105
Is this actually a thing? Can a company really get me in trouble for this?
Since you are living and working in the US, yes they can. Chances are, they can fire you for any reason or none at all (depending on your local state laws).
Their "your home is our office" argument is absurd, but being a smoker is not a protected class and doing it on company time, ...
104
Wait until they've made an offer.
This gets you past any potential biases from a recruiter/HR person/etc. that you most likely won't work with in your day to day job.
If they rescind the offer, it's easier to point to your medical condition as the reason. (They may try to claim a sudden budget change but they can't claim you're not qualified.)
Assuming ...
87
If they are requesting a 100% participation with attributable results, then give the sorts of answers that you would give when called on in a meeting in front of management. If that means saying nothing, go with that. If that means wishy washy non-answers, go with that. If that means being in a spot where you feel you have to be "true to your ideals" by ...
78
You also
were naked at the office
slept overnight at the office
and possibly
made an overly fragrant lunch at the office
brought your pet to the office
had sex or masturbated at the office
The argument that context doesn't matter is clearly absurd. None of the reasons they presented to you make any sense. (some people in the comments pointed out some ...
40
I am rabidly anti-smoking, but I find their argument, as presented, absurd. To say that your office is a smoke-free workplace and since you are now working from home, your home is the office is outrageous.
Offices have non-smoking policies in their buildings to avoid polluting the indoor air in the workplace, and I'm glad they do. Back in the 1980's I ...
38
a survey on the employees' opinion of going back to work
[...]
the intent of the answer should be to come across as neutral as possible.
Unless you're a professional doctor, you can avoid passing your opinion by stating that as you're not qualified to assess medical risks, you think it's important to stick to official directions issued by the healthcare ...
26
Can a company really get me in trouble for this?
Depending on your State and contract yes this could get you in trouble, and they could fire you if the laws apply.
Check your local laws and contract to be sure. I also suggest you check your employee's handbook to see what are the politics about smoking.
Is this actually a thing?
Well... they sent you ...
18
it was stressed at multiple occasions that this survey is not anonymous
If they've stressed this to you multiple times, they are aware of the consequences of non-anonymous surveys - i.e. data on these is often skewed towards what people want to hear rather than the truth. This says they don't want an honest answer to the questions.
If you have managers ...
15
What can I give as an answer in this scenario to anyone asking why I
haven't filled out the survery if I do not wish to do so without
coming across as uncooperative?
You can't. Either take a stance and refuse to fill it out or play along. There is no way here to not cooperate, but appear cooperative. Now whether the hassle of not filling it out is worse ...
13
On the other hand, freelancers do this all the time and it’s not
unethical at all as long as the price is known and agreed upon by both
parties beforehand.
If you mean billing one client for time while you're actually performing work for another client, then no, this doesn't happen all the time. If I'm billing a client for my time then I'm performing ...
12
I can think of two reasons why they are completely justified in their reprimand:
You receive any amount of "home office" materials/technologies/reimbursement: Yes, your computer you work on, your internet connection, and maybe even the room itself may be "theirs" in a loose sense if you take their money each month as a reimbursement for having your own ...
11
What can I give as an answer in this scenario to anyone asking why I
haven't filled out the survey if I do not wish to do so without coming
across as uncooperative?
You either cooperate, and do what is asked of you, or you don't.
If you don't, you could indicate that you don't feel comfortable with non-anonymous surveys as a matter of principle.
Or, ...
10
In short, because you're using a company asset to promote the workplace of a different company.
Like you said in your post, you were aware of where your coworkers were going through personal conversations. Which is generally just fine (though you don't want to stray into "Dude, you should check out how great it is over there - they still have openings, you ...
8
From OP comment:
The problem is the employer asked if I had Office on my computer and I said yes. How do I go back now and ask for a license?
Please don't lie. Compare that to the driver lying about owning a car. You have to make a choice, either to get your stuff in order, or say something like:
I was misguided, my MS Office License doesn't allow ...
answered May 15 at 23:30
aaaaa says reinstate Monica
7,9344 gold badges24 silver badges36 bronze badges
8
So the intent of the answer should be to come across as neutral as possible.
Given:
Telling the truth is something to "avoid at all costs"
The company desires your participation
You don't want to appear uncooperative or noncompliant
There is one and only one clear option for you here:
Lie.
You can't avoid (increasingly pressuring) questions about your ...
6
Some people don't care and don't feel any need to adhere to traditional standards of politeness. That's fine, but I'll answer in the context of a culture that does value politeness (Texas), where people are raised to use their "sirs" and "ma'ams" and suchlike. Just like you don't want to be the worst dressed at a party, you don't want to be the least polite ...
answered May 8 at 2:42
mxyzplk - SE stop being evil
13.6k6 gold badges40 silver badges51 bronze badges
6
You'd need to check your contract and your state law, you might be able to leave without notice.
Normally that is considered somewhere between rude and unprofessional, but in the current circumstances your old company might not mind at all. If you are furloughed you can't do any work during a 14 day notice period, so there is no reason to hold you back.
...
6
Should Citizens & Green Card holders lie about their visa status on
job applications?
No. Don't lie. Most employers prefer not to offer jobs to liars.
5
I’m pretty sure I can do both jobs simultaneously without mentally
short-changing one or the other. But I’m not sure this is ethical to
get paid for two jobs concurrently. It seems like one company or the
other should “own” my time for those hours.
On the other hand, freelancers do this all the time and it’s not
unethical at all as long as the ...
5
Sooner or later people will find out that something is going on and will start to talk.
You should communicate this to your direct boss, but you do not need to disclose it to other colleagues.
You could also ask your boss for some alternatives:
You could start your working day at ten
You could work remotely
A good company/boss should not refuse such things ...
5
What can I give as an answer in this scenario to anyone asking why I haven't filled out the survery if I do not wish to do so without coming across as uncooperative?
As the other answers have stated, the only way to not come across as uncooperative is to fill out the survey. Assuming the survey is just about going back to work, when confronted about not ...
5
Is this actually a thing? Can a company really get me in trouble for this?
There may not be a right or wrong answer for this. Or maybe this isn't even written in any rulebook. But we are also currently living in an unusual time.
In this situation, I think the best approach would be to own it up and ensure to the HR and everyone else involved to make sure ...
4
You said the survey is about
employees' opinion of going back to work after two months of work from
home due to COVID-19.
and
possible answers nevertheless allow anyone who gets their hands on
them to deduce certain political stances and opinions, which, given
the current political climate, I'd like to avoid at all costs.
This sounds like you ...
4
I have been in a similar situation in the past. The contract in Virginia was coming to an end. The company gave us two weeks notice, and then after that point they would only pay for insurance for a month. After that we were terminated.
I had a coworker that found a new job during the two weeks notice, the let him go the same day he told them. Now he had an ...
4
Is it necessary to give notice while furloughed?
No. You are not working and you are not getting paid. In fact, while on Furlough you are not allowed to do ANYTHING for your employer, so any notice period would be completely pointless.
This being said, you can still be nice and professional about it. Hand in your notice and ask for any notice period to be ...
4
Is it morally unethical to work two jobs concurrently?
No. Probably not. As long as the two companies are not competitors of each other. However, realize that you are on the clock with Company A and they are paying you to their work... which will bring me to my next point.
Is it corporately unethical to work two jobs concurrently?
Yes. It can be seen as ...
3
You talk to the people who pay you. Which will probably be company B - they'll invoice company A for you, but your contract is with B, even if you turn up at company A each day to work. It's written in your contract.
3
This list is non-exhaustive.
1099:
Your customers will send you a 1099-MISC form each year stating how much they paid you. It's solely up to you to pay any applicable income taxes.
You'll pay for your own healthcare and retirement benefits, and anything else an employer would typically pay for.
You won't get paid vacation or sick days. If you're being ...
3
Should I enter "4/13/20" for both start and end date?
Unless you actually worked on 4/13/20, you should not use that for a start or end date.
Instead, you should be using the dates from your previous job, not one that hasn't yet started.
Note that the form says "Enter the dates of your last employment".
If this doesn't work, then you'll need to call ...
3
At that moment am I obligated to post back "You're welcome"? Is it actually rude if I don't?
You are not obligated to respond, although being polite back to someone never hurt anybody. This also should be taken on a case-by-case basis (it's ok to not reply back every time).
Is there an accepted abbreviated form of "You're welcome". I came up with "wcm" ...
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