Inc.com columnist Alison Green answers questions about workplace and management issues -- everything from how to deal with a micromanaging boss to how to talk to someone on your team about body odor.
Here's a roundup of answers to four questions from readers.
1. Asking job candidates to follow a scent-free policy at interviews
The admin team at the front of our office is very sensitive to strong smells (good or bad). Our company is currently hiring for an off-site position, but the interviews are happening in our office. The last few candidates who have come in for interviews have been bathed in perfume, to the point where the scent lingers for an hour after they've left. Our office has a scent-free policy for employees, and I've suggested that managers bringing in candidates for interviews include the following statement with their invitation to the interview: "Our workplace observes a scent-free policy, and we'd appreciate it if you would refrain from wearing any perfume or other scented products for your interview."
The managers pushed back, stating that they can't impose an office policy on non-employees. I think that out of respect for those who are impacted by those scents and can't leave their desks or shut their doors to mitigate the smell, we should make the request to applicants. I would go so far as allowing my admin team to leave their work area for the duration of the visit if the impact is too severe.
Green responds:
What you're suggesting is perfectly reasonable, and in fact is done by plenty of offices with scent-free policies. If you've got someone with a serious fragrance sensitivity, you've got to let everyone who comes in know that, not just employees who are there every day. (This isn't perfect, of course; you're still going to get the occasional delivery person with heavy cologne -- but controlling where you can is smart.)
I'm not sure why the managers in your office are pushing back. This isn't "imposing an office policy" on non-employees; it's letting them know about a situation that most job candidates will want to be considerate of. Who wants to go to a job interview and inadvertently cause the receptionist's throat to close up? (And frankly, it's useful to give them a heads-up at this stage, since if they feel strongly about their raspberry-scented body lotion, it's good for them to find out now that it'll be prohibited.)
2. Messaging someone sitting right next to you
I manage an intern who recently started, and who sits right next to me. By default, I'm often an email communicator, especially for quick FYIs or logistical items. I think this lets the other person see and respond on their own timeline without potentially interrupting their train of thought.
My intern will usually pop his head around the divider for any and all issues, including to say "thank you" in response to emails I sent him, to let me know he has just sent me an email, and so forth. We have more substantive conversations in-person several times a day about his work, and I already told him that for in-depth content issues I'd rather he not pop over but instead that we grab a conference room so as not to bother those around us and so that I can focus on the depth of the questions.
I'm considering letting him know my email communication preferences for FYIs and so forth, but know that I probably tend on the email-heavy side of things and don't want to teach him the wrong workplace norms that are actually just idiosyncrasies on my part. What's the right amount of email or in-person communication when you sit next to someone?
Green responds:
I always think it's weird when people make fun of others for sending an email or chat message to someone who's sitting right across from them. What you laid out is exactly right: Just because someone sits near you doesn't mean they're available for interruptions whenever you feel like it. People need to focus on work, and email is useful for letting the person respond when it's a convenient time, rather than demanding their attention right now.
It would be a problem if you were telling your intern never to talk to you in person, but it's perfectly reasonable to ask that he not interrupt you for things that can wait, particularly when you are having substantive conversations each day.
So yes, do be clear about how you want him to operate! It doesn't need to be a big deal. You can just matter-of-factly say, "I tend to need to focus when I'm working, and it can be hard to get the focus I need when you pop up in person for small things. Can you put things like X and Y in emails, rather than popping your head around? I know that might seem unnatural at first when we're working so near each other, but it's an office thing -- people are generally focusing so you want to work around that." You could add, "Along those same lines, you'll sometimes pop around to let me know you've seen an email -- there's no need to do that, and it can break a train of thought."
3. How do I shut down discussion about my name change?
I'm planning to change my last name sometime in the next year. The reason for the name change is somewhat dark and I'm only ever going to tell my closest friends about it. On the few occasions that the topic has slipped out in social gatherings -- all outside of work -- the people who found out were very interested in both the why and speculating at what name I should use.
The new name I'm picking isn't the same as my partner's or any of my other family members, so the usual explanations aren't available to me. I'm also a man who has been married many years, so I think people will be especially curious.
What's the best way for me to shut that line of discussion down without seeming rude or making people feel embarrassed? Also, how do people communicate a more normal name change in a large company where they might have contact with people in many departments?
Green responds:
Being vague is the way to go: "Oh, it's a long story" (said in a tone that conveys "and one that you'll find very boring") or "It's for family reasons." Polite people will get that the subtext is that you're not up for discussing it. But with people who still ask questions, you can say, "It's complicated so I'm just cutting to the upshot with people -- which is that I'm going by George Smithson from now on." And if someone still doesn't get the hint: "Some complicated family stuff I'd rather not get into."
As for communicating the change: an easy way is to just send an email announcing it to the people you work with most frequently. For everyone else, it can help for your email signature to read "George Smithson (formerly Miles)" for a couple of months.
4. Perks for being on-call
My department has an on-call rota where each person takes the on-call phone for one week a month. We pay people for this, but we are trying to figure out if there are any other good perks we could provide for the person who is on-call, because we know it is a pain point. For example, we thought of letting on-call hours count towards your 40 hours that week, which they currently do not. Do you have any other suggestions for making on-call more bearable to employees?
Green responds:
Letting the on-call hours count toward your 40 hours that week would probably go a long way toward making people happier about being on-call. Or you could offer comp time (which would be similar but would let them apply those extra hours to a different week if they wanted to). Also, ask your team for ideas! Just making them part of the conversation will probably help; you'll demonstrate you're taking their dissatisfaction seriously, and they may have other ideas you haven't thought of.
Want to submit a question of your own? Send it to alison@askamanager.org.
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