Can you be fired for missing work during Hurricane Irma Unfortunately, yes.

Can you be fired for missing work during Hurricane Irma Unfortunately, yes.Can you be fired for missing work during Hurricane Irma Unfortunately, yes.This weekend, Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, is rushing toward Florida after completely devastating Caribbean islands earlier this week. As the hurricane aims towards its next target, Floridian residents are facing hard choices between safety and job security as gas shortages, miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic, and evacuation orders make showing up to work on time a herculean task, if notlage an impossibility for some employees.Do employers look kindly on these extenuating circumstances? The reasonable ones do. But for the unreasonable ones who may want workers to risk life and limb to get into the office, Ladderstalked to Florida-based employment lawyers in the midst of handling their own hurricane preparations about what rights employees have during a hurricane.If you skip work due to an evacuation order, you can still get firedEach employees circumstance would need to be handled on a case-by-case basis, but in general, the outlook for Florida employees is grim as there are no overall laws protecting them from immediate dismissal if they choose to flee during the storm.Even if you live in a county under a mandatory evacuation order, the law wont protect you from being fired if thats why you dont show up to work.Since Florida is a right-to-work state, both employees and employers have the right to make employment decisions like quitting or terminations as long as these actions are not unlawful.But what if you couldnt show up to work because youre waiting in line for gas for your car, or youre putting up shutters in your home, or youre busy evacuating your family? The law is unsympathetic here, too.From an employers standpoint, they would consider that a no-call, no-show. The fact that youre unable to get gas, thats not a protected right, Tampa-based employment lawye r Erik DeLEtoile said. If they physically have to flee their homes, thats not the employers concern.Harsh, but true. For some employees, that may be a wake-up call to get a new job with a more compassionate company.If this is really how theyre going to conduct themselves in a time of need, its probably best not to work for them. But thats a difficult decision for people who need their jobs,DeLEtoile said.What about OSHA?There are no specific Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws requiring companies to evacuate their employees during a hurricane. Of course, OSHA regulations enforce your right to work in a reasonably safe workplace, so if your workplace is endangering your life, you can make the case to them.Theres no reason a business should be operating during an actual hurricane. If for whatever reason, they wanted you to do that, then there might be an OSHA issue, Venice-based employment lawyer Frank Malatesta said. But were not talking about four days beforehand so y ou can put up shutters. Even if its not common sense, theres still that expectation.Under certain cases, you can also use the Family Medical Leave Act to argue your absence if you had to skip work during a hurricane to attend to a direct family member, Malatesta said.Your best advice? Communicate with your employer.It may be uncomfortable and awkward to explain why you dont want to show up to work, but open communication with your employer is needed not just to clear up any misunderstandings, but also to help your case before a judge if your misunderstanding reaches that point.Its always best to reach out to your employers in advance, DeLEtoile said. Many times, employees feel like their employer is being unreasonable, but they dont say anything to their employer.Before you make any decisions about skipping work, DeLEtoile advises employees to reach out to human resources about why the company wants you working and why you need to evacuate.Above all, Malatesta advises employees to d ocument everything. Make sure you put your communication in some kind of written form, he said. You want to get your employers reply and reasoning for being unreasonable in writing.Take a recording of emergency-related government speeches on gas shortages, so if need be, you can play that before the judge. Thats what Malatesta said he advised a young woman who was terminated for being a no-show at work after not being able to get gas for her car.When it comes to these cases, it will be your word against your employers, and you will need all the written ammunition you can get.

Your Job Applications Journey

Your Job Applications JourneyYour Job Applications JourneyKnowing what recruiters and hiring managers do with your resume at every step of the application will let you set expectations about if and when you will receive a response.Job seekers often complain that potential employers more closely resemble black holes than functioning companies. Submitted resumes even those addressed to specific managers and hand carried by contacts on the inside often get no response.Even after several stages of berprfung and in-person interviews, thank-you notes and inquiries, job seekers often find themselves in a dead zone where all communication ceases, despite their best efforts and best-laid plans.What happened?The black hole is alive and well, and thats really a shame, said David A. Earle, lead researcher at Staffing.org, an analyst company that measures recruiting trends. Weve taken a fairly strident position that corporations that dont change their way of doing things in this Internet-centri c environment will start to encounter candidates that know theyre being treated well at Place A and badly at Place B, and that knowledge will start showing up in those companies recruiting.But a better understanding of the application process can help illuminate the black hole and help job seekers prepare for lack of response and abrupt replies theyre likely to encounter during the job search.Odds are youll never know what happenedWhy arent recruiters more responsive? The No. One reason is the sheer volume of candidates, said Lindsay Olson, a partner and recruiter at Paradigm Staffing, a recruiting company that specializes in marketing and PR positions.Were getting so many resumes these days and so many people will apply for a job that theyre not qualified for that its a big stretch for HR people or recruiters to get back in touch with every single person, Olson said. Its unrealistic of a candidate to expect that. But very few companies even try its not hard to set up an automated r esponse that gives people some idea of what to expect from the process, but alfruchtwein nobody does it.That refusal is a special kind of arrogance on the part of hiring companies, said Sally Haver, senior vice president of business development at The Ayers Group/Career Partners International, a recruiting company that specializes in career transitions and outplacement.What should you expect when you apply for a job? Neglect, she said. There are all kinds of things that happen behind the scenes, from someone being out sick to someone else realizing they didnt do their due diligence to find an internal candidate to people on the inside lobbying for someone theyre championing. If you are passed over during all that, odds are youll never know what happened.Unexpected kinks in the process notwithstanding, every application goes through certain steps and an expected timeline. That doesnt mean the process wont get short-circuited, sidetracked or altered along the way, but understanding th e typical flow of a job application can help an expectant applicant adjust his expectations.1. Resume goes in Whether youre responding to an ad on Ladders, a special-purpose job site, or working with a contact at the company who can hand-deliver your resume to the hiring manager, your resume and deckblatt letter are going to be screened by someone. More often than not, its a third-party recruiter who gets paid only when a hire is made, and might not get hired again for presenting any but the absolutely most appropriate candidates and not too many of them, Olson said.We might present three to the client, and we decide on those by sifting through resumes, doing initial interviews and asking extra questions about topics the client might want more information about than the resume says, she said. We try to get some kind of response out within 48 hours, at least acknowledging that we got your resume. Most companies dont even do that.Next, most companies feed the resumes into an Applican t Tracking System database, Earle said, then use search keywords to match candidates to the job description and build a list of suitable candidates to interview. At this point, someone inside the company is finally looking at your resume to get any further, your credentials must make a good impression the moment an HR screener or hiring manager sees them, Haver said.People have no attention spans they have no time to read, so if you think youre a good fit, list all their requirements down the left side of the paper and all the experiences you have that answer each one on the right side, Haver said. Show them how you match up on each point, and make it really short less than one page.2. Youve been pickedIf you are one of the lucky ones to get a screening call, expect it to last about half an hour, be reasonably pleasant and leave you with very little idea whether you will progress to the next stage.Recruiters are looking for how well a candidate communicates, how she comes across on the phone, and whether shell be a good match in personality and work expectations for the hiring manager. Its a judgment call for the recruiter, Olson said.Even if you look like a very good candidate, that person is probably in the middle of screening a lot of candidates, so you might be the leading candidate when you hang up but not later on, Olson said. You should ask at the end of that conversation, Whats the next step? and they might tell you theyll send your name on to the client. But recruiters could have a lot of reasons for saying it but not doing it.Among those reasons Better candidates might crop up, the recruiter might be trying to avoid giving a candidate bad news, or the hiring company might change the criteria for the job.Ask at the end of the interview whether youll be passed on to the next step, but dont expect always to know whether it will actually happen, Haver said. Your best bet is to call the recruiter back a few days or a week later to touch bases.3. Presenta tion behind closed doorsThe next stage is completely out of your control, so you should try to not worry about it, Haver said.Once the screening interviews are finished, the recruiter or internal HR manager will present the top candidates to the hiring manager or managers. Usually that will happen within a day or two of completing the screening calls. Many companies require more than one decision-maker to sign off on hires or even which candidates to interview.Recruiters present a candidates strengths to show where he matches the description laid out by the hiring manager and describes weak points such as the lack of proficiency in the particular software package the hiring company uses.With the number of candidates they have, hiring managers are incredibly picky, Haver said. If they lay out 10 requirements, they want 10 for 10, not nine out of 10.In most cases, it takes less than a week to get that signoff, and an indeterminate time to set up and conduct in-person interviews. If yo u havent heard from the recruiter or the company within a week or two, dont count on hearing back, she said.4. Audition and follow-upFrom the hiring managers perspective, the interview and immediate aftermath can be like judging a childrens talent contest in a town where you know all the parents, Haver said.People inside are leaning on the hiring managers, she said. Its unbelievable how much pressure some of them are getting from people who want to find a spot for their brother-in-law or friend who cant pay the mortgage and needs a job, or someone inside. Everyones flagging their own candidate, so if youre outside and dont have a champion, its hard to stay at the top of the list.Still, as with the screening interview, cover your bases. Keep in touch with the hiring manager, if possible. If not, contact the HR manager or third-party recruiter. Send a thank-you note. Phone the recruiter a few days later to see how it goes, and about once a week thereafter. Any less, and you will lose touch any more, and you will overstay your welcome.Its perfectly fair to expect to know whats going on and what you can expect, but it doesnt always happen, Olson said.If you get no response at all, either to the interview or the thank-you and follow-up notes, thats a bad sign you should not expect to hear back about the job, Earle said. Its possible hiring managers are having trouble coordinating, but more likely theyve made a decision that doesnt include you and dont want to call to confirm it, Earle said.One word of advice from Olson Dont go around the recruiter and call the hiring manager directly. Thats a good way to get them annoyed and wanting to not work with you again, Olson said.And dont call more than once a week or so to check, even if the ad is still up weeks or months after your interview.Ads might be posted automatically to hundreds of job boards, or might go up as part of a longer-term contract with mass-market job sites, Earle said. Often the ads remain online long after the job was filled because the companys ad buy required that it be listed for 30, 60 or 90 days far longer than it might be valid.Ive seen companies take six months to make a decision, though, Olson said. Not hearing doesnt necessarily mean its gone. If theyre open with you and tell you why theres a delay, go ahead and stick with it. But dont stop looking for other things.

5 ways to survive the holiday office party in 2018

5 ways to survive the holiday bro feier in 20185 ways to survive the holiday office party in 2018There is nothing quite like the office holiday party. Alcohol, anxiety and awkwardness fill the air as your drink suspect rum punch and mingle with people from accounts while eating a defrosted prawn ring. But, while the holiday party is there to be enjoyed, its also wise to be mindful.There are ways that you can survive the office holiday party and come out with your dignity, reputation and career intact.Most of Top Life CoachCarole Ann Riceswork focuses on making people be the best versions of themselves. Here, she shares withYCBthe 5 ways to survive the office holiday party 1. Be preparedWhile this may be a social occasion, its also happening in your place of work, so its important that you treat it as a professional environment. Limit yourself to a set amount of drinks and make sure that you know how youre getting home.2. Be respectfulWe spend a lot of our day at work and with the peo ple in our office, so try not to make any enemies while at the holiday party. If you do hear people gossiping about one of your colleagues, stay out of the conversation or change the subject. By the same token, dont act uncooperative, start swearing or telling inappropriate jokes, its not going to go down well with management and you could end up ostracizing yourself.3. Dress professionallyIt may be a night out, but its best to tone it down when it comes to your outfit for the evening. Wearing revealing dresses, short skirts or trashy clothing will send out the wrong message to your managers and colleagues. Remember, you want your superiors to remember you for professional skills and not your fishnets.4. Keep away from romanceIf you do find yourself taking an interest in someone in the office, dont let on and, even more importantly, do not act on it Some companies operate a strict no-fraternization policy and you dont want to end up on costing yourself your career for a kiss.5. Netw orkFor all the perils that come with an office Christmas party, they also offer a great avenue for networking and making new friends. By introducing yourself to people from other departments, you can make new acquaintances and gain insider information that may give you a competitive edge when it comes to going for a new role.This article was originally posted on YourCoffeeBreak.

The No. 1 Way to Ensure Youve Found the Right Job Is

The No. 1 Way to Ensure Youve Found the Right Job IsThe No. 1 Way to Ensure Youve Found the Right Job Is What does the right job look like for you, and how can you tell when youve found a good fit? Every job seeker targets different qualities when it comes to his/her ideal role one candidate may be thrilled to power a lean start-up while another may find the right stride with a more traditional employer.No matter what qualities youre seeking in your next position, though, one of the best ways to evaluate potential fit is to know what youre targeting and to streamline your approach as you pursue it. Regard your job search as you would any other professional project. Approach it strategically, noting what youre after and what skills, resources and contacts might help you get there.After all, a job search is a full-body exercise. Its both an endeavor to land a new role and a quest to discover your next chapter. So how do you ensure youve addressed both the logistical a nd the emotional dimensions of the pursuit? And how do you know if youve found the job thats right for you ? One genau research.Using Glassdoor to inform your search not only gives you a better idea of whether or not a company is a good fit - it also distinguishes you as an informed candidate . This benefits your search, because, as Lillian Childress explains Informed candidates make the hiring process easier by asking smarter questions, doing the necessary research on the company and tailoring their expectations to the role they are applying for.This benefits candidates and interviewers alike, and can even lead to a longer tenure. Glassdoors Employer Retention Study reveals that hires who use Glassdoor have a more than 30 percent higher retention rate - great news for those who are tired of hopping around from position to position in search of the perfect fit. Wondering what you should research specifically? Here are a couple of ideas.No matter what youre targeting in your next role, the culture in which you work tremendously impacts your experience there. Glassdoor allows a glimpse into the culture of companies youre considering use it to get a deeper sense of what employees think of the companys values, work/life balance, career opportunities and more.If youre invited to interview, this offers you and your prospective employer a gunst der stunde for deeper assessment. While you want to impress the interview team, you also need to be impressed. Dont forget that an interview goes both ways. Evaluating whether or not this culture might suit you is key when it comes to your decision about fit.Jenny Chynoweth , Talent Acquisition Consultant at Kohr Consulting , offers this advice for evaluating culture in the space of an interview note your surroundings. Do people seem to genuinely like each other? When you ask an interviewer a question about the culture, is there a long pause? . . .take an objective view of the environment. Are employees generally res pectful of one another? Do they seem happy? On the flip side, if an interviewer seems genuinely unhappy, do an internal audit on whether it is the employee that is struggling or the company itself.Take that emotional pulse during your interview. While you dont want to just rely on your gut for decision-making, your instincts are informed by a lot of important observations - so pay attention.Job searching can cause a lot of upheaval therefore, many employees target longevity in the roles they pursue. If a company has a track record of keeping employees around for a long time, thats generally a good sign.Chynoweth explains If a candidate is truly seeking longevity, they should inquire about the tenure of the current employee population. . . Longevity is a personal choice. Some employees enjoy the challenges that come from changing a job every 2-3 years. Other candidates are looking for a 5-10 year career. Its really up to the individual.Glassdoor can be used to assesslength of tenu re as well - if a company frequently loses new employees, its often mentioned in reviews.Finding fit in your position and harmony with your employer anchors an important part of your life. Securing a balanced, happy and fulfilling professional arrangement has tremendous implications for your overall happiness. While theres no one-size-fits-all metric to measure it, researching a company will give you a great preview.

How to Brag About Your Work Without Being a Jerk - The Muse

How to Brag About Your Work Without Being a Jerk - The MuseHow to Brag About Your Work Without Being a JerkHi Kyle,I am working my butt off, butmy boss doesnt seem to have the slightest clueabout what Im actually achieving. My role involves a lot of different tasks and projects, and I am largelysupposed to manage my own time and priorities. Ive always seen it as a sign of independence that I dont bother my boss with the small stuff, but after my last performance review, I realize that I might have to put more energy toward showing him where I bring value to the table.Im not quiet or shy Im just efficient andmore focused on results than on tooting my own horn.Howdo I make my results more visible to my boss without wasting his time (and mine) and without sounding like a poser?Signed,Modest Hard-WorkerDear Modest Hard-Worker,In most work settings, having your work recognized comes down to communication. Some might even call it bragging, yes. This korrekt often carries with it a negative connotation- maybe you call to mind an anmaend former classmate or an obnoxious co-worker- but theres actually an effective way to brag about your work. No posing necessary.When you do it right, it puts your accomplishments in the spotlight and gives you the recognition you deserve. Meet With Your Manager RegularlyIf you and your supervisor only discuss your work when its time for performance reviews, that needs to change. At least every two weeks, you should meet with him or her- not to bother them with the little stuff, but to make them aware youre a valuable team player. Non-performance review check-ins are the perfect place to talk about your small wins and any extra efforts you think your boss is unaware of. It may feel unnecessary to talk about working on a Sunday in January at your June performance review, but to mention a few extra hours that you put in that week when youre chatting regularly can go a long way toward painting the larger picture of your total value as an emp loyee. Provide (the Right) ContextTalking about any achievement without giving appropriate context is a recipe for sounding like an arrogant jerk. Its important to mention the goal that youre working toward and the reason that your efforts were necessary during a professional boast. Lets dissect a few different statementsIt was a crazy week, but we got the report in on time.I had to pull two all-nighters making sure everything that was coming your way was perfect. After a few gallons of coffee and a lot of red ink, I got it done for you.The short deadline definitely proved challenging, but everyone put in a solid effort getting this together. I know theres no room for error so I spent last night double-checking everything, and it all looks good.The first example glosses over your hard work. Your boss has no indication of the kind of effort you put in. The second one is intensely self-serving and isnt likely to land well. The third one is just right It highlights the work that went i nto a task (including on a tight deadline), at the same time specifically noting your individual role in its completion. You show- rather than explicitly tell- where you went above and beyond. At the end of the day, the fact is that nobody knows how hard you work beside you. Its important to your professional success that the people making decisions about your pay, title, and responsibilities are aware of your diligence and dedication. Becoming skilled in the art of the brag without becoming a braggart (see what I did there?) is a worthy skill that can be honed with practice. And it could just be the missing link your boss needs to truly see your value.This article is part of our Ask an Expert series- a column dedicated to helping you tackle your biggest career concerns. Our experts are excited to answer all of your burning questions, and you can submit one by emailing us at editor(at)themuse(dot)com and using Ask a Credible Career Coach in the subject line.Your letter may be publis hed in an article on The Muse. All letters to Ask an Expert become the property of Daily Muse, Inc and will be edited for length, clarity, and grammatical correctness.

Mythical Answers to Proper Resume Uncovered

Mythical Answers to Proper Resume Uncovered Make certain that you possess all the essential qualifications of an administrative assistant. The information that is offered in the resume cover-letter should be sufficient to convince the employer that the candidate should be called for an interview. If youre a mature age applicant, you only really should list roughly the previous 10 decades of your working life, unless theres other specific information you prefer to include that pertains to the role youre applying for. The primary purpose of providing a resume cover letter together with the resume is to give an introduction to the individual whos applying for the job. In the end, the applicant should produce the employer think they walk on water, without actually saying they do. If youre asking for a job for a receptionist, for instance, the work objective would be that of a receptionist. Your job objective should match the job youre interviewing for. Then, the objective (or ai m of the applicant) is listed. Details of Proper Resume There are a number of approaches to go about resume creation, but finally building your resume will ultimately be your decision. If you look like someone who receives the work done and doesnt require lots of baby-sitting, if you place your very best foot forward talent-wise then you dont need to be worried about rejection because good news like bad news is viral. When deciding what information to include, its very important to make certain everything on the page is connected to the job youre trying to get. Just bear in mind that you want to conserve the information for the future, if your contact and job information changes. Take note you can have to account for any gaps. Career objective section in resume will incorporate the facts of your future accomplishments that you want to accomplish working on the specific position in the organization. Make certain your employer knows that youre seriously interested in the job and anticipate contributing to the company or organization. You should also inform the employers regarding the many duties you had to perform in your prior workplace. Because employers get such a wide variety of resumes, and several have various diverse openings, you resume may get lost in the shuffle should you not incorporate a work objective. With they receiving hundreds of resumes, it is important to make your resume standout from all of the others. Your job hunting exercise should begin by creating a proper resume or CV as it is known as in come countries outside the usa. The target of your resume is to secure you a work interview. There are always people trying to find jobs. If you wish to find the job of your liking youve got to use your resume to receive your opportunity to demonstrate the company your stuff. Proper Resume Features Writing an effective resume is also quite important. There are specific points which should unquestionably be mentioned in the resume -cover letter so as to capture the interest of the prospective employer. Putting together a great copy of a resume is something that most individuals arent confident about. The information that has been given in the resume cover letter needs to be crisp and come right to the point. Proper Resume Explained Spring is the ideal time of year to departure tuning up your resume prior to your next opportunity presents itself. Build a constructive and information-rich resume and you are going to be developing a new career in no moment. The very first fourth of your resume is the trick to grabbing the attention you will need. Picking the right resume format is essential to understanding the right way to compose a resume. Prior to taking reference from the internet sample resumes, think on what sort of resume sample format will fit your requirements. The chronological format will be preferable in case you have a continuous work history or have opted to remain in exactly the same are a of work. Hence it is essential to choose a correct format for an IT professional CV. Life After Proper Resume Functional Sample whenever you are referring the online resume samples, you will require a functional sample when you have employment gaps in your past. Otherwise, the reader will be quite confused as to why youre asking for a position youve got zero background for. If you dont have a concept of how or where to begin, resume samples are available which will work as a guide toward achieving a perfect resume. Work experience section should incorporate all your prior employments in the health care field.

Expedia Reveals What Employees Would Give for an Extra Vacation Day

Expedia Reveals What Employees Would Give for an Extra Vacation Day Expedias 2014 Vacation Deprivation study surveyed nearly 8,000 employees worldwide and asked about vacation habits and policies and what workers would give up for a week to get one additional vacation day. Somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of people worldwide say that vacations make them feel happier, better rested, closer to their family, less stressed and more relaxed, said John Morrey, vice president and general manager of expedia.com. These are all emotions that correlate to a productive employee. So its almost paradoxical spend more time away from work, and you might just be a better performing employee.Many participants said they did leid take all of the days they had, and others said their bosses frowned upon those who made full use of earned time off. Even in Europe, where the average worker gets 28 vacation days a year, some workers said they took their days despite the fact that it displeased their boss.In the U.S., workers receive an average of 15 vacation days. But although U.S. workers get far fewer days than Europeans, they use most of them. Italians are the European exception they only took 21 of 28 days.Feeling vacation deprived did not seem to have much to do with how many days one received or took off.A little over half of U.S. workers said they felt vacation deprived.The top four reasons globally that people cited for not taking all their accrued time offWork schedule does not allow for it (19 percent)Bank them/carry over to next year (18 percent)Lack of money (18 percent)Difficulty coordinating time (16 percent).Overall, 55 percent of all bosses said they approve of people taking all their time off. The most disapproving bosses were French and South Korean, while U.S. bosses were seen as supportive of time off by 72 percent of workers. The highest boss approval rate came from Norwegian respondents 82 percent said their bosses were just fine with taking time off.When asked what would you give up for a week to get one more day off? The top responses wereJunk food 54 percentAlcohol 48 percentSocial media 42 percentTelevision 37 percentCoffee 35 percentSex 24 percentSmartphone 21 percentThe Internet 20 percentTaking a shower 9 percent