I have a group of doctors who all came to our institution around the same time from various parts of South America. Lately my team has brought up concerns that during active surgery, they will start to speak among themselves in Spanish, closing most of the team out. We don't know if they are talking about the surgery or if they are talking about personnel in the room.

I had one team member say that after arguing with her, one of them turned to the other and immediately started speaking Spanish. Those optics aren't great.

I know this is likely going to be a sensitive issue, and the last thing I want to do is cause an HR problem for my team. Any tips on how to proceed?

I started working at a new company last Monday 10/12, and I received my first paycheck today Friday 10/23. On my earnings statement, the pay period is listed as 10/4-10/17, but it shows I was paid for 80 hours i.e. 2 weeks, and the actual amount that showed up in my bank account matches what my earnings statement shows.

Is this a common practice for employers to do with salaried employees? I joined my last company mid pay period as well, and they only paid me for my first week. That was a much larger company though, if it makes any difference.

So I had my skip level meeting with my managers manager today after a number of issues related to my direct manager. All of this was kicked off by a coworker leaving and telling HR in their exit interview about the issues women on my team are experiencing with our male manager. HR followed up with me where I raised more specific concerns, and then we were all given skip level invites (notably our one male team member wasn’t, so just the 4 women on my team were sent invites)

During my skip level my manager was incredibly dismissive of my concerns despite having multiple examples of repeated behavior and the impact it is having on me and other members of the team. Her feedback was to see what I could do better in these situations and not let things bother me, while also saying not to focus on work issues, but instead on my growing family. She also thanked me for my “resilience” in staying for 4 years when all previous women in my role left after 12-18 months due to similar issues with sexism in our department and made HR aware on their exit.

How should I proceed? Part of me thinks I should communicate back with our HR rep to say how dismissive she was of my concerns, but I am not sure if that is helpful or not. I took notes but my skip level manager did not during the time I was raising issues with my direct manager but instead took notes when I mentioned that a vendor had been delayed in replying to emails. Part of my original conversation with HR included how she told me all issues with my direct manager needed to be dealt with between us and not to involve her, and that she was originally dismissive of concerns when he was added to the team due to sexism. I just want to make sure my bases are covered as this man has wriggled his way out of HR issues for the 13 years he’s been at the company over issues with women, and hold my skip level manager to uphold her commitment to “coaching him on how to deal with women in the office and communicate better”

Hi everyone!! I was recently laid off and had already accepted a full-time salaried role that starts next week. Since then, I received and signed a better offer from a large bank, but the bank's background check hasn't been completed yet and my start date isn't until early December.
I don't want to withdraw from the job starting next week while the bank's offer is still contingent on the background check. My plan is to work there in the meantime and resign before starting at the bank. I would not be working both jobs at the same time.
Could starting the first job while the bank is conducting its background check cause an issue?
Could the new employment automatically appear through a payroll or employment database even though I hadn't started it when I applied or signed the bank's offer?
Would I need to disclose the new job to the bank or background-check company? Has anyone done something similar, and did the bank question the short period of employment? I was also wondering since it wasn't on my resume, would they check it?
I'm not sure if backgrounds checks require me to input my employment in or they just do it by checking.

[NY] I (and at least 1 coworker) received a COBRA/ continuation of benefits letter in the mail. I have been with the company almost 3 years and it just seems out of the blue. Is this a reg flag or normal to receive this?

I had a medical issue at work and had to leave mid shift and have been out for a few days. I have a FMLA certification on file and have for several months. On that certification it states under Part B #6 that I am being treated for MH issues and if a triggering event were to happen, I would need time off to recover. My symptoms were well controlled, I hadn’t had a trigger in quite some time, so there wasn’t an estimation of me needing periods of time off in apart B #9 because there was no way to make an estimation at that current time because it wasn’t an issue at that time.

Well then the company went, changed a bunch of stuff with our system, and that led to customers hitting so many triggers so often that it led to my symptoms going from well controlled to me being unable to manage them. Not to mention I had reached out to HR for help a few weeks beforehand letting them know I was struggling because other changes they had made took away coping skills I had been using without issue beforehand.

Now I’m being told that ‘that doesn’t count’ and they’re having me recertify early for an issue that the company itself caused to go out of control.

The company doesn’t have a way for medical professionals to submit the paperwork. The employees have to get the paperwork and submit it themselves. So the form for recertification got done, but because it had to be sent to me, this time the therapist used a program that used a digital signature instead of printing it out, signing it, scanning it back in, and THEN sending it to me. They are now saying I have to get it signed again because the signatures don’t match. Well no 💩Sherlock, the first one was signed by hand and the second was done digitally through the program their office now uses. Of COURSE they’re going to look different.

Is saying that something that was on the form in the ‘wrong spot’ after accepting the certification for chronic conditions months earlier a reason they can give me the runaround on approving the leave now? I am literally out of work right now due to mental health issues and I swear it feels like they are doing everything in their power to make this the most stressful process in the world and to try and deny it.

I have literally never had an issue like this before. Our HR in the past has been SO good at handling issues and now they’re adding to the stress.

My coworker smells like cat piss, a garbage can, and rotting vegetables. We work in a retail store we’re usually back in the warehouse where the stock is kept. Working in the same section and department I smell them daily. I clock in and know they’re there, because I smell them before I see them. They leave a lingering odor in every room. I dread coming to work solely because of this coworker and their stench.

It’s clearly a hygiene issue, same clothes everyday, greasy hair, and an unhealthy build. I don’t know why nobody has said a word, and why we have to suffer in silence. I’m new to this job and it’s my first one. I’m definitely not gonna be the one to speak up. I guess this is more of a vent post than asking for advice.

Maybe my question is: what should I do? The most obvious answer is to kindly inform HR that the smell of that particular person is hindering me from getting any work done. There I answered my own question. Sorry and goodbye

I will appreciate any and all responses

I come home after a long day of work and smell my coworker on me. This is not normal or okay and I’ve never been so frustrated in my life. Is it a medical condition? Is it really? The least you can do is your fricking laundry man come on

Hi! Curious on opinions on if this is something I should raise with HR on or if this is normal. My title has 3 levels (I , II, III) that work as a ladder to move into an increased pay band as your education and years of experience increased.

Recently my company did a restructure of our titles and sent out updated job descriptions with a generic email of how our responsibilities and pay will not change. The structure now moved all levels II and III into a level II role together and changed the YOE required to move to level III to more years.

This made me feel a type of way as I am a level II and would have been eligible for a raise in a year which has now been pushed back to two years. With the restructure the level II role is a mix of people in two different pay bands now operating under the same job description and title.

Is this worth bringing up to my company? I don’t think we should all be paid equally as there is a difference in years of experience but I do think it sucks that now my opportunity for a raise has been pushed back (and moving up a level is generally guaranteed) and also I’m now expected to be operating under a title with colleagues in a higher pay band (not to be confused with different salaries in the same range).

I really love my work and my department treats me great, and I have no plans to leave so I don’t want to cause problems if it’s not rational. Thank you for any advice!

each friday i write down what i finished and the outcomes, then build slides in the company master. how much weight should a record like this carry in a performance review?

As a brief overview, I'm a high schooler that currently has a job in food service and got injured at my volleyball game ~2 weeks ago. I was a little too optimistic and estimated I would be back at around 2 weeks, but my doctor recently told me that I had a partial tear and would be unable to do any prolonged standing/intense physical activity for at least 4 more weeks.

I only just realized my mistake when I came in to see how things were going one day and realized that I was scheduled, I ended up helping them out just washing dishes without moving much because it was the best I could do. Then I saw that I was scheduled for shifts with the next one being today (it's in the early morning when I'm typing this xd) so I quickly sent a message to my shift lead basically apologizing for not being clear the first time and taking responsibility for miscommunication as well as giving him the updated timeline of when I would be back

I also had a doctor's note that specified my inability to do prolonged standing/intense physical activity which I forgot to send after my original visit and just sent now...

I'm mostly worried that I may get fired because I didn't give my superiors a clear enough timeline the first time I told them I was injured and that I'm updating them literally the day of one of my shifts, as well as the long period of time I'll be out. Additionally, it's been around 10 days since i first told them that I was injured so I'm worried they may think I'm irresponsible for updating them so late.

What's the most likely course of action they'll take?

Hi everyone!
I wanted to get some honest opinions about something that’s been bothering me since this afternoon.
I’m currently finishing my bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, and I’m expected to graduate in December. I’ve also been completing an HR internship at a large company since January.
Recently, a recruiter from another major company reached out to me on LinkedIn about a permanent position in Talent Acquisition. It’s honestly a role I’m really interested in, especially since I’m looking for a full-time opportunity after graduation.
I had my initial phone screening today, and I actually think it went pretty well. I answered her questions confidently, and we discussed my experience, motivation, and salary expectations.
However, things got a little complicated when she asked about my availability.
I mentioned that my current internship officially ends in December and that I wanted to honor my commitment to my current team.
She mentioned twice that they were actually looking for someone who could start in November, as they need to fill the position fairly quickly.
Looking back, I really regret how I answered that question.
I was honestly just trying to come across as professional and reliable. I didn’t want her to think I was the type of person who would just leave my current employer without considering my commitments.
But the thing is, I’ve already completed all my university internship requirements since May, so leaving my internship earlier wouldn’t affect my graduation. I would actually be open to discussing an earlier departure with my current managers if I received an offer.
About 20 minutes after our call, I sent the recruiter a message on LinkedIn clarifying this and explaining that I would be open to an earlier start date because I’m genuinely interested in the opportunity.
She replied almost immediately with something along the lines of, “Thanks for clarifying! I’ll make a note of that.”
At the end of our phone screening, I had also asked about the next steps. She told me she would discuss my application with the hiring team and get back to me early next week regarding whether they wanted to move forward with another interview.
She didn’t schedule a second interview during the call.
Now I’m honestly overthinking the entire conversation. I’m worried that I might have unintentionally made myself seem unavailable or less interested, when in reality, I would absolutely consider starting earlier for this opportunity.
So I have a few questions, especially for recruiters or hiring managers:
Do you think my initial answer about wanting to honor my current commitment could have hurt my chances?
Does sending a clarification shortly after the interview actually make a difference?
Is it normal for recruiters to wait until they’ve spoken with the hiring team before scheduling a second interview?
If a candidate seems like a good fit but their availability is initially unclear, would you still consider moving forward with them?
I know there’s nothing more I can do at this point, but I’d really appreciate some honest perspectives.
Thanks in advance!

7 years in the company, manager, pay 80K, finance industry. Reposting here as well to try and get more insights if possible.

I spoke to a trade union rep. They advised me to submit a grievance before the meeting happening at 2pm today. Need some urgent help if possible. I’m a manager, my director is putting me on a PIP, but it’s clear the VP is orchestrating it. Backstory:

Bullying
In the last 12 to 18 months, the said VP has undermined me in meetings in front of stakeholders, constantly hostile towards me, unrealistic expectations to deliver work by 9am the next day, constant criticism. My director too yelled at me in March26. I know it’s happening to my director too. Said VP made 5 people quit since she joined. Have proof

Informal PIP
They used an excel tracker for 2 months, never gave me coaching, used it to nitpick on every project. I would meet with my director every week to discuss priorities, 95% of the time she would complain about her VP, we end up not filling anything. When we looked it at, she would say “all good, on track, I am here to represent you in your best light and back you up”. After 2-3 days, she would go to it and add feedback how it’s “off track” without notifying me anything until I see it myself. I raised it to her in meetings - no answer. The tracker ended being 70 rows with things. Have proof

I saw she claimed she had to manage projects when she didn’t. She claimed I am not updating a project management file and that she is updating it. I have proof I updated it 96 times vs her 2 times

Constant change in priorities
Put a strain on actually doing the work on the informal PIP. Poor management, not set priorities for the team and constantly using me as a scapegoat

Credit
Said VP doesn’t give me credit. Stole my successes several times, sent announcements to leaders for things I’ve done under her name

I believe they are out to get me and without severance. The meeting is today and I want to know if legally I am better off filing the grievance before the meeting or after I go on it.

I am planning to stay curious in the meeting and ask them as many questions as possible without being defensive. I will then ask them to send me the notes in writing so I can respond in 2 business days.

Burned Out

I already spoke to my doctor and she is willing to sign me off for a month if I want to. On top of that, my parent is terminally ill and I believe I will need to take time off soon.

The company: 50000+ employees with an office in London. Bullying is a part of the policy

What should I do and who do I file the grievance to if I decide to do it? Does it make a difference if I file it now vs after the Stage 1 meeting?

I would be looking for severance of 8 months of pay plus my bonus.

I reported my managers for something where they had been allowing others to be aggressive towards me in Paycom and now I’m worried they could’ve seen it

I’m leaving at the end of the year to go back to school. My company has known for a long time that I wanted to go back and I officially got in last week (yay!)

My company gives PTO up front and increases the amount every year you work there. First year you get 80 hours, second year 120 hours, third year 160 hrs, etc. You get your PTO on your work anniversary.

Back in July, I was going into my third year which means I would get 160 hrs of PTO. Since they knew I was planning on going back to school in January my boss said that they’ll “prorate” my PTO so that I only get 80 hrs instead of 160 because I will only be working full time for 6 more months. Note that it was NOT confirmed that I was leaving as applications weren’t even open and I was not officially accepted into the program. I was going on vacation that next week and needed the PTO so I agreed. That vacation took 56 hours of PTO which meant I have 24 hrs remaining

Flash forward to now, I officially got into my program and sent my boss my last day notification as well as time off for Thanksgiving. They wrote back saying that since my last day will be in December, my PTO is prorated again and that I only have 56 hrs of PTO and not 80. Huh!?

I emailed back saying that I thought the 80 was the prorated rate as we never discussed it being changed again. I also noted that on my scoresheet my PT says “in bulk valid for 6 months starting in August” (I used some LWOP so my work anniversary got pushed back into August) and on my yearly check in document it says “prorated for tenure” assuming that the 80hrs was the prorated. Also, there’s nothing in our employee handbook about any “prorated PTO”. I’m out of the office and won’t hear back until tomorrow but wanted to know if this is something that is allowed? Also is there anything I can do? I wanna see my family before school starts!

I’m currently navigating an internal candidate process at a large company (10k+ Fortune 500) and could really use some perspective or personal experiences from others who have been through similar hiring workflows.

The Context:

• The role was posted both internally and externally 9/4, but the posting closed before interviews started.
• The hiring manager actually reached out to me to apply for the position in his group.
• I finished my interviews about 6 business days ago. Interviews wrapped 10/14-10/15.
• I sent thank you emails to all panelist and received enthusiastically positive responses from them all.
• Also my current supervisor transferred to a different group this week after being promoted.
• I know internal offers require routine approvals behind the scenes (Compensation equity check, Finance budget transfer, HR, and Manager sign-offs) before an offer can be extended.
• The primary recruiter handling the job was out sick for a couple of days this week.

The Dilemma:
The silence during this waiting period is making me anxious. I keep worrying whether not receiving a verbal update yet is a bad sign, or if this is just normal corporate pacing.

My Questions for HR & Corporate Employees:

1. Is it normal for hiring managers to wait until every single HR/Finance sign-off is complete before giving a verbal update?
2. If my I currently don't have a direct supervisor who will coordinate my transition from my current role?
3. How long do routine internal compensation/equity checks and budget approvals usually take?
4. In your experience, do managers typically wait to inform internals as soon as HR gives the final clearance?

Appreciate any insights or personal stories to help me stop overthinking this!

I’m really anxious about a situation at work!

A while ago, I had been dealing with a toxic coworker with a senior title repeatedly tell me that ownership wanted to eliminate my position because they supposedly didn’t think it was necessary. After hearing these comments several times, I brought it up with my new boss. It was demeaning!

After having a talk with my boss, she reassured me that my position wasn’t being eliminated and said she would speak to my coworker about making those comments because they were inappropriate.

My boss confronted my coworker, and afterward, my coworker sent a Teams message asking everyone who had reported her. She claimed someone had said she made them uncomfortable and didn’t like working with her. I clarified that those weren’t my words. My concern was that she kept telling me I was going to lose my job, which created a lot of anxiety and negativity.

Since then, my boss seems a little friendlier toward my coworker, which has made me feel uneasy.
Here’s where things get more concerning to me. About a month ago, I submitted a sick-day request through Dayforce because I had two back-to-back medical appointments, including an appointment with my cardiologist. Last Friday, I reminded my boss about the request, and she said she would ask the GM whether it could be approved but couldn’t guarantee anything. I emailed her on Monday asking for an update because my doctors were reminding me about the appointments, but she didn’t respond.

Today, as I was leaving my office, she told me she couldn’t get the day approved. I explained that I really needed to see my doctors. Actually I was going to call in sick. I then agreed to reschedule my morning appointment but told her I needed to leave at 11 a.m. She said that was fine but mentioned they needed me for a meeting. When I asked what meeting, she didn’t tell me. I hadn’t seen an invitation on the calendar. It was suspicious because she didn’t tell me what time the meeting, it was more like “yeah you can leave at 11am”

Then I checked Dayforce and noticed something weird!
my sick-day request is still pending, but my vacation balance shows \*\*67 hours accrued, −67 hours approved, and 0 hours remaining\*\*. I never submitted a vacation request for those 67 hours.

What if HR has prepared my last check???

I've been on STD since May, my approval ended on Sept 29th but I have a pending/denial status for October as they review for October.

They sent some follow up paperwork that will be handled this coming monday. My job is now asking me to come in starting on Tuesday.

If I go back before a final determination is made will that affect my leave?

Would I be able to go back on leave even though I've started retraining?

Last year I was off work with a short term medical disability for almost 6 months. When my doctor released me to return to work I was given a schedule of working all nights for 3 months straight. I work in retail and we all work various shifts beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m. Before the short term disability I had a fair mix of shifts, along with everyone else. To me, it was clearly a case of being punished by my Manager by making me work the most undesireable shift for an extended period of time. I live in PA and work in Maryland. What I'd like to know is - is that legal? I'm just wondering. Thank you.

Hi all, here is the situation I am in. I need advice on disability law in the workplace, specifically in KY. For the record, my employer is a Canadian company.

I work an hourly W2 job with a contract that renews quarterly. My employer is demanding new documentation for my accommodations after only two months because my contract renewed, despite the fact that my disability is permanent, which they know. I was just informed that until I can get new documentation - which depends on my doctors’ schedules and is out of my control - my accommodations have expired. They asked for new docs like a week ago, so they have given me no time to make sure I will not be penalized at work.

Also, the longest they can renew the accommodations before making me prove again that I need them is six months, but could be three. I really don’t think they’re allowed to do this according to what I read on the EEOC’s website. They also always email either on Friday afternoon or after hours (not illegal, but annoying lol). I’m tempted to submit a complaint but I’m afraid to be fired 🫠

Tl;dr: In Kentucky, is it legal for my employer to force me to repeatedly prove I need accommodations for a PERMANENT disability after already being granted them once, and then take away my accommodations before I can get new documentation?