These are four answers to four questions. Here it is…
1. Employees do not participate in our community outreach activities
I am part of the “goodwill” committee for my office space, as well as the larger committee for the entire company. Lately I have been finding it difficult to actively involve other employees in our initiatives. Goodwill is the designated principle of our company, and we have a pretty good annual budget to go along with it.
We try to do one or two initiatives per month that have varying levels of participation. Sometimes this involves volunteering onsite (during or directly after work hours). Sometimes it’s asking for donations (gently used books or unused canned goods/shelf stable foods). We’re not telling people to spend their money on things. The most successful people are in the office, during office hours, but there are only so many opportunities for them.
We also try to cover many different areas – homeless people, children/schools, food shortages, women, LGBTQIA+, community gardens and bookstores, animals, BIPOC groups. We also ask employees about groups they want us to support.
I just feel like I’ve struggled with getting people involved lately. People never have a problem making time for sporting events or happy hours, but it seems no one wants to make change at the food bank. Shocking, I know. Any ideas on how to motivate people?
They may not want this. Some people want to spend their limited time relaxing, and that’s okay. I’m not sure it’s appropriate for an employer to try to change this.
People are tired right now, and they’re at work to make money, not to work willingly. Many people who are passionate about philanthropy do their charitable work on their own time, and do not feel their employer needs to claim credit for those efforts. if your company wants to do good in the community, this must mean that he is coming of your company Resources – its money and its time (meaning it all has to happen on work time, not after hours, and other work has to be set aside to make room for it; the expectation shouldn’t be that people’s regular workload changes at all to make room for it). If the company is not willing to do this, then it is just a price that they have stuck on the list, not an actual price that they have.
All that said, I think you have the answer when you say, “The most successful people are in the office, during office hours, but there are only so many opportunities for them.” If people aren’t interested in people outside that category, this reaction is worth hearing! And if there are only so many opportunities for them, you might want to stick with them because that’s what employees are ready for.
Also, talk to people! Survey employees about what they are interested in participating in and what they are not interested in participating in – both in terms of specific activities and general categories of activities (during work hours, 5-7 p.m., drives where you bring stuff from home, etc.), and also ask how they want the company to live up to this value. Ultimately this is what needs to be shaped.
2. Should I tell my manager about a recurring problem with a coworker?
I am a receptionist at a small healthcare company and would appreciate your advice on a recurring issue I have with a remote customer service representative, “Donna”.
Callers often report being disconnected minutes after I forward them to the customer service line. Almost every caller who has called me has mentioned that they were speaking to Donna when this happened, which is a problem I have not encountered with any other representative.
Because our work involves urgent health-related matters and long wait times, these disconnections can be significant to our customers. Sometimes they sit in the queue listening to music for 20 or 30 minutes before starting again because when transferred to Dona, they get disconnected.
The thing is, I’m hesitant to report this to my supervisor because that person is a serious micromanager, and I want to avoid subjecting anyone to dealing with him. I have been a victim of his anger before and it is not fun when his laser rays fall on you. However, I am becoming increasingly concerned that Donna is intentionally disconnecting the call, or that her remote connection is unstable. How would you suggest I handle this situation?
You need to tell your manager about it. This is an important issue, and it will be incredibly frustrating for your callers – and your position means you’re probably the only person (besides Donna) who knows about it. Your position positions you to enhance this, as you are partly responsible for the experience callers have when they contact your company. (This doesn’t mean that you’re responsible for everything that happens once you’ve transferred them – just that when you have information about their experience that no one else has, you need someone at a higher level to be aware.)
If this means that Donna is micromanaged… well, some close management may be required here, because either Donna is intentionally disconnecting callers or she knows she is repeatedly losing her connection and isn’t bothering to ask for help to fix it. Or maybe she did, in which case she’ll probably explain this to her boss – but either way, it’s something you should pursue.
The subject line of your email to me was, “Is it worth it to lash out at my coworker for this?” And this is not blabbering. This is telling your manager about a work-related issue that is highly relevant to how well your organization is serving customers.
3. Losing access to handicap and parking
I work at a university that recently announced a major campus construction project that will eliminate a significant amount of central parking, including the areas closest to my building. The announcement heralded this as an exciting improvement to campus life, but for some of us, it creates a serious access problem.
I have a disability that affects my mobility. Even now, I arrive more than an hour early to secure one of the limited parking spots nearby, and I still face a several-minute walk to my building, which can be difficult depending on the day. I’m not the only one who does this in my building. There are many of us who do this every day. With these lots closed, we are all extremely concerned that we will not be able to reach our workplace in a reliable or sustainable manner.
This is the second time in a few years that staff parking has been reduced. In this case, the project would also remove several accessible parking spaces throughout the complex, and they are not being replaced.
The university’s suggestion is to contact parking services for options, but based on past experience, those options are not practical for me. They usually recommend using a shuttle system, which is difficult for me to navigate physically, or parking away. Factoring in wait time and travel, each day can add about an hour to my commute. I also have religious commitments after work on Fridays, and this extra time would make it difficult or impossible to attend. The shuttle is not always the most reliable. It’s also smaller and probably should more people need to use it, it could add over an hour to my daily commute.
Another option is to purchase parking facilities at a nearby establishment, but this requires an upfront cost of more than $700 annually, which is not financially feasible for most people.
My work can be done remotely, but remote work is not currently offered as an option, and I am concerned that putting too much pressure on it could have a negative impact on my job security.
I have not contacted parking services, as I am not optimistic about how they will respond. Historically, the university has been resistant to responding to parking and access concerns or they ignore emails altogether. Another coworker reached out to them with these exact concerns, but she’s sure she won’t get a response or they won’t care as was the case with the issue of blocking parking spots early last year.
At what point does this become an ADA issue? What are my options for advocating for reasonable accommodation in this situation? Would it be appropriate to request remote work on days when I can’t access parking, or would it be better for me to seek a formal accommodation through HR or some other route such as an anonymous ADA complaint?
This is now an ADA issue. Under the ADA, employers with 15 or more employees are required to provide accessible parking as a reasonable accommodation for workers with disabilities, and they must engage in an interactive process to find solutions if spaces are unavailable.
You should submit a request in writing to HR with the subject line, “Official Request for Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Don’t pass by parking services as they are unresponsive; Consider this a legally required medical accommodation with HR.
4. Independent Contractor vs. Employee
I have a question regarding the W2 vs 1099 contractor definitions. I understand that one major legal difference is that the contractor sets his own work hours. does this mean No Employment where I commit to being present at a certain time can be a 1099? Like, let’s say I’m a teacher. I choose my students and can let them go. But let’s say I sign up to tutor someone intensively once a week for a semester at a specific time slot, and I sign a contract to that effect, do they now have to give me a W2?
The IRS doesn’t use a black and white test for contractors, where if you don’t set your own time, you can’t be a contractor. Rather, they look at the totality of the circumstances. They look at three factors: (1) Behavioral – Does the company control or have the right to control what the employee does and how the employee does his or her job? (2) Financial – Are the business aspects of the job (such as how the employee is paid, what expenses are reimbursed, and who provides the equipment/supplies) controlled by the company? (3) Type of relationship – Are there written contracts or employee-type benefits (insurance, vacation pay, etc.) and is the work a major aspect of the business? The law says, “Businesses must take into account all of these factors when determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. Some factors may indicate that the worker is an employee, while other factors may indicate that the worker is an independent contractor. There is no ‘magic’ or set number of factors that make a worker an employee or an independent contractor and no single factor stands alone in making this determination. Also, factors that are relevant in one situation may not be relevant in another. The key thing is to look at the entire relationship and consider the limits of authority to give direction and control over the worker.”
There Are Independent contractors who are committed to working set hours. Doing this does not automatically make you an employee.
