Our E-Newsletter (NL) and Q&A (QA) Library

A. Negotiation Pointers

"Master a trade and God will provide."
The Midrash (Jewish Book of Biblical Interpretation)

1. NL 1: With Your Boss, It Pays (and Pays Big) to be Tactically “Polite” at Work
2. NL 2: Locating Leverage with Your Boss
3. NL 3: When Office-Negotiating, Put the “Power of Purpose” in Your Pocket
4. NL 4: Knowing When It’s Time to Simply “Fold ‘Em”
5. NL 5: When Negotiating at Work, “Words NOT for the Wise”
6. NL 6: Appearing “High Maintenance” Can Hurt Your Career
7. NL 7: Kids are the Best Negotiators – Learn from Them.
8. NL 8: Hey, It’s July – Time to Re-Assess Your Unique Human Capital
9. NL 9: What Top Executives Teach Their Own Children
10. NL 10: Overcoming Your Fear Of Negotiating At Work
11. NL 11: Hiring, Promotion, Raises – The Three Decisive Factors
12. NL 12: The Surprising Power of Simple Appreciation – A Negotiator’s Secret
13. NL 13: Dealing with Deadlines in Workplace Negotiating – Focus on “The Four Flexible Features”
14. NL 14: 10 Simple Phrases That Give You Leverage with Your Boss
15. NL 15: For Discussions with Your Boss: Your SkloverWorkingWisdom™ CheckList
16. NL 16: What, Exactly, is “Negotiating at Work?”
17. NL 17: How to Respond to “Take It or Leave It” In Employment Negotiations
18. NL 18: In Negotiating with Your Boss, What You Want/Need/Deserve Is Not Most Important
19. NL 19: Seven Rules to Ensure Successful Negotiation Meetings
20. QA 1: What, Exactly, is “Negotiating at Work?”
21. QA 2: “Resign or Be Terminated. What should I do?”
22. QA 3: “I need help in getting the raise I want.”

B. New Jobs and Promotions

"A bashful beggar has an empty purse."
Hungarian Proverb

1. NL 1: Make Sure You are “Attired to be Hired”
2. NL 2: Top 10 Worst Job-Change Expectations
3. NL 3: Nervous About an Upcoming Job Interview? Just Focus on the “Three Interview Objectives”
4. NL 4: Use Our “HR Interview Memo” To Prevent New-Job Problems
5. NL 5: New Graduates Should Seek “The Three Ex’s”
6. NL 6: Your “Employment Values” – Why Take (or Stay in) This Job?
7. NL 7: Why Sending Your Resume To a “Headhunter” Can Cost You Dearly
8. NL 8: Grads Without Jobs – Here’s 10 Ideas to Help You
9. QA 1: “I Was Asked to Resign: What Do I Tell Interviewers?”
10. QA 2: Resigned, but Need an Explanation
11. QA 3: Negotiating a New Job: How Do I Begin?
12. QA 4: What’s My Best Response to “Why did you leave?”
13. QA 5: New Job, New Industry, Leaving Friends: Is It Worth It?
14. QA 6: Can An Overstated Resume Result in Firing?
15. QA 7: Terminated: Do I Admit That in Interviews?
16. QA 8: “I Need to Transition to Another Employer. . . Can You Help?”
17. QA 9: Interviewer’s Question: “Have you ever been asked to resign?” How Should I Respond?
18. QA 10: “I’m interviewing for a new job, and I’m three months pregnant. Do I have any obligation to tell my interviewers?”
19. QA 11: Left my job due to co-worker threats. What do I say in interviews?
20. QA 12: Can an employer simply withdraw a job offer?
21. QA 13: “How much should I ask for as a bonus for increased sales? How about asking for an ownership interest in the company?”
22. QA 14: “Is it wise to resign because promotion was denied, and without a new job?”
23. QA 15: “I’m seeking a promotion, without success. My boss says only HR can promote. What do I do?”
24. QA 16: “I was promised a promotion, and given the higher-level duties, but have been denied the better title and pay. What do I do?”
25. QA 17: “How can I deal with the possibility that my present employer is sabotaging my attempts to get a new job by saying bad things about me?”
26. QA 18: “How can I get my employer to give me a promotion I have earned?”

C. Raise, Bonus, Compensation

"Don't put it in my ear, but in my hand."
Russian Proverb

1. NL 1: It’s September: Time to Set Your Boss’s Expectations for Your Year-End-Bonus
2. NL 2: Negotiating Stock, Options, Etc., in a Very “Relative” Way
3. NL 3: Commissions: What Happens When You Leave?
4. NL 4: For a Raise or Promotion, Use “Triggers of Value.”
5. NL 5: Four Key Trends in Executive Compensation
6. NL 6: Hey, it’s August . . . Time to Put Together This Year’s “Achievement Scorecard”
7. NL 7: Bonus or Raise Disappointing? Consider These Alternative Forms of “Compensation”
8. NL 8: Hey, it’s May – Time to Update Your Annual “Equity Inventory”
9. QA 1: Low Raise Expected – What Should I Do?
10. QA 2: Raise Request “Turnaround”: What Are My Options?
11. QA 3: No Evaluation – No Raise: Should I Quit?
12. QA 4: Been laid off. If last year’s bonus is denied, can I sue?
13. QA 5: “I need help in getting the raise I want.”
14. QA 6: “What recourse do we have after our employer has reduced salaries 10% across the board?”
15. QA 7: “Can I enforce an agreement to raise my pay if most, but not all, of the required conditions were achieved?”
16. QA 8: “If I give in my notice of resignation, effective in two weeks, and bonuses are due in one week, can I lose my bonus?”

D. Benefits, Pensions and Perq’s

"Enjoy life. It’s ungrateful not to."
Ronald Reagan, President

1. NL 1: Twelve Steps to Negotiating a “Bridge to Retirement”
2. NL 2: A Special Issue: The Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) – The 50 Things You May Need to Know
3. NL 3: Ten Circumstances When COBRA is NOT Available to You
4. QA 1: Benefit Plan Complaint – “Sue or Tell?”
5. QA 2: “I’d like to ‘telecommute’ my job. How do I approach my boss?”
6. QA 3: No Right to Maternity Leave: How Do I Negotiate Time Off?
7. QA 4: Is it illegal to have two health insurance policies at the same time?
8. QA 5: “I took a FMLA leave of absence, and my boss told people of my medical problem. What should I do?”
9. QA 6: “My company avoids both severance and pensions by something called ‘re-badging’ employees. Is this legal?”
10. QA 7: “Do I have any right to reinstatement when I return from a medical leave?”
11. QA 8: “While on FMLA leave, can I keep up with office emails?”
12. QA 9: “I need to take time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – Where do I start?”
13. QA 10: “Is there a deadline to file a Workers Compensation case?”

E. Agreements and Contracts

"Trust in Allah, but tie your camel."
Arabian Proverb

1. NL 1: How to Give Yourself the Job Security and other Benefits of an Employment Contract
2. NL 2: How To Negotiate Your “Welcome Aboard” Letter
3. NL 3: If You’re Asked to Relocate, Think Ahead to Your Need for “Re-Relocation”
4. NL 4: Use “No Less Favorable” When At Impasse in Your Office Negotiations
5. NL 5: How to Negotiate “Retention Agreements”
6. NL 6: Expatriate Assignments – The 18 Mandatory Requests
7. NL 7: Negotiating Employment with a “Private Equity” Firm – 7 Surprises to Expect
8. NL 8: 10 Questions You Need to Ask About “Change Of Control” Provisions
9. NL 9: Sign a Copy Today . . . Just in Case You’re Not “Around” Tomorrow
10. NL 10: Job Offer Letters – What to Look For – What to Look Out For
11. NL 11: In Offer Letters and Employment Contracts, Watch Carefully for an “Integration Clause”
12. NL 12: For Our Bear Stearns Friends and Similarly Situated Persons: Sklover’s Primer on Retention Agreements
13. NL 13: The “Successors-and-Assigns” Clause – Without It, All Can Be Lost
14. NL 14: The Employee’s “Duty to Mitigate” – What Does That Mean?
15. NL 15: In Employment Agreements and Offer Letters – Beware of “Incorporated By Reference”
16. NL 16: “In Hiring Memos, Offer Letters and Employment Agreements, Beware of ‘Words of Intention’”
17. QA 1: Can an Employer Take Back a Job Offer?
18. QA 2: Are Employment Offer Letters Binding like Contracts?
19. QA 3: “Lured into making a job move by an oral promise of six years’ work. Let go after four years. Do I have any recourse?”
20. QA 4: Retention Bonus: Whether and How to Request One
21. QA 5: “Can my employer require I sign an employment contract long after I started the job, and fire me if I refuse?”
22. QA 6: “Can we enforce an employer’s promise to employ us ‘for life?’”
23. QA 7: “How might I resign, and get the balance of my employment contract paid out to me?”
24. QA 8: “Employment Contract Broken by Employer; New Job Found Right Away: What am I Entitled to?”
25. QA 9: “Is a change-in-control provision in an executive employment agreement the same as a separate change-in-control agreement?”
26. QA 10: “If I’m ‘at will’ and therefore can leave my job whenever I want to, what effect does that have on an agreement I signed that I would repay monies if I left before 12 months?”
27. QA 11: “If my friend is not getting paid what was promised in her offer letter, does she have any way to correct this?”
28. QA 12: “Can I enforce an agreement to raise my pay if most, but not all, of the required conditions were achieved?”
29. QA 13: “When an agreement ‘expires’ on a certain date, do you have to also give ‘notice’ of leaving?”

F. Job Security

"Don't think there are no crocodiles because the water is calm."
Malaysian Proverb

1. NL 1: For Job Security, It’s important to “Diversify Your P.P.O.P.P.’s”
2. NL 2: Beware of Temporary Assignments to “Special Projects”
3. NL 3: Job Security You Can Create for Yourself
4. NL 4: Avoid Being RIF’ed – Five Effective Strategies
5. NL 5: New Employer an L-L-C or I-N-C? Think Gua-Ran-Tee.
6. NL 6: “At-Will Employment” – What Exactly Does That Mean?
7. NL 7: Over 50? Eight Ways to Remain Employed and Employable
8. NL 8: Job Security – Six Types, and More . . .
9. NL 9: “Change in Control at the Office? Here’s 10 Ways to Keep Your Job”
10. NL 10: Email at Work – Avoid These “Dozen Digital Disasters”
11. QA 1: Does “At Will” Have Any Limits or Exceptions?
12. QA 2: Can I Lose My Teacher’s License for Leaving an “At Will” Job?
13. QA 3: If my husband was laid off because he was deployed to Iraq, does he have any rights?
14. QA 4: Is it legal to lay off employees just to save on their benefits, or because they have been employed for many years?
15. QA 5: How do workers get job security?
16. QA 6: “What can I do to ensure that, if I accept a “special assignment,” if it ends I’ll remain employed?”

G. Non-Compete's and Trade Secrets

"Secrecy is the soul of business."
Spanish Proverb

1. NL 1: “Non-Compete Non-Sense” – What to Do if Asked to Sign One
2. NL 2: You’re Probably Stealing Trade Secrets . . . Every Weekend
3. NL 3: “Hidden Handcuffs” – Watch out for Buried and Disguised Non-Compete Agreements
4. QA 1: In “Non-Competition,” What Constitutes “Competition?”
5. QA 2: “Sign this Non-Competition Agreement, or Leave” – Is that Legal?
6. QA 3: If I get nothing in return, is my non-compete enforceable?
7. QA 4: “Administrator in a Doctor’s Office. Told I must sign a Non-Compete Agreement. Anything I can do?”
8. QA 5: “If an employee’s position is eliminated is a non-compete still enforceable?”

H. Retaliation and Speaking Out

"He who speaks the truth must have one foot in the stirrup."
Armenian Proverb

1. NL 1: Seen Accounting Fraud? New and Powerful “Whistleblower” Protections for Employees
2. NL 2: Your Employer’s “Speak Out” Policy May Give You a “Mini-Employment Contract”
3. NL 3: Ten Ways to Avoid Being Made a Corporate Scapegoat
4. NL 4: Retaliated Against At Work for Doing What’s “Right?” Courts and Juries are Now on Your Side
5. QA 1: Being Retaliated Against for Cooperating in a Discrimination Investigation – What Should I Do?
6. QA 2: Retaliated Against for “Whistle Blowing”: What Should I Do?
7. QA 3: “Retaliated Against for Filing a Discrimination Charge – What Should I Do?”
8. QA 4: Retaliation is getting me seriously down. What can I do?
9. QA 5: Boss is lying on her time sheets. How do I report it?
10. QA 6: “Is what happened to me illegal ‘Retaliation’?”
11. QA 7: “I’ve been retaliated against – not by my boss – but by my co-workers, for doing the right thing. Is there any best way to deal with this?”
12. QA 8: “As an HR Manager, if I report apparent misconduct, am I protected if the apparent wrongdoer retaliates against me?”
13. QA 9: “Is there a law that prevents my employer from firing me for coming forward and submitting a complaint against my manager?”
14. QA 10: “If I file a complaint against a colleague, can HR turn it around and blame me?”

I. Performance Improvement Plans

"A successful man is one who can build a firm foundation
with the bricks that others throw at him."
David Brinkley, Broadcast Journalist

1. NL 1: Always “Push Back” at Poor Performance Reviews
2. QA 1: Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”) – Can My New Boss Do That?
3. QA 2: “Asked to sign 30-day Notice of Termination based on Performance Criticisms – What Should I Do?”
4. QA 3: “Being Placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (“P.I.P.”). What should I do?”
5. QA 4: “I’m out on medical leave, placed on P.I.P., let go, and in need of a referral for legal assistance . . . can you help?
6. QA 5: Must I Sign a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”)?
7. QA 6: Can a future employer find out I was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (called a “PIP”)?
8. QA 7: Tricked into signing a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”). Anything I can do now?
9. QA 8: I’m on FMLA Leave and was just notified I’ll be placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”) when I return. Is this legal?
10. QA 9: How do I explain being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”) to an interviewer?
11. QA 10: “After challenging a PIP, unsuccessfully, should I continue up the ladder, or go through the PIP process?”
12. QA 11: “This Performance Improvement Plan (‘PIP’) stuff seems so complicated, confusing and overwhelming. Is it really possible to beat this?”
13. QA 12: “Performance Improvement Plan – Questions”
14. QA 13: “Boss unreasonable in evaluating success of PIP. Any thoughts?”
15. QA 14: “Ever heard of a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) being used to force retirement?”
16. QA 15: “I’m 35 weeks pregnant, and just been put on a questionable Performance Improvement Plan. Can you help?”
17. QA 16: “Can my manager put ‘hearsay’ into my PIP?”
18. QA 17: “My Performance Improvement Plan (‘PIP’) seems irrational. What should I do?”
19. QA 18: “My employer did not follow the Performance Improvement Plan I was placed on. What should I do?”
20. QA 19: “After successfully completing a Performance Improvement Plan, yet still told ‘It’s just not working out’ and let go, will I be entitled to unemployment insurance?”
21. QA 20: “Placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”) the day I returned from maternity leave. How do I submit an Involuntary Resignation letter?”
22. QA 21: “Should I bring someone with me to a meeting about a Performance Improvement Plan (‘PIP’)?”
23. QA 22: “What can I do if I was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”), and my Manager seems to be sabotaging my improvement efforts?”
24. QA 23: “Since I was diagnosed with ADHD during my Performance Improvement Plan (‘PIP’), should that affect things?”
25. QA 24: “My employer engages in a process called ‘forced ranking,’ which was used to give me my first negative review in 10 years, and deny me severance. Anything I can do?”

J. Discrimination, Harassment & Hostility

"Prejudice is the reason of fools."
Voltaire

1. NL 1: 21 Ways to Avoid Being Accused of Sexual Harassment
2. NL 2: 12 Ideas for Dealing With The “Boss from Hell”
3. NL 3: Filing a Complaint or Grievance at Work? Remember that “Specificity Yields Credibility”
4. QA 1: Laid Off for a “Phony” Reason; Might it Be Discrimination?
5. QA 2: “Harassed and Going Crazy – What Can I Do?”
6. QA 3: “Harassed; On Final Warning; Getting Sick – Is it time to give up and find a new job?”
7. QA 4: “I’ve suffered an Emotional Injury from a Hostile Environment at Work. Do I have any Recourse?”
8. QA 5: “Personality Clash with my Boss – What can I do?”
9. QA 6: “My former employer threatened to sue my new employer, and got me fired. What can I do?”
10. QA 7: “I’m 35 weeks pregnant, and just been put on a questionable Performance Improvement Plan. Can you help?”
11. QA 8: “My Performance Improvement Plan (‘PIP’) seems irrational. What should I do?”
12. QA 9: “Is asking what year you graduated from college a kind of age discrimination?”
13. QA 10: “If I think my termination might have been related to my age, should I consult with an attorney?”

K. Resigning from Your Job

"No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back."
Turkish Proverb

1. NL 1: If You Leave Your Job, Can You Take Your Customers With You?
2. NL 2: Navigating Yourself to Self-Employment: “Your 10 Critical Steps to Going Out on Your Own”
3. NL 3: In Job Transitions, Focus On “The Three T’s Of Transition”
4. NL 4: Resigning From Your Job – The 21 Necessary Precautions
5. NL 5: If you leave your job, “L.E.A.V.E.” is how you spell “Must-Take Checklist.”
6. NL 6: Involuntary Resignation – Standing Up, Not Giving Up, to an Intolerable Situation at Work
7. QA 1: If I resign, can I collect for accrued but unpaid vacation?
8. QA 2: Forced to Leave: How Should I Do It?
9. QA 3: Payment in Cash, and Penalty for Resigning: Is this Legal?
10. QA 4: Vacation Pay Accrued – Is It Paid to Me If I Resign?
11. QA 5: Should I Resign to Avoid Possible Termination?
12. QA 6: “Small Firm Employee: Will They Take My Leaving “Personally?”
13. QA 7: “Lost My Composure after 10 Years; Permitted to Resign. What do I put under ‘Reason for Leaving?’”
14. QA 8: “Need Simple Resignation Letter – Can You Provide One?”
15. QA 9: “My Former Employer Keeps Telling Clients I’m Still Employed – What Should I Do?”
16. QA 10: “I resigned under unusual circumstances – did I just throw away any chance for unemployment compensation?”
17. QA 11: “I have a good working relation with my employer. If I collect my bonus, and then resign, will I jeopardize my reputation and the respect I have earned?”
18. QA 12: Our “Top 25 Neutral Reasons to Explain Why You Left Your Old Job”
19. QA 13: My daughter gave “Notice,” then got sick, and can’t go back to finish her notice period. Is that going to be a problem?
20. QA 14: Forged resignation . . . What should I do?
21. QA 15: I gave 30 days’ notice; my boss wants that to be 30 work days. Who is right?
22. QA 16: “Can I ‘adjust’ what my employer deems ‘two weeks notice’?”
23. QA 17: “Is it wise to resign because promotion was denied, and without a new job?”
24. QA 18: “How might I resign, and get the balance of my employment contract paid out to me?”
25. QA 19: “Do employees have a ‘Right to Quit’?”
26. QA 20: “Questions about Timing of Resignation”
27. QA 21: “Resign or Be Terminated. What should I do?”
28. QA 22: “My boss told my colleagues I resigned, which is false. He then sent me home. What should I do?”
29. QA 23: “How can you resign from a job in both silence and good conscience, if it means that people in need will only remain in greater need?”
30. QA 24: “How much should my husband ask to be ‘retained’ by his company for six months longer than he would like to stay on?”
31. QA 25: “Placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (“PIP”) the day I returned from maternity leave. How do I submit an Involuntary Resignation letter?”
32. QA 26: “If I give two weeks’ notice, can I use my earned vacation time as part of that two weeks?”
33. QA 27: “If I resigned effective January 31, but was then laid off on January 11, do I have any legal options?”
34. QA 28: “Can I be forced to sign a ‘voluntary’ resignation form to get my severance?”
35. QA 29: “If I give in my notice of resignation, effective in two weeks, and bonuses are due in one week, can I lose my bonus?”
36. QA 30: “When an agreement ‘expires’ on a certain date, do you have to also give ‘notice’ of leaving?”

L. Fired, Downsized or Laid Off

"Get to know God in prosperity so God will know you in adversity."
Muslim Proverb

1. NL 1: Here’s What to Do if You’re Laid Off . . . or Think You Will Soon Be
2. NL 2: “Cause” for Firing – What Exactly is It?
3. NL 3: The Increasing Use of “Institutional Leverage” In Resolving Workplace Disputes
4. QA 1: Fired, but Not Told: Is that Legal?
5. QA 2: Being Out Sick: Can I Be Fired for That, or During That?
6. QA 3: Terminated for Unpaid Parking Ticket – Is That Possible?
7. QA 4: Fired a Week AFTER I Quit? – Is That Legal?
8. QA 5: Laid Off for a “Phony” Reason; Might it Be Discrimination?
9. QA 6: Eavesdropping on the Boss: Is it “Cause” to Fire Me?
10. QA 7: Fired from Two Local Government Jobs: Any Way to Combat Possible Political Influence?
11. QA 8: “Can the Board Hire one of its Members, and Lie about It?”
12. QA 9: Fired, without Notice; What can I do?
13. QA 10: “Laid off. I confirmed my receipt of the Layoff Documents. Did I Goof?”
14. QA 11: “Do I have a Right to Know the Reason I was Let Go?”
15. QA 12: “I was laid off in a large reduction in workforce. The decision to choose me for layoff doesn’t make sense. Is it too late to ask for the reason they chose me? Who should I ask?”
16. QA 13: “I was laid off from my job, but then I received a letter that said I resigned. Are my unemployment insurance benefits at risk?”
17. QA 14: I might be laid off. Should I raise concerns about discrimination now, before it happens?
18. QA 15: I was supposedly “downsized,” but found out I was replaced. Any recourse?
19. QA 16: Is it legal to lay off both husband and wife if they both work for the same employer?
20. QA 17: Should I persist in asking WHY I was terminated?
21. QA 18: Rumor I might be fired. What should I do?
22. QA 19: “Is there ‘life’ beyond a horrible firing?”
23. QA 20: “Must an employer offer new jobs to people recently laid off?”
24. QA 21: “Fired for Unknown Misconduct – Any Recourse?”

M. Severance Packages

"Turn a setback into a comeback."
Billy Brewer, College Football Coach

1. NL 1: Negotiating Severance: Your 6 Sources of Leverage
2. NL 2: Yahoo! Uses Severance Packages Strategically to Thwart Microsoft Takeover – Lessons You Can Draw
3. NL 3: Severance Payments: Can I Lose Them If My Employer Goes Bankrupt?
4. NL 4: Severance Offers: When It Pays to Say “No Thank You”
5. QA 1: Possible Bonus Payment Not Written in Severance Agreement – What Should I Do?
6. QA 2: Refusing to Resign: Can HR Change Severance Offer?
7. QA 3: How Much Severance is Fair?
8. QA 4: Severance Deadline Nears – What Do I Do Now?
9. QA 5: “Any tips on how to negotiate severance?”
10. QA 6: “Can I be denied severance, or unemployment benefits, if I don’t accept a position offered to me by the company that just laid me off?”
11. QA 7: “My employer is selling my division, and would like me to agree to stay on after the sale. How much retention and severance monies should I expect?”
12. QA 8: Isn’t “mitigation” of severance unfair?
13. QA 9: Not paid what I was promised. Should I raise that issue in severance negotiations?
14. QA 10: Can an employee ever ASK for a severance package?
15. QA 11: “I accepted a severance package four weeks after the deadline. Can my former employer refuse to pay?”
16. QA 12: “Can we ask for a previously-offered severance package that was better than this one?”
17. QA 13: “While I am on severance, can I be required to work, without extra pay?”
18. QA 14: “Offered so-called ‘voluntary’ separation, with enhanced severance. Should I accept it?”
19. QA 15: “My company avoids both severance and pensions by something called ‘re-badging’ employees. Is this legal?”
20. QA 16: “How much should my husband ask to be ‘retained’ by his company for six months longer than he would like to stay on?”
21. QA 17: “Can my employer require me to sign a document acknowledging that I was terminated for poor performance as a condition to my receiving severance?”
22. QA 18: “My company is being sold. Should I stay on and work for the purchasing company, or take my severance and go?”
23. QA 19: “Can I trust things my present employer is saying in meetings about severance and the intentions of the company’s new owners?”
24. QA 20: “While on ‘termination notice,’ if I leave my company for a new job, before my last scheduled day of employment, will I still get severance?”
25. QA 21: “If I signed a severance (or separation) agreement, can I still sue my employer for unlawful termination?”
26. QA 22: “If my severance is reduced by monies I make working elsewhere, can I simply ask that payments I earn be delayed?”
27. QA 23: “Can I be forced to sign a ‘voluntary’ resignation form to get my severance?”

N. References and Recommendations

"It takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but just a moment to lose it."
Yiddish Proverb

1. QA 1: How can I find out what my former employer is saying about me?
2. QA 2: “I accepted a job offer, but now they insist on one more reference. Must I comply?”
3. QA 3: “What happens if a prospective employer I’m interviewing with contacts my present employer? Should I let them?”
4. QA 4: “Are prospective employers limited in what they can ask a former employer about you, and is the former employer limited in what it can say?”
5. QA 5: “How can I deal with the possibility that my present employer is sabotaging my attempts to get a new job by saying bad things about me?”

O. Arbitration and Mediation

"No man can think clearly with his fists clenched."
George Jean Nathan

1. NL 1: Beware the Extraordinary Expense of Arbitration.
2. NL 2: Mediation of Workplace Disputes: “What’s It All About?”

P. Disputes and Resolving Them

"Who rides a tiger cannot dismount."
Chinese Proverb

1. NL 1: What to Do if a Former Employer Has Defamed You
2. NL 2: Conflicts of Interest at Work – Here’s What You Need to Know
3. NL 3: The Increasing Use of “Institutional Leverage” In Resolving Workplace Disputes
4. QA 1: Settlement Offers – Do They Have to Be Kept Confidential?
5. QA 2: Angry, Hostile Attorney for Boss – Any Recourse?
6. QA 3: “My former employer took money out of my bank account. Is that legal?”
7. QA 4: “My Boss Complains Behind My Back – How Should I Respond?”
8. QA 5: “Can an employer insist that an employee’s Facebook page name an employer-representative as a “friend” so it can be closely monitored?”
9. QA 6: Can I report something to HR and ask them to keep it confidential?
10. QA 7: Job Description was very wrong. Any recourse?
11. QA 8: Boss forged my signature. What do I do?
12. QA 9: “How should I tell Senior Management I don’t want to work for my new boss?”
13. QA 10: “Fired for Unknown Misconduct – Any Recourse?”
14. QA 11: “I’ve suffered an Emotional Injury from a Hostile Environment at Work. Do I have any Recourse?”
15. QA 12: “My former employer is trying to sabotage my career, almost like a stalker. What can I do?”
16. QA 13: “My former employer refuses even to confirm my dates of employment. Any recourse?”
17. QA 14: “I left my job due to a hostile workplace. Now, three weeks later, my boss wants to talk with me. What does he want?”
18. QA 15: “How can I collect $5,000 my employer owes me, but doesn’t seem to want to pay it?”
19. QA 16: “If my employer paid me late, and I incurred overdraft charges as a result, what can I do?”

Q. Unemployment Benefits

"The trouble with unemployment is that the minute
you wake up in the morning, you’re on the job."
"Slappy" White, Comedian

1. NL 1: Unemployment Insurance Benefits: The 12 Basics You Need to Know
2. QA 1: Can I collect unemployment insurance benefits while I am collecting severance?
3. QA 2: “Entitled to collect unemployment insurance even if full-time job offered to me?”
4. QA 3: “Would earning money from stock investments disqualify me from unemployment?”
5. QA 4: “I’ve collected three months of severance. Can I still file for unemployment compensation now?”
6. QA 5: “I’ve been denied unemployment, and I lost my appeal. I’m considering appealing again. Your thoughts?”
7. QA 6: “If my boss is hostile and my job is making me sick, can I resign and collect unemployment?”
8. QA 7: “After successfully completing a Performance Improvement Plan, yet still told ‘It’s just not working out’ and let go, will I be entitled to unemployment insurance?”

R. Overtime, Commissions and Unpaid Wages

"Creditors have better memories than debtors."
James Howell, Author

1. QA 1: “Is weekend travel time of an hourly employee compensable?”
2. QA 2: “If my friend is not getting paid what was promised in her offer letter, does she have any way to correct this?”
3. QA 3: “What recourse do we have after our employer has reduced salaries 10% across the board?”

S. Employment Info and Insight

"You, yourself, must make the effort. The Buddhas are only teachers."
Buddhist Proverb

1. NL 1: Hey, It’s January: Time to Prepare Your Yearly “QVP^TM Plan” [Part One of Two]
2. NL 2: Hey, It’s January: Time to Prepare Your 2005 Yearly “QVP™ Plan” [Second of Two Parts]
3. NL 3: “Chief Continuity Officer” – Titles Reflect the Times, and So Much More
4. NL 4: Will Wall Street Careers Ever Again Seem as Attractive as Billions in Bonuses “Evaporate?”
5. NL 5: Email at Work – Avoid These “Dozen Digital Disasters”
6. QA 1: Which Labor Law – State or Federal – Applies?
7. QA 2: “Sorry, we don’t advise, counsel, or assist Management.”
8. QA 3: “Former Employer Still Using My Name in Emails – Do I Have Any Recourse?”
9. QA 4: “Injured while skiing at a Company Conference – Am I Eligible for Workers’ Compensation? What should I do?”
10. QA 5: “Two Jobs Combined into One: Is that Legal?”
11. QA 6: “Two questions about what happens when an employer declares bankruptcy – one from Oregon (U.S.), one from Ontario (Canada)”
12. QA 7: How do you “protect” your insightful writings on the internet?
13. QA 8: Employee or Contractor: Do I Have a Choice?
14. QA 9: Employment Living Restrictions: Must they be uniformly applied?
15. QA 10: “Is it an invasion of privacy if incidents involving employees are reported company-wide, including employees’ names?”
16. QA 11: “If I’m ‘at will’ and therefore can leave my job whenever I want to, what effect does that have on an agreement I signed that I would repay monies if I left before 12 months?”
17. QA 12: “Does federal law give me a right to send out resumes while working for my employer?”
18. QA 13: “Do I have a right to a copy of tape-recorded performance review meetings?”

T. Inspiration, Encouragement, Motivation

"Do not cross this field unless you can do it in 9 seconds.
The bull can do it in 10."
- Sign in a Farmer’s Field

1. NL 1: When Office-Negotiating, Put the “Power of Purpose” in Your Pocket
2. NL 2: The Surprising Power of Simple Appreciation – A Negotiator’s Secret
3. QA 1: Where can I learn to appear more confident?
4. QA 2: “Is there ‘life’ beyond a horrible firing?”
5. QA 3: “Toxic boss and environment caused us all to quit. Now what do we do?”

U. How to Deal with Attorneys

"A good lawyer knows the law. A great lawyer knows the judge."
Unknown

1. NL 1: Your Legal Fees in Employment Matters: Here’s How to Get Your Employer to Pay Them
2. QA 1: “I’m a Union Member – Can I use a private Attorney to help me with a Problem?”
3. QA 2: “To Negotiate my Employment Contract, Should I Hire an Attorney to Help Me?”
4. QA 3: “If I think my termination might have been related to my age, should I consult with an attorney?”