Q & A: Plead your case -- Newsday.com

Q: I was laid off as part of a cutback after 15 years of service. I was told I'll receive one week's pay for every two years of service, but I know that one week's pay per year is the norm. Do I have any recourse other than pleading for it?

A: Pleading is all you can do. Severance pay -- if any -- is determined solely by the company; there is no legal requirement to pay a dime. If it's a small company and you've known the president or owner for many years, you have nothing to lose by asking for more.

Q: Our company reorganized and eliminated three upper management positions. These managers were not let go but were re-assigned. Although their responsibilities were significantly reduced, their salaries remained the same. When we asked human resources and senior management why their salaries were not reduced -- there is a $50K difference, we were told it's none of our business. This has eroded the morale of the employees who were already in positions now equal to theirs.

A: Both sides are right. The former managers' salaries are not your business. On the other hand, it's understandable to be upset knowing that employees in positions now equal to yours are making $50,000 more than you. Companies usually re-organize to streamline procedures and increase the bottom line. You don't know if these three managers had employment contracts, but you can bet that your company wouldn't continue paying three employees $50,000 more unless it had to.

Q: We are five assistant directors in an autonomous department of a large non-profit agency. Our department director refuses to fill vacant positions that have been open for months. She reverses group decisions, orders professionals to do clerical and janitorial work and undermines our authority over our staff. She encourages them to talk to her and then overturns our decisions. Gossip, secret deals and office politics are rampant. Her superiors have not visited our department in years and think she is the best. We are all job hunting, but we care about the agency.

A: The agency's president and board of directors can't act if you don't report the situation. If all of the assistant directors in your department create a report together, including figures for employee turnover and other damaging effects, perhaps they would address your concerns. Consider switching to the corporate world, where concern for the bottom line sometimes takes precedence over politics.

Q: Several years ago I was hired as executive producer at a new commercial production company. The money was spectacular but the job was terrible. Still, I was willing to stick to it hoping things would get less stressful. Instead, two years after the company got started, it crashed. I resumed a freelance career and a year later was offered an in-house job by one of my clients. The job and the pay were a step back but I took it anyway, hoping I would advance. What should I do?

A: The key question is whether you're happy at your new job. If your boss has the job you want and is well established in the position, it may be a long time to wait for satisfaction. Settling for a lower job compared to working as a freelancer is simply a risk of a different nature. If your skills and talents are not being fully utilized, the stagnation may hurt your chances for better jobs that come along. Only you can determine your risk tolerance, but you may need to keep your eyes open for a more promising job.

Write to Lindsey Novak, Jobs, Room 400, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 60611. E-mail her at AtWorkbyLN@aol.com.