift so not driving isn’t an option or is this something I should be asking?
-as it is being requested by the employer and they are paying, does he get records of all that say etc?
-physically he clearly is able to do what his job entails, I assume they are looking at his cognitive and driving, which seems hard for one doctor to assess when he has a neurologist he’s been seeing twice a year for 5+ years.
-does he provide them with all of his medicines / medical history even though all may not be directly relative to his role

Of note - his primary doctor, cardiologist, and neurologist all know he drives (and specifically at work) and all encourage him to keep working as it’s good for his social engagement etc. None of them have told him not to drive.

I work for a medium-sized non-profit with many government contracts. We have an employee that I supervise that has been on leave for the most part since last October. They work 20-hours/week so do not qualify for FMLA. When they first went on leave, they just told us, “I need to take time off, here is my medical note putting me out for the next 4 months.” HR sent them the Healthcare Provider Accommodation Form to outline the employee’s needs. Since they don’t qualify for FMLA, HR said it was up to me to ok the leave or not. I went ahead & OK’d it. Since then, they have resubmitted their Healthcare Provider Accommodation Form that our HR provided them, signed by their doctor, multiple times.
 
The challenge/question I have is, I don’t think our HR is going about this correctly. HR tells me that we essentially can’t do anything, extended leave is an accommodation, and we as an employer must show that we are working with the employee for a year before denying an accommodation/saying no. However, as I research this, I keep seeing that this process should be interactive between employee and employer, to determine what is being asked, what the employer can reasonably accommodate, and there is no mention of requiring a year of working with an employee. There has been no discussion, no interaction, nothing. This employee submits their form & HR just says, “Ok thanks!” Every time I then call HR to ask what we can do, reminding them of the hardship this is causing. This employee’s duties are shifted onto others, we’re not able to meet goals that I am held accountable for, and it could jeopardize our funding. I don’t want to be a jerk, I have worked with this employee for 9 years & know them well. However, the extended leave is not working for us & doesn’t seem reasonable at this point. On their last form, their return date was listed as August 14th.  August 10ththe employee emailed to say they were extending their leave again & awaiting an updated form. We are still waiting on the updated form. I called HR about it and was told the person has a 15-day grace period to get the new form in.
 
Everything online is geared towards protecting employees, which I totally understand, but I’m looking for essentially the HR process from the employer’s perspective. Our organization recently went through some litigation with employees, I don’t know the details, but I wonder if they’re being exceptionally careful as a result, and that’s why HR is going about things like this? I also have zero trust in our HR person based on years of interaction, & wouldn’t be surprised if they’re interpreting things incorrectly. I am not in HR but everyone I talk to that has gone through medical accommodations & leaves looks at me like I’m crazy when I tell them what’s going on. Any resources I can check out?? Thank you!!

HR Rep set up an onsite interview with the hiring manager at the end of our zoom meeting. I filled out the form she sent over that had to be completed for my interview and when I showed up, I was told that the hiring manager was not aware of the interview, nothing was on his calendar. This was a Friday and I immediately sent an email to HR to confirm if I got everything correct, and no answer. I sent another email Monday afternoon explaining again how I showed up, and asked if I got the information wrong - still nothing. I find it rude that she won’t even respond to say I’m sorry for the miscommunication, and usually would leave it alone, but this job is perfect and I can expand my career with them.
The hiring manager knows I’m a candidate and is aware I showed up for an interview that was scheduled, should I try to reach out to them?
I can easily figure out the email address off of HRs format, or I was thinking of sending a message via LinkedIn just to relay that I am interested and have been trying to reschedule.

I recently accept a position as a Director of Sales Training at a company. At my interview with the Founder/CEO and recruiter, they asked me to come in through the back, because they want me to essentially audit the hiring and training process for new employees by posing as a Sales Representative. This ended up translating into me signing my offer letter as a Sales Representative also. They have the compensation listed a little odd as well. Additionally, I didn't lay out a timeline of when I would be moving into the new role, and now, I am furious at myself for not pushing back and getting more in writing.

What action is reasonable at this point? What can I say to them to ensure I get an offer letter with the correct title? I am hoping this won't cost me my job, but it seems too good to be true.