How to Deal Live

Q.Farewell, How to Deal Live

Good morning and welcome to How to Deal Live. I am saddened to report that this live chat will be our last. As the Jobs section turns its attention to new and diverse projects, these live sessions are unfortunately no longer on the agenda.

I will continue to write the weekly How to Deal column and I hope you will stay in touch with me by sending your questions and comments to hradvice@washingtonpost.com.

I will miss our conversations, but I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to bring you many more resources of interest.

– July 27, 2010 10:40 AM

Q.”Interim” Salary

Thanks for taking my question. I will be serving as an “Interim” manager for about six months until a permanent person can take over the position. I may also be considered for the permanent position, but that will not be determined for several months. The only issue is that we have not yet settled on an appropriate salary. Do you have any advice on how to handle this? If I get a raise now, and then they hire someone else permanently, do I agree to a pay cut? I’m sure others have been in this situation, and it would be great to get some advice!

– July 27, 2010 10:19 AM

A.Lily Garcia :

Congratulations on your new opportunity. It would be appropriate for you to ask for a temporary increase in pay. You should be prepared, however, to accept a corresponding reduction in pay later if you do not continue in the management role. If your employer is unwilling to provide a temporary pay increase, then you should inquire about whether they would consider compensating you in the form of a performance bonus at the end of the year.

– July 27, 2010 11:01 AM

Q.Harassed (?) by CEO

Hi Lily - I just started a new job, which so far I LOVE. A few weeks ago, I was at a work conference, where I was approached by our CEO as I was walking back to my hotel room late at night. He was extremely drunk, I was not. Short version is that he asked me to “hook up” (yes, he used that term) him. My response was to ask what the h-ll was wrong with him and leave. He took that well enough - he was pissed and said a lot of other things (too long for here) but didn’t touch me. Needless to say I am incredibly uncomfortable. I’m not sure what to do here because I’d like to keep my job. I’m not sure whether he remembers the incident, so on one hand I could let it go, but on the other hand there could be consequences to letting it go. I did manage to get back to my room and then write myself time/date stamped email notes should I need them. My current thought is to have a lawyer take some kind of statement from me in case there’s any follow-up harassment or retaliation for rejecting him. FWIW, I am in my early 30s and have a middle management position, and he’s no more than 10 years older than me. Do you have any advice? Thanks.

– July 27, 2010 11:01 AM

A.Lily Garcia :

Report the incident immediately to human resources or to the legal department. Read your company’s anti-harassment policy and follow the established complaint procedure to the letter. You need to do your part to document and address the issue internally. It does not sound like your CEO took the rejection very well, so you need to do all that you can to ensure that your job is not threatened. I think it is premature to consult an attorney. If you are subject to any negative personnel action you think is related to your refusal of the CEO’s advances, then it is time to call a lawyer.