Deciding to Take Some Time Off? That's the Easy Part

Deciding what kind of leave you should take is the hard part . . . .

Let's start off with the big two - annual leave (AL) or sick leave (SL). Were you thinking of taking  one of these? Keep in mind that if you are taking SL to care for a family member, it technically is care and bereavement leave (CB) and not SL.  There  is not a limit on SL balances but there is on AL balances you can carry over from year to year.

No, not one of those? You are thinking of a leave type that begins with a "c." Oh well, then you must mean either credit hours (CH) or compensatory time (CT).  Compensatory time sounds familiar to you but wonder if that is that the hours you earned while in a travel status last week. No, that is time is different. It is compensatory time for travel or CT TVL. CH expire after 1 year, unused CT converts to overtime for non-exempt employees and is lost for exempt employees after 1 year and CT TVL has a different expiration rate than any of these.

 Getting a headache? Should we go back to sick leave? No, don't say it . . . .please don't ask about family leave. Oh, why did you have to? Do you want to know about Family Friendly Leave or the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? FMLA provides 12 weeks unpaid time off for serious health conditions, unless you are a pregnant bargaining unit employee and then the Master Agreements adds another 4 weeks to your entitlement for a total of 16 weeks.  No, I will not define serious health condition for you.

Need to care for someone who is not a family member but person of "close affinity?"  Please, just take the CB and do not ask me to interpret "close affinity" for you .  You can bet your last dollar that "close affinity" WILL NOT be interpreted at this medical center to include family pets on my watch!

What? You think you may be out of leave but still want some time off? You can request advanced sick leave or apply for the donated leave program. Not interested in that? Ok, well, with your supervisor's approval you can have Leave Without Pay (LWOP) but be sure to get her approval or you will be charged Absence without Leave (AWOL).  

Oy Vay!

The Very Best Interview Question

Simon Meth tossed a question out there seeking the very best, and worst, interview questions you have heard or used.  Simon asks for a brief explanation of why you ask it, what results it produces, and why you think it's the very best.  If you haven't been delivering the questions, you probably can remember a time when you were on the receiving end. In the spirit of the game, keep it simple and no multi-part questions. 

Here goes nothing . . . .

•  Best Interview Question. One question I always use is, "Tell me about a time when your integrity was challenged?"  Their integrity will be challenged and it is just a matter of time when. This question provides insight into where their line in the sand is and how they respond in these situations. Storming out of the room and declaring they will never speak to the offender again or bad-mouthing them on a company wide e-mail (yes, one applicant did say she did that!) sends a message completely different than what I am seeking for my department.

• Worst Interview Question.  I was new to a company and on an interview team where the practice was for each member of the team to bring 2-3 of their own questions to ask during the interview. Imagine my surprise when across the table one interviewer asked an applicant, "If you could be any type of a drug, which one would you be?"  My surprise then was nothing compared to my surprise when the applicant answered, "Viagara!"  Needless to say, we stopped that practice rather quickly. 

Ready? Give it a whirl!