CAREER COACH
GO TO GREG
My boss, who’s been quite attentive to me, gave me frilly lingerie as a Christmas gift. When I expressed outrage he claimed it was his assistant’s mistake and it was meant for his wife. Should I believe him, or escalate this?
Outrage and escalate because you don’t wear frilly lingerie? Or it was from Old Navy instead of Victoria’s Secret? Wrong fit? Was it a white elephant gift? OK, c’mon — just a little holiday humor. In all seriousness, if you feel uncomfortable by his attention I suggest you address that rather than the gift. It’s not unusual for assistants to go gift shopping for their boss to give to others and it is possible that he handed you the wrong box, even if it’s not likely. But, if you want to give it one last chance before taking it further, give your boss the gift of grace this holiday season. Make it clear that had this not been a mistake it would have been an unacceptable breach of professional conduct, and see if the attention he gives you going forward is more professional. If not, then escalate.
I work in retail and we were told we were all getting a Christmas bonus but it never arrived since “the store didn’t do as well as expected.” Is this legal? We all worked really hard.
The communication about the intention to pay a bonus may have been made with the best of intentions. Typically bonuses are paid based on performance, both on an individual and company level. So unless there was a contractual obligation requiring the employer to pay something if certain conditions are met, the company may determine that they now can’t afford to pay, or doesn’t feel the performance merits extra payment. Without good context, this would have any employee feeling disappointed. It’s unlikely you’ll want to work as hard in the future, and you may even contemplate whether you want to continue with the employer. Perhaps your company will consider some recognition in place of the bonus, like extra paid time off, which most retail workers need given the long hours so many have to keep.
Gregory Giangrande has over 25 years of experience as a chief human resources executive. Hear Greg Wed. at 9:35 a.m. on iHeartRadio 710 WOR with Len Berman and Michael Riedel. Email: GoToGreg@NYPost.com. Follow: GoToGreg.com and on Twitter: @GregGiangrande