I would give them a chance regardless of their crime.  They have been out for at least 5 years with no "relapse" which means they have probably completed there sentence as set forth by the courts.  If they can pass a drug test, your company doesn't have a specific requirement against hiring those convicted of felonies and they have good refereneces (including their probation officer), then they deserve a chance to rebuild their life.

Be positive, this person has been upfront and honest about their past.  If we simply wrote off everyone who ever committed a crime as a bad choice, we'd have much higher unemployement and as a result crime rates than we currently do. 

I was going to post along the same lines as Marie.  Use of the company's resources makes the company liable for the actions and ultimately could affect your friend's job.  She needs to report to her supervisor, document offsite that she did, and then let them  handle it.  I say to document it just to cover herself if nothing is done right away and someone later comes to her and asks if she knew and why she didn't report it.

After my experiences the 3-4 years, my biggest flag is lack of any job description and/or when they say its a new position with the company.  I find that this means someone with some pull has managed to get them to agree to hire an/another admin and this new admin will get all of the menial tasks the original person doesn't want to do and they will keep the tasks that are challenging, interesting and provide opportunities to learn new skills or gain recognition.

My current position is just that but when I accepted it, I had to have something and the pay was better than anything else out there at the time.  I've been trying to move on the last 2 years but the economy went downhill and well paying jobs are few and far between.

On those few interviews I have been fortunate enough to have, I ask very probing questions about the day to day tasks of the job and try to get a feel for the position.  If they don't have a job description or can't describe a "typical" day or week, I try to end the interview as quickly as possible.

Other items that give me pause are high level titles with low level duties (ie: duties such as answering phones and greeting visitors in a job posting for an office manager or executive assistant), to much emphasis on multi-tasking or those that ask for the moon when it comes to software skills but list duties that don't match and those that have either no salary range or a low level salary range listed.

I'm not the perfect admin and not above doing certain tasks, but I also believe that if you are going to look for someone with my skill level and years of experience, then the position should meet what you are seeking - not be a fishing expedition for someone who "might" be able to do other task you aren't sure how to get done.

You don’t say what kind of industry you work in and that can play a factor in how AP is processed.   Also, how solvent your company is also plays a role.  Some companies are solvent enough to do a check run weekly and pay whatever is due in the next 10 days and/or what ever may be billed at x%-10/net 30.

I used to do AP/AR/GL for a bridge and highway company.  Vendors and subs were paid as we were paid on each project and only for items we were paid for.  This was part of the terms of their PO/Subcontract Agreement.  If your accounting system is not set up to track by job, then that could be a large part of your confusion.  I’ll give you a rundown of how I handled things and maybe you can tailor it to fit your needs.  We paid by invoice and verified receipt of invoices by checking statements against our AP system. Subs were required to submit billings broken down according to the scope of work in the Subcontract.

1. Invoices received in mail, sorted by project, matched with back up (packing slips, delivery tickets, etc.) and given to project manager or other responsible party for verification and coding. {vendor has to be required to note project number, name and PO # if one is issued on all invoices}
2. Received coded invoices back from PM and entered into system.
3. When payment received on a project, ran an AP list for all invoices outstanding on that project.  Noted which I had promised payment to that period and/or those that were priority and gave to our President to review and mark up.  (Note: at the time I did this for this company, they were going through a rough stretch; in good times, we could run an AP list weekly regardless of project and pay anything with due dates in the selected time frame)
4. When the AP list was returned by President, I then ran checks, obtained signatures, pulled invoices being paid and stapled to file copy of the check and sent out payments.

For AP not project specific, we worked that in as they became due or with project AP runs.

My preferred routine was to do AP entry of invoices each morning and then a check run on Fridays.  Any expense reports not received by Wednesday morning, didn’t get paid that week.  Of course, there was always someone who was late and was allowed to get their expense check at the last minute. 

Hope this helps you some.

A situation I ran into a few years ago - the person calling my previous employer turned out to be an old neighbor of my former co-worker and he questioned her about me.  She was not authorized to give a reference per se, but this was just general conversation and she is not known for understanding where a line should be drawn in those types of matters.  Some of the comments were relayed back to me as concerns but since he didn't come right out and say if she made them or my former boss did and because I still got the job I let it go.  But it was still cause for concern and I've often wondered what our recourse as a job seeker is in those types of situations. 

As for finding out what a former employer says about you, I've never been really conformtable having someone call pretending to be a prospective employer.  I just feel like it can open up a whole new can of worms if the past employer wants more details before releasing any info and many won't release information unless its requested in writing.

There are companies that will do reference checks for you to find out what is being said about you - but naturally for a fee.  One I thought of using was badreferences.com but I'm not ready to pay for this kind of thing and I'm not sure I want to wait the amount of time they say they need.  You can do a search for similar firms if you really want to consider that route.

Marie,

I agree that sometimes when a person is asked to speak to a group, it can cause them to be flustered and tongue tied.  I would be one of those.  However, if that was the case, wouldn't you agree that this preson should have gone to her boss afterwards and 'fessed up that she was so caught off guard, she negelcted to recognize Alice's contribution and suggest a way for it to be recognized?  It would not have been easy to do, but definately would have been much better than what did happen.

Just my $0.02.

What caught my attention is that she see issues and problems to be fixed in projects and you see this as a bad thing.  I'm the same way, I notice issues and try to prevent them before they come up but have been told I shouldn't be so negative.  I don't see it as a negative but rather proactive.  If a problem is prevented in the beginning, its something you don't have to waste time fixing at the end.  And I hate having my time wasted on rework. 

My understanding is that the City of LA is looking for help in offsetting the costs of the police presence "required" by the event for traffic and crowd control.  Asking for help is completely reasonable in my mind - if anything I think the family should be footing the bill.  As it stands now, the cost is being covered by taxpayer funds that could well be used to fund schools, police training, etc.  

Local law enforcement normally provides one car as an escort/traffic control to a funeral procession in our area to ensure travel from the mortuary/church to the gravesite without interruption.  That cost is minimal when you look at the time and the probability that the car used is already scheduled to patrol that area.  Compare that small cost to what the City of LA has had to put out for this memorial (cars, manpower, traffic control, etc.) that did not benefit all citizens of LA.  Money that definately could have gone to benefit many citizens lost because of a memorial to a celebrity for his fans.  That is what is sick.

Michelle

Do any of you ever wonder that?  My job gets more and more frustrating everyday.  This morning is just one more unfathomable (to me) issue to deal with.

I was told to update a spreadsheet with contact information as received for work to be done next week.  Ok, no big deal and I did work on it as the info came in.  Now I've been asked to distribute the contact list to everyone on it.  Ok, again no big deal.  So in checking my emails marked for follow up, I saw two more with contact info I was missing last week.  I open the spreadsheet to make sure the info was there and lo and behold there is twice as much info as I was originally to maintain (all contact info complete) and in a completely different format.  

Now please tell me why I was asked to keep and update this sheet if the manager asking me to do this was just going to go in and do the work himself?  I hate that.  Either let me do the task or do it yourself.  I know that doesn't sound like I'm flexible or a team player but I'm the kind of person who, if I'm going to be responsible for keeping something like this up to date, like to have complete control over it so I know what has been done and when.  Its like someone asking me to research something and then going and doing it themselves without telling me they've got it covered.

I hate to waste time but I feel like I do that more and more at work.  Give me tasks, let me own them and then let me do them.  Stop all this time wasting, finding me work to keep me busy nonsense.

And they wonder why I keep my door mostly closed all the time - its because I can't stand to hear everyone else being productive while all they can find for me is mindless, low level work or dumping messes in my lap to straighten out after they didn't listen or adress my concerns about changes (points I raised to prevent the mess we have now but I'm expected to figure out a solution to).

I will be so glad when I can another job - regardless of how large a pay cut I have to take to leave here.

Michelle

Definately put your resume out there.  Right now, you have a steady paycheck so you are in a position of being a little more particular about what you apply for (versus someone who may have been out of work for months or not seen the signs and needs a job last week).  I would also take this as an opportunity to examine the direction you want your career to go, if you might want to look in a different industry, more education, etc.  

As for approaching HR, I'm the kind of person who would definately be speaking up and asking how bossies retirement affects my role.  In this economy, I would think HR would expect the question.  Just be sure to remain calm and level headed when you approach them.  Do not get emotional, but let them know you just want to be prepared and assist with any transition related to your bosses retirement(I'm sure someone will have to take over at least a portion of your bosses duties).





Michelle

And just what are you supposed to do if the particular detergent or dryer sheets you use are the only ones you can because of an allergy/sensitivity to chemicals?  You can only accomodate co-workers to a point.  Can't this person take allergy medication?

Michelle

bristolmary - I didn't mean to offend.  To be honest, I myself prefer to work in the construction industry and know first hand that those that choose it as a career are not a bunch of thickos.  If anything, I enjoy working with them a whole lot more than my current environment.  I have more in common with many of them (lifestyle, interests, etc.) than I do my current co-workers. Unfortunately, admin jobs in that field are lower paying than I can afford at the moment and few and far between.

HOWEVER - like admin work, it is not something that just anyone can do.  It is very hard work and the skill and knowledge to progress is virtually unknown to those outside of it.  BUT they are skills and knowledge best learned on the job and after years and years of hard manual labor.  And it can take years and years of hard work before you can make a good living at it.  My boyfriend had to give up working as a concrete dry finisher around the age of 30 (after 10-12 years of it) because of the toll it had taken on him physically.  He lost income because he had to start from the beginning to become a truck driver and at his last job was just beginning to make what he had been when he switched careers.  On the other side, his cousin was a very successful mechanic making very good money but chose to give that up to start his own construction business because that is what he really enjoys and wants to spend his time doing.  

The point I wanted to make to my son was that if he didn't want to be limited in his options (waiter, construction worker, unskilled labor) he needed to stick with obtaining an education and learning skills that could be used across many fields so he would have more options.  

Michelle

Listen but don't comment - if you do, you can be sure it will get back to your boss and it is your review that will negatively affected.

I have often worked with and for people who were not always well liked by co-workers, clients, etc.  I just listened and took it all with a grain of salt.  None were doing anything unethical or that would negatively impact me - just rubbed folks the wrong way like your boss.  In some cases, I used those situations to my advantage.  We did work on state contracts that involved EEO documentation/processes.  My boss and the guy in charge of EEO on that districts projects, to put it mildly, had an extreme dislike for each other.  I made a point of be very friendly and helpful to the EEO rep and interceded between my boss and him.  Since I became the point of contact, neither had to deal with each other directly and both were happier for it.  Requirements of the EEO rep were met and my boss stayed out of trouble because things were done as requested and on time.

Maybe you can do something similar - when your boss has to deal with someone he dislikes or you know dislikes him, offer to be a go between of sorts.  This will make you more valued and maybe even help you acquire some duties more to your liking.

Michelle

Reductions in force are becoming the norm these days and they are a real downer.  We've been doing them since mid-December and I'm just waiting for when my number comes up.  Our client (I'm a contractor employee) has gotten to the point that they've had to start doing them.  I was told they did 7 this week but of those 7, only one was a true lay off - the rest were offered early retirement.

While I undertand the need for a business to reduce expenses, when the economy is like this I believe they are actually doing more harm than good to their bottom line.  If people aren't working, they can't purchase goods and services which means the company isn't going to bring in any revenue.  But I guess that would only apply to the smaller service/goods based industries - not one like I work which doesn't sell directly to the public.

Hang in there and be prepared.  I was once told by a former employer my job was secure even though the signs all said different - I was right because within 2 months of my questioning how some changes were going to affect my job, I was given notice.

Michelle

We are going through some tough times and a lot of folks are being let go.  Because of this, duties are being rethought and reallocated between those of us left.  I get told how much I'm valued, how good of a job I do and then when something that will increase my skills needs to be given to someone, I'm overlooked.  But if someone needs filing done, its me they call.  And while these aren't the same print room duties I vented about a month ago, it is pretty much the same situation.  Earlier this morningI was told I may need to start travelling to another site to do some work and I made the comment that that would be no problem as long as I was going over there to do more than filing.  The look I got said it all - the plan is for me travel to another site that already has a project admin to do filing.  

Am I wrong to be upset that the bulk of the duties being sent my way are basic admin duties like filing, setting up workflows in a program (a lot of mouse work with dropdown menus), setting up files, etc. while the more complicated data entry, accounting/financial tracking and document preparation type duties are being given to others?  I'm insulted by it all and find it very hard to believe I'm valued if I'm not going to be trusted to do more than set up and maintain project files.  If I wanted to be going records managements, I wouldn't be volunteering to do accounting data entry or pointing out issues that should to be resolved before a change in process goes into affect.

I know good jobs are hard to find in this economy, but to be honest, I'd rather be overworked/unerpaid doing tasks that increase my skills than be here doing basic admin stuff and expected to be happy about it because its a job.

Michelle