314
votes
Employer doesn't want to pay me because I took longer than estimated to finish the work
Slovakia is an EU member since 2004. What your boss wants to do is illegal anywhere in the EU. We can ignore all your arguments why it took longer, fact is you were employed for three weeks, therefore ...
- 168k
288
votes
What is the correct way to approach the request that "new developers should not be able to access the codebase"
Due to the potential difficulties in legally pursuing someone from
such countries, the directors are unwilling to give these new
developers access to the codebase, even with a watertight NDA.
If this ...
- 380k
224
votes
Accepted
Client wants me to do something explicitly illegal
First of all, thank you, personally (1), for stepping up and making the right decision. We need more engineers human beings like you.
I am completely on board with your assessment and current decision ...
- 70k
218
votes
Should I sign a NDA that holds me liable for legal fees even if I am in the right?
You tell them: "The terms of your NDA look to me as if you could sue me for NDA violation, and I would have to cover all the legal fees, even if it was shown that I haven't done anything wrong. As it ...
- 168k
212
votes
Accepted
Recruiter demanding I sign dodgy paperwork after joining job
First, do not sign anything. You should have signed any relevant paperwork before the recruiter got you the job...why would they have more for you now that the job is secured?
Second, do not sign ...
- 3,372
200
votes
How can I convince my manager to allow me to take leave to be a prosecution witness in the USA?
What can I do to convince my manager to allow me to take leave to
testify in court for prosecution?
Have the prosecution issue a subpoena for your testimony. That would legally compel your presence ...
- 380k
176
votes
Coworker, driving drunk, was arrested; I was his passenger. Do I tell employer?
As far as I can tell, this wasn't work-related and doesn't impact work in any way, so there will not be any repercussions to either you or your coworker. However, an eagerness to disclose this on your ...
- 4,047
175
votes
Is it legal for company to use my work email to pretend I still work there?
Regarding the first question, "is it legal?" questions should always be posted on Law SE, not here.
As for your LinkedIn account, LinkedIn has the ability to change your email address associated with ...
- 45.6k
161
votes
Verbal offer was for permanent full-time, but letter says short-term
One liner: Unless it is mentioned in writing in the contract or in the offer letter, it is not true.
Do not "assume" anything, regardless of who is saying that. Consider whatever is written, ...
- 70k
156
votes
New manager directly emailing team from personal email, yet they do not start for 3 months
You do not share information with anyone outside your company without your manager’s explicit authorization.
You should forward this email to your existing manager immediately, and you should not ...
- 63.2k
154
votes
My new job came with a pay raise that is being rescinded
Time to move on to another company
First, as stated in the comments, discuss the legality of this with an attorney. This will vary state to state, but most states are at will employment.
I will add ...
- 84.8k
152
votes
What is the correct way to approach the request that "new developers should not be able to access the codebase"
Modularize your application and give people access only to the components they are working on.
If your application is split into several different bits with developers only having access to what they ...
149
votes
Accepted
Not paid for work, contract promised but not given
She does actually have a contract, even if not even a verbal contract was discussed. She has a contract because she turned up for work, and they let her work instead of sending her home.
It’s small ...
- 168k
145
votes
Accepted
How to handle a "non-compete clause" on the employment contract?
He got the agreement letter and when he was reading it he has founded
that unfair term. It is "You can't join any competitive company of us
within 5 years when you resign from our company". It ...
- 380k
140
votes
Accepted
Company requiring me to let them review research from before I was hired
Let's flip this one around for a bit. Imagine the situation:
You're the PR department for a well-known global firm
A new hire comes along and wants to publish some research done prior to joining
The ...
- 106k
134
votes
Accepted
Interviewee offered code samples from current employer -- should I accept?
No, you should not accept their offer, and you should absolutely pass on this candidate. This is horribly unprofessional and in the USA would widely be considered unethical.
Anyone willing to offer ...
- 111k
132
votes
Boss wants me to ignore a software API license
Get it in writing. Save a copy of said confirmation away from company hardware.
Violating software and service licenses are the kind of thing that, if they are caught, can really screw over a company. ...
131
votes
Conflict between one employee's claim of religious freedom and another's sexual orientation
How do I handle this conflict between Helen's religious freedom and
Mark's sexual orientation?
There is simply no conflict here.
Religious freedom doesn't mean you are allowed to "insult" or "talk ...
- 380k
125
votes
Crypto mining by employee for 5+ years
Don't touch anything.
Document what you know, what you've done so far, and then talk to HR, your legal department or lawyers. They will probably advise you to suspend this employee (and their access) ...
- 16.9k
123
votes
Should I report this workplace thievery?
Take it to management. I hope you have a good reason for not involving them in the first place because they're certainly going to ask. Making potentially illegal recordings in the workplace is not ...
- 59.3k
123
votes
Should I sign a NDA that holds me liable for legal fees even if I am in the right?
I'm sure this isn't what they meant.
No, I assure you. That's what they meant.
Just strike out that clause, or modify it, initial it and date it (but do not sign it yet). Then return it to them, ...
- 57.6k
122
votes
I stumbled across a confidential company document on a client's public website. Should I alert someone?
Bring it to your manager.
Since it sounds like you're not in direct contact with this client or involved in the sales/offer process, this is above your pay grade. Whatever you do, do not directly ...
- 59.3k
122
votes
Is it ok to use my open-source projects as dependencies at work?
The professional thing to do is incredibly simple: talk to your manager. Explain the situation, ask what you should do. The important thing here is to avoid any future problems, and you do that by ...
- 106k
113
votes
Client wants me to do something explicitly illegal
Find a lawyer
You've made a great ethical decision by choosing not to help your employer perpetrate their scam. I admire that.
But no-one here can tell you the right (and safe) way to continue. We ...
- 22.6k
102
votes
Is it legal for company to use my work email to pretend I still work there?
Update your linkedin profile IMMEDIATELY, report possible fraud to them. Change the email from your work email to a private one.
Get a lawyer to send a cease and desist order to your previous ...
- 159k
101
votes
Employer demanding money back when I resigned because of "accidental pay raise"
Go see a lawyer.
My employer has informed me that this was a mistake (they won't communicate it in writing)
As a general rule, when companies have the force of law on their side (and even when ...
- 47.7k
100
votes
Accepted
How can I solve our insufficient breaks without negatively impacting availability?
People who don't get adequate breaks tend to not pay attention to their job as well. People who are really hungry also don't pay attention well.
This is an accident waiting to happen.
As Patricia ...
- 31.5k
93
votes
Accepted
Company doesn't follow security policies advertised to clients
If there is a widespread fraud (which is exactly what is happening here from how you describe it) then eventually one of your clients will figure it out, and the will subpoena anyone that works on ...
- 1,354
90
votes
Verbal offer was for permanent full-time, but letter says short-term
What should I do? I'm a little turned off by the offer now that it had
to be revised for mistakes in compensation multiple times, but it is a
big company and a position I am interested in working in.
...
- 380k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible