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Employment Today™


"EMPLOYERS NEED A COACH, JUST TO STAY ON TOP OF CHANGING TIMES!"

Dear Kathryn:

I'm exhausted from being punished for my gay status just when I thought employers were more hip to today's real world. For years, my mate and I have put up with subtle and not so subtle insults from employers about our gay status. Now that we have finally have the recognition we deserve, my employer is still trying to ignore my rights.

I live in Springfield, MA and work in Hartford, CT. We've enjoyed a wonderful relationship that we were able to consummate in a marriage ceremony here in Massachusetts two months ago. Last month, my mate was hospitalized and needed my assistance at home for a week. When I asked my employer for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) to provide for the paid time off, they declined saying it wasn't my spouse, self, parent or child. When I said it was indeed my recognized mate, they said "not with us and not in CT!"

First, CT is slow to change, but regardless, we have a marriage certificate in the State we live in. Because of this, FMLA should be available to me as well as my non-gay coworkers that are married!

I think my employer is discriminating and I won't stand for it. My mate has more surgery coming up and I will need to take more time off to care for him. Will the FMLA support my time off or what? I'm at my wit's end.

ROB T., Springfield, MA

Dear Rob:

The Family and Medical Leave Act to which you are referring is one which does hinge on the marital status of the employee. Your situation is a bit trickier then normal due to your residence vs. your workplace location. I turned to my expert regarding Family and Medical Leave Act regulations and here's what Attorney Henry Zaccardi reports.

As the State of Massachusetts does allow gay marriages, the Federal FMLA would cover your FMLA request. Even though your employer is in CT, Henry tells me the FMLA is defined by the state in which the employee resides. Because the legal world and regulations change rapidly, I'd take the optimistic route and chalk up your employer's reaction as one due to simply a lack of knowledge. Bring these facts to your employer's attention. Should you need further verification of this, the US Dept. of Labor regulates Federal FMLA. They will be able to provide you with further factual information.

For employers out there, I stumbled across a fabulous book that addresses today's changing workplace and the need to accommodate and understand the rise of alternative households.

The New Workforce by Harriet Hankin names five key trends that are shaping today's and tomorrow's workplace environment. Rather then "experience" the change, I found by reading this new publication that it is most certainly better to be prepared for the changes and act accordingly.

Dear Kathryn:

I am a victim of "stolen identity" and it happened right here in the workplaced. Can you believe that my boss is telling me to cool down?!

I, along with four other coworkers were assigned to a project that ended up requiring twice the normal hours we work plus weekends in order to meet the deadline. As I'm very good with graphic presentations-- even though it's not my job-- I ended up using all of my free weekends! I not only provided the creative images, but fine-tuned the graphics and copy of the project. Because of all of the elements that I personally produced in combination with the actual physical production of the presentation, the result was 75% "ME". When it came time to deliver, the group leader of the project presented the project as his own! He not only received and accepted public praise from our company president, but also received a $5k bonus which he pocketed. That he got all the money was bad enough, but accepting recognition and praise for work that was absolutely not his, is intolerable.

I made a stink about it with my boss who said I would be recognized for doing a good job at review time (eight months from now.) I made extra human efforts on this project because I am dying for a promotion that only the company President can make. By not gaining the recognition for this project, I'm just "another Bozo on the bus" and there's zero chance of a promotion. What can I do about this now and how can I avoid having my work stolen in the future?

Steve O., Manchester, CT

Dear Steve:

Well, you're right about one thing-there are more then 600,000 websites you can turn to in order to prevent and survive "identity theft, credit and otherwise", however there's no ghost buster for your situation. First, let's attack your immediate problem.

Go back and document each and every part of the project you personally handled. While pieces of it were collaboration, while your mind is clear about the actual work your hand had in it, clearly indicate the pieces that have your name on it. While your boss may say you'll be rewarded at the next review, it doesn't help you with the next promotion and bosses' memories can tend to get rusty in eight months time. While I am not recommending you storm the president's office with "the facts" as you know them, I am suggesting you have ready ammunition and still should post for the promotion. This documented evidence of your contribution will only help if you approach your pitch for promotion in a professional manner.

While you accepted the assignment as part of being a team, it's not unusual the "team leader" publicly receives the credit. Like it or not, he was named the "leader" and it's not the president's fault he commended the leader. The Weasel (your group leader) might be wrong for not sharing the praise (gee whiz, even Oscar winning movie directors and stars show big hearts by sharing praise with their cast and crew!), but I'm not surprised he pocketed the bonus.