Identifying harassment at work

What is your strategy for dealing with harassment at work?
Your Rant: This guy I’ve been working with for the last few years has suddenly decided I’m his “dream girl.” He’s constantly sending me lurid love notes and begging me to date him. I’m starting to avoid meetings and hallways where I’m likely to see him, [...]

How do I get back into work now that baby is gone?

What’s your back to work strategy?
Your Rant: My kid is about to start school and I’m ready to get back into the working world. But it’s been a long time since I’ve had a job. Help!
911 Repair:
When I read your e-mail I thought of Emily Katrencik. She’s an artist who recently spent 30 [...]

The verbal abuse at work is killing me!

What’s your strategy for verbal abuse at work?
Your Rant: There is a person at work who is incredibly abusive to me. I’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work.
911 Repair:
When I read your e-mail I though thought of Bob (no relation), an old elementary school classmate. Bob was the master of “The Mirror.” When [...]

Ouch-heavy discrimination toward overweight employees

What are your thoughts about overweight workers and discrimination?
Dear Readers: I recently received this e-mail from A.C. talking about his struggle to get hired as a person who is overweight. I think his letter should be posted on every bulletin board in every office to raise awareness on this issue.
DEAR WORKPLACE 911: There is [...]

The verbal abuser at work is out of control-HELP

What is your strategy for dealing with verbal abuse at work?
Your Rant: A guy at work is always giving me a hard time. Recently, it’s gotten really nasty. What are my options?
911 Repair:
A friend of mine works at the airport as a reservations supervisor. Whenever I pass through her town, I always head [...]

Maintaining your privacy at work

What is your strategy for maintaining your privacy at work?
Your Rant: I keep reading articles about identity theft. I didn’t take privacy seriously, but now I’m careful about giving out personal information. Should I also be concerned about the same kind of issues at work?
911 Repair,
A 36-year-old man was tackled by customers after he [...]

Fight or Flight, is it worth flight back against harassment?

What is your strategy for fighting back against harassment?
Your Rant: Does it ever pay to fight back against harassment?
911 Repair:
I get many emails and faxes from people complaining about abusive bosses. You can choose to fight, I tell them, but know that harassment is a tough fight to win. It’s usually easier to look for [...]

ADA yeah! Provinding reasonable accomodation at work

What are your strategies for providing reasonable accommodation at work?
Your Rant: I’m hoping to hire a person who is blind but I’m afraid my boss will resist because he’ll think it will require costly changes to the office. I know the ADA requires workplaces to do certain things for handicapped people. Can you explain what’s [...]

Biting the hand, should I sue my company?

What are your strategies for deciding if I should sue my company?
Your Rant: I think I have a good discrimination lawsuit against my company. But I once saw a coworker sue and lose everything-his job, home and marriage. Is there any way to tell when it’s worth the risk?
911 Repair,
Speaking of lawsuits, did you [...]

Duty calls and calls and calls. I’m “on-call” all the time.

What’s strategy for dealing with after-hours  or on-call office hours?
Your Rant: My company requires that I carry a beeper and be on-call most evenings. Shouldn’t I be paid for this time? 
911 Repair,
I think prison inmate Timothy Marshall can teach you a thing or two. He recently asked a judge to let him out of [...]