CAREER COACH
I’ve accepted a new job. My new employer needs me to start in February, so if I give notice, do I run the risk of not getting paid my 2020 bonus? If I wait until after it’s paid, then I won’t be able to give my current boss notice.
These are good problems to have, but you should have factored this into the timing and negotiation of your job change. You always want to finish a current job strong before leaving, and you certainly don’t want to burn a bridge. Collecting your bonus, then saying “see ya” without proper notice, is not the way to go. You could renegotiate your start date. Also, check the terms of your bonus plan. Some companies require that you be employed at the time bonuses are paid and some pay regardless, so you may not be risking your bonus if you give notice now. If you give notice before bonuses are allocated and your last day is after they are paid, it is highly unlikely that your company will stiff you. Employers expect some increase in resignations after bonuses are paid anyway.
I work for a recruiting firm. My boss said that we should not be referring any candidates for jobs if they worked for the Trump administration in any capacity. I don’t feel comfortable with that, but I am not sure how to handle it. Is it legal to discriminate based on where someone worked previously?
It’s not a matter of legality, it’s a matter of ethics. Throughout history, keeping “lists” of people has never been for good, only for bad. It’s a hiring manager’s prerogative to evaluate candidates based on where they worked and for whom and decide whether that experience is suitable for the job or culture. But for a recruiting firm to insert their own politics into the process and ban applicants because of where they worked is simply outrageous. Where someone worked or for whom doesn’t mean that person embodies the same characteristics or values of their employer. I can’t tell you what to do, but I know I wouldn’t obey that order, and I wouldn’t work for someone who tried to enforce it. I understand if you can’t quit or lose your job, but would you like me to reject you for employment because of your boss?