J.T. & Dale Talk Jobs: What to do when boss breaks work-from-home rules

Dear J.T. & Dale: My company has announced that we have to come into the office three days a week. However, my boss has not come in. She’s been working remotely in spite of all the rest of us having to show up to the office. Nobody has discussed this with her but we’re all pretty upset. Can I say something to her? It doesn’t seem fair. — Bianca

J.T.: I agree, it doesn’t seem fair. More importantly, it seems really odd that the manager isn’t explaining herself. I don’t think I would specifically ask her why she isn’t adhering to the rules, but I do think you could email her and tell her that you’re looking forward to seeing her in person and was wondering when would be the next time she’d be in the office. That way you’re putting a positive spin on your inquiry. That might also prompt her to explain why she hasn’t been coming into the office. But, if she doesn’t give an answer, then I think you just have to accept that at the management level maybe she’s been given different criteria than the rest of you. And always remember, you are an at-will employee, which means if you’re not happy with your situation you can go out and find a different job that suits your needs.

DALE: I’m not one of those conspiracy theory people who is always certain there’s something diabolical lurking behind every odd circumstance, but this situation suggests to me some deeper machinations. This is pure conjecture, but here’s an intriguing scenario: Your boss is unwilling to return to in-office work and let upper management know she’s quitting. Upper management then asks her to keep working remotely while she looks for a new job. If this scenario plays out, then perhaps you can put yourself in a position to advance. There’s no downside, as you should be implementing these career progression strategies anyway: increase visibility by volunteering for teams/initiatives involved in company issues beyond your department; get an executive mentor inside the company; try to get assignments on critical projects; and, all the while, be making an informal study of who gets promoted in the company and how. In other words, change is coming; change first.

Best of career resources

J.T.: It’s time for our review of useful career resources and this time it’s a book that Dale brought to my attention: “Summer Camp Jobs USA: Find Your Job, Get Your Job, Love Your Job” by Michael Pastore. The first surprises are the numbers involved: There are more than 16,000 camps serving 14 million campers, and get this, an estimated 1.5 million staff members. By the way, when I think of summer camp, I think of spending days or weeks at camp, but Pastore reports that 7,000 of the 16,000 summer camps are “day camps,” rather than sleepover ones.

DALE: If you or your favorite teen might want to be one of the 1.5 million staffers, now is the time to apply — this is their hiring season. The book details 10 “classic methods” for a job search along with a “Super-List” of 20 websites and search engines. For instance, there’s a site for the American Camp Association (acacamps.org) which has a jobs center where you can sign up for email alerts when new jobs are posted. But Pastore points out that only about 20% of camps are members of the ACA, so there are plenty of other places to search.

J.T.: I liked how accessible the information is, something that any inexperienced job searcher could really learn from. A teenager following the advice in the book could get experience with a number of job search sites and tools, as well as practical advice on topics like making a first impression and how to prepare for an interview.

DALE: Yes, while much of the book’s advice is specific to summer camps (like the chapter on taking Red Cross classes and other camp relevant training), I kept thinking what a great growth experience the book’s process would be for any young person — it could become an early inflection point in that person’s career.

Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “Experiments Never Fail: A Guide for the Bored, Unappreciated and Underpaid.” Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803.