career coach

My employer is taking away voice mail after implementing a “bring your own device to work” policy, and now we no longer have assigned desks ( we have to sign up for a place to sit). Are we coming to a world in which everyone works remotely and communicates only via text? I refuse to work like that— am I a relic?

You don’t say how old you are, but my guess is you’re not a millennial. Not that they like to work that way— in fact, despite what the media would have you believe, millennials, like most human beings, are social creatures and like community. That’s why so many companies, particularly digital startups, invest time in creating fun work environments— so that people will want to convene in person. I’m not sure I’d lose sleep over the abandonment of voice mail: For the past 10 years, my office voice mail message has said, “Do not leave a message”— I don’t listen to them! And bringing your own device is generally considered a positive— most people would rather use one rather than two or more. Finally, a lack of assigned seating has limited appeal for a small number of firms and types of professions in which having a dedicated workspace that you go to regularly isn’t a necessity. Hang in there— and don’t fear technology.

I still had 10 weeks of accrued, unused vacation time when I resigned from my job— but my employer did not pay me for any of it. Is that legal?

First of all, how did you accrue that much vacation? I can tell you from experience that some employees either don’t understand their company’s policy or have their own sense of math— and justice— about how many trips to Disney World they missed over the years and now want payback! Whether an employer must pay for unused time depends upon the terms of the vacation and/ or the employer’s resignation policy. New York courts have held that benefits agreements can specify that employees lose accrued perks under certain conditions. To be valid, the employer must have told employees, in writing, of the conditions that nullify the benefit. The short answer: Check your policy.