Dear J.T. & Dale: I work for a family-owned business. There has been a problem lately with my boss’s wife trying to tell everyone what to do when it is not her place to do so. Should I say something to my boss, or just keep my mouth shut and start looking for other employment? — Sarah Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: Last March I was hired as a receptionist. My boss kept saying how wonderful I was. Then I got pregnant. My boss started asking me all sorts of questions that I thought were not quite right, maybe even illegal. I didn’t understand how she could treat me so differently just because I was pregnant. I had to take off a few days with horrible morning sickness, and I ended up having a miscarriage. Then I had to have surgery. When I finally came back, for what I thought was for good, they told me I am a seasonal employee and will be laid off in April. I contacted lawyers, but they want too much money. I don’t know what to do. — Sally Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I work at an ad agency and like my job a lot. Problem is, one of my bosses seems to passionately hate my work. Every piece of it is ripped apart, and he often writes in capital letters, as if to show me how stupid I am not to follow his ideas. But I need to have my ideas mixed in too. Some of my ideas have won international prizes. I don’t want to spend my time 10 percent working and 90 percent explaining/rewriting. Is there a way to deal with it? — Shelly Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: With the increase in companies asking to have applications submitted online, how can I make mine stand out from the hundreds of other applications? — Bette

Dale: Never forget that the goal of your application is to help the HR person or hiring manager put you in the “yes” pile. Those “yes” people are the ones who meet all the requirements. So, make sure you Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I supervise four student workers and a receptionist. One of the student workers is about to graduate, so I asked our receptionist if she thought we had enough work to require hiring a replacement. While we were talking, one of our professors walked by, and the receptionist told him what we were discussing. I felt that including the professor was inappropriate. I now feel like I need to be very careful about what I say to her for fear that she will need to “share” the information. Any recommendations? - Shannon Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: The firm I work for is closing a couple of its other branches, so now it is making everyone retake interviews so the company can keep the best of the bunch. This means my job is now up for grabs. What are my rights? — Mick Read the rest of this entry »