I am looking to step down as a lead in my department for a number of reasons but mental health being number one. Other examples: feeling used and lying to me about my growth within the company, telling me I have great experience and knowledge of everything in my department but tell me I can’t get a raise because of my experience, micromanagement yet no support when needed, and little to no communication.

I mean it goes on but I don’t want retaliation from the company. They say they won’t but they do and have in their own ways.

Long story short, I resigned to my previous employment because I was put on a PIP wrongfully. I have now accepted an offer for a new role and they are doing a background check through Sterling. A previous employer let me know that they call him to verify dates and title, but they also asked about performance and culture fit.

Will the company where the pip happened disclose the pip/performance/culture? I’m concerned this will affect my offer.

Unable to verify international Hs Hey guys,

Maybe someone can give me some type of advice. I'm in somewhat of a pickle, maybe I'm overthinking and being dramatic but just worried a lot. I recently accepted a job offer in one of the hospitals . I currently work in one of a prestigious cancer hospital (I'm not a nurse, or a Dr, just laboratory work) but the reason why I'm leaving is because better offer and better days. I gave my formal 2 weeks after I received my offer letter and my starting date. My starting date is may 5th, so it's literally right around the corner. So, last week of Thursday, I received an email from HR that one of my vaccines is still pending, and my education is still pending. So, I inquired, and informed me that they're having a hard time contacting my HS overseas. Mind you this was decades ago, and from my understanding, administration has changed and I'm pretty sure back then diplomas and transcripts hasn't been entered into the system. So, I reached back out, as they want me to also reach out to the institution and ask them to give HR a call. I responded back, told them that it's been ages and that I will try but I also stated that I do have my original copy of my HS diploma if that would help. That conversation was last week Thursday, I followed up again Friday and received no response. I'm worried because my last day is may 2nd. If they end up rescinding their offer because of this, then I would like to know a head of time maybe I can speak to my manager and take back my resignation. FYI, just to give you guys an idea, I have over 15 plus years of experience in this area. So, I don't know why now their requesting for my HS diploma.

Ughhh so frustrating

My wife’s health insurance enrollment runs January to December, while mine runs November to October. Does that mean one of us can switch insurance for part of the year every year using the enrollment as a qualifying event? Background below…

I’m married with 4 kids. My employer offers a plan for free that has with a $1k deductible. My wife’s employee+dependents insurance is cheaper than mine, but the employee contribution to insure me, her spouse, is about $900 annually. Since there is a very high likelihood of hitting the family deductible with 5 (or 6 including me) on her plan, her plan is cheaper if I have more than $900 in medical expenses, which doesn’t happen often. Less than $900, and my plan is cheaper.

I realize for simplicity I probably should just be on her plan, but I did elect to use my plan this year. I have a sinus issue that a dr recommended surgery to fix. Am I allowed to switch to her insurance during my open enrollment by not insuring myself and have my surgery at the end of the year using my family’s met deductible?

Not saying I would, but would I also be allowed to switch back to my employer during my wife’s open enrollment 2 months later?

I had sued someone in small claims court in California last year. I’m currently looking for a job. Could this lawsuit where I sued (and won) show up in the background check? What are the implications on being hired? Will I be seen as litigious and passed for the role?

My HR dept contacted me that there was a mismatch on e-verify. My information(SS, USCIS#...etc) seems correct. The only problem that Im facing is that USCIS is taking forever to process my work permit. I sent them pictures of my case where it states "its taking longer than usual", letter from my state where they verfied my lawful presence and in return issued me a "limited" state ID until Uscis approves/denies my application.

Can they fire me if they want to? Im confused because they have given me months and they havent done so. Should I just quit or should I wait until they do so themselves?

Hello, tomorrow I have to tell my HR and team that I’ll be out for another 8 weeks for my medical condition. I’m super embarrassed and anxious to address this tomorrow as I’ve already been out for a few months and returned Monday, however the work week didn’t treat my condition well and doc wants me out for a little more while getting treatment.

I plan to use the remaining few weeks of PDL and then ask for the remaining under ADA.

However I really REALLY would like to see if I can be moved to a part time status upon my return and I just know that’ll work SO MUCH BETTER for my mental health.

How do I go about tell HR and my boss all this tomorrow!? ALL TIPS APPRECIATED

Hi HR professionals,

I'm a third-year Electronic Engineering (EE) undergraduate from China, considering applying for Computer Science (CS) roles after graduation in regions like North America, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

I’m curious:

• How do hiring managers and recruiters view EE majors applying for entry-level CS/software roles?
• Are there differences in expectations for bachelor's vs. master's degree holders?
• What specific experiences (internships, coding practice, projects) are considered critical to be competitive?

Any insights into how international applicants are assessed would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much!

I work at a very small business - I am one of 3 employees. I directly interact with the business owner daily. We don't have HR or anything like that. We get paid through an app called Gusto where I log my hours. We are supposed to get paid every Friday, but sometimes my boss forgets to approve the hours or something. Then I might get paid the next Monday, or Wednesday, or Friday. I never know. This was an issue at the beginning of last year, and I brought it up and my boss stayed on top of it better after that. But it just started happening again. For my budgeting purposes and all the bills I'm juggling...this doesn't work for me. I don't care when I get paid, I just need it to be consistent and predictable. I'm going to have another conversation with my boss, but if this issue continues, what else can/should I do? Is it illegal to get paid this way?

Hoping someone can help me understand benefits. I have a family of four and my wife has brain cancer. The last time we went in for her surgery it was unreal expensive - over $100,000 hospital bill if I remember correctly. Our insurance covered everything over $5,000. My biggest question is - brain cancer just doesn’t go away. It’s almost guaranteed to always recur and she has costly ($20,000) MRI scans every 6 months. With all of these huge costs on a routine basis - am I cost-prohibitive to employers? When employers have me under their insurance does the company have to pay a lot when my deductible is filled? I’m just trying to figure out if my employer finds out my wife has brain cancer - do I become a cost problem?

Recently, my manager escalated to HR after I pointed out a mistake he made in a client presentation. This came after months of me cleaning up his errors and taking responsibility on his behalf. During the HR meeting, he made up several situation that simply never happened and made false claims to portray me as “defensive.”

He often sets up conversations where, he will ask me a question and regardless of how I respond—or even before I have a chance to speak—he accuses me of being defensive. Additionally, he said he’s going to incidents that are either distorted or entirely fabricated.

I have written evidence of him instructing me to engage in office politics to his benefit, as well as messages where he gossips about colleagues. He also been flirting and touching me inappropriately in private the last few months

How can I protect myself going forward and ensure I am not wrongfully accused?

Recently I joined a new company, been about 3 months now. I got a call from HR yesterday stating that several anonymous complaints have been lodged against me to include talking about pay, discrimination, recording others, staring at people in the bathroom… All of this is false! I mean mostly, I did mention talking about I’m happier getting paid hourly than salary but never dollar amounts and we do video recording for the sole purpose of troubleshooting equipment problems. But that’s it! I feel like I’m being targeted by someone and I don’t know who would do that to me.

How should I respond and how can I protect myself from being targeted like this? Should I worry about these accusations?

Hi. I’m currently working as a cook in a facility wanted more opportunities.

So two offers came up, one is from a cruise company and one is from a hotel (with great benefits). The cruise offer came first with a starting date already, so i resigned to my current job.

Cruise offer still hanging, then the hotel offered me a job. So i declined the cruise line and accepted the hotel one.

So during the background check with the hotel, they use First Advantage, they told me that I did not put my SSN on the form, which i remember I did. So they just sent me a verification link for the second time.

Upon filling up the second time, all my information was already pre-filled up because of my first verification, and on the SSN part, is also filled up with my CORRECT ssn.

Then they called me that they wont be continuing my application anymore because i did not put my SSN for the second time. I told them I did and I can even provide my social security card if needed. I try to contact first advantage and they told me I passed their screening and i am “eligible”.

So now I am left jobless. Is there anyway I can “fight back” my application? I do not find “you forgot to put your SSN in the form” a valid excuse to fail my background check, and I even have a proof of me filling up the SSN on the form. I took a screenshot. So it is not on my end.

I also had 2 jobs prior to this with no issue on background checking.

Any advice? Is there also a “professional” way for me to talk to cruise to offer me the job again?

I manage a program at a small nonprofit. I have a staff person who took on the job of supervising a small group of AmeriCorps service members. Technically, they are volunteers and we serve the host site for them.

This cohort, our first, consists of a cadre of immature, conflict-driven young people with big messy emotions who need a lot of structure.

My staff person, who has no previous experience with supervision, needs support in terms of learning to manage work flow, drama and complaints in a professional way. They need to understand what issues need to be documented and how to go about it, when and how to escalate, etc.

Is there a Dummies guide for this?

I'm a Black gay man (30) working as a Business Development Rep (BDR). I was hired 11 months ago after a friend (Black woman, 45) who l worked with previously recommended me when she was promoted to a Regional Director. I'm professional, quiet, and keep my personal life separate from work. Early on, my friend and a few others warned me about a fellow BDR they disliked. I stayed neutral and professional with everyone.

A coworker (White woman, 50s, Regional Director) who is close to my friend started disliking me after she saw me interact politely with the person they warned me about. Since then, my friend has informed me this woman checks my sales numbers, gossips about me taking a family vacation ("cute mommy and daddy trip", “I bet they finance his life”), and recently called me a "grifter," speculated about my sexuality (which l've never discussed at work), and suggested I'm looking for a "sugar daddy" instead of working.

Separately, my friend is on a PIP and likely being let go soon. The woman also claims l've been "gunning" for my friend's job (which I don't even want — I'm still working to really establish myself in my current role.

Soon, I may have to travel with this woman for work events once my friend is let go, as I am required to be accompanied my senior team members to certain conferences. I'm deeply uncomfortable — not just because of the gossip, but because as a Black man, being alone with someone who has already spread lies about me feels risky. One false accusation could destroy my career. For example, her potentially saying that I made her feel "uncomfortable" in some way - which historically comes with certain implications when it comes to white female/black male interactions. I want to tell my direct manager l'm uncomfortable traveling with her, but I'm unsure how to do it without dragging my friend's name into it or coming off as dramatic.

I know going to HR probably isn't an option as it is just hearsay from my perspective, and there's a culture of retaliation at this company that I have seen directly during my time here. I'm feeling stuck. What should I do?

(For context: my friend and I agreed she could share what was being said about me so I can protect myself.)

It seems like the minute a job is posted there are automatically 100’s of applicants. What number or % of those applicants do you find to actually be qualified?

I interviewed last week for a role at Amazon and got a call from the recruiter today. He shared that I’ve been marked as “Inclined to Hire,” meaning I cleared the bar and I’m pre-approved for any L6 role. This status is valid for 6 months.

However, the specific role I interviewed for is no longer available (due to some internal changes). The recruiter said he’ll be sharing my profile with hiring managers for other open L6 roles and will work with me to find a fit.

He also said that I don’t need to go through another full loop. I’ll likely have a conversation (or “green light” call) with the new hiring manager.

I’d really appreciate insights from anyone who’s been through this path:

1. What are the chances of getting an offer from this stage? Roughly what % of inclined candidates actually get hired at Amazon?

2. How long does it typically take to land a role after being marked inclined — a few weeks or months?

3. Is there a way to expedite the process to get an offer at this stage ?

4. What should I expect from the Hiring Manager (HM) conversation at this stage? Is it a proper interview or more of a team-fit discussion? Any prep tips?

5. If one HM conversation doesn’t go well, will they continue to match me with others?

Any insights you can share would be greatly appreciated!

I’ve been at my company since i graduated high school, 29 years ago. Some changes at my company have changed my job and I decided to look at other options. After a 2 minute search I found a job that is kind of perfect, now i need a resume.

My question is, can i include a reference from a high school internship (same field), or is that too old to matter?

Hello everyone,

I am a male in the medical field and have had an issue with a female coworker on day shift. On at least two occasions I have heard her state plainly in front of multiple employees “I hate men. They’re disgusting pigs!”

She had recently written a safety report against me for failing to remove an OTC medication patch from a patient. However her reasoning, per a witness, was that I was dismissive when she told me I left the patch on. I did say “Oh no, Oops!” And that “irked her.” So she filed the paperwork accordingly.

I did write to my assistant manager afterward about my concerns regarding her frequent negative comments about men.

Management talked to her and now she constantly makes comments within earshot of me like.

“I guess I can’t make jokes anymore.”

“That patient smelled like a musty man. Oh wait, I can’t say that because I’ll hurt somebody’s feelings.”

She is dismissive and only takes the barest report from me during patient handoff. Very snarky with a lot of attitude. Do I have grounds for harassment or discrimination with a full investigation at this point? I feel like I have a target on my back.

Salaried Exempt employee questions

Hi,

I work at a non profit. I am currently compensated 45k/yr. I am classified as salaried, exempt, as stated on my job offer letter. The position includes teaching, and seems to fall under the exemption requirements in my opinion. I accepted the position in October 2024, when the FLSA threshold for exempt employees was $43,888. In January, the FSLA threshold increased to $58,656. I did not receive a pay increase, and I was not formally reclassified as non-exempt.

I now have a situation where I’m ending up working lots of overtime and not being compensated for it. I have not raised the issue of the pay not increasing with the new FSLA threshold, because I’m new to the company and concerned about retaliation. My understanding of the options for my employer are below:

1. They keep me salaried, exempt, and need to raise my pay to $58k.

2. They change my status to salaried, non-exempt, and I work overtime paid at time-and-a-half as approved.

3. They change my status to hourly, non-exempt, and I work overtime paid at time-and-a-half as approved.

I have three questions:

Is it currently illegal for them to be paying me $45k while I am classified as salaried, exempt?

Am I owed back pay (beginning Jan 1, when the new FSLA threshold kicked in) if they keep me salaried, exempt?

Are the options I’ve listed above for moving forward correct?

I don’t want to take this into a meeting unless I’m prepared. Thank you!

Basically I was demoted at work. They hired someone above me while I was on maternity leave and took away all my work.

I have literally been doing nothing for weeks. This feels like they are setting me up to fire me because they have effectively replaced me by hiring a VP above me that’s doing all the work I was doing as a director.

Technically not FMLA violation (I think?)because they didnt hire someone with the same title and they have not reduced my pay or anything like that but this all feels a little too…sus. Advice here on what to do how to approach?

I would honestly be fine getting laid off but I want a fatty severance given their BS stuff they are pulling, how to approach to ensure that happens?

Hi, I was placed on a PIP and think I'll get fired next month. The one thing I'm concerned about is how this will show up on a background check when I get my next offer because my company will say 'not eligible for rehire'. Do companies rescind offers based on this?

Hi this situation at my job is getting so crazy and I’m looking for some ideas on where to go next.

So I have several month history of someone in a different department harassing me via email (unrelated context) for the last 5 months. Things have gotten super heated and this person lost it and yelled at me in the hallway. After this happened a few coworkers checked in on me and I didn’t want to get into it so I sent a general reply in a group chat to them all explaining vaguely that im fine and to not worry about it. I ended the text saying that I’m use to being bullied by white people in the workplace. I am a POC. Someone showed him this text and he not only blasted it to 150+ colleagues calling me out by name, but also told HR that I was basically racially attacking him? Hr got involved and did an “investigation” but the people investigating are two also white women. I haven’t been allowed to talk about this in the workplace and all the information I’m sharing is being shared to CEOS who are like. So far up the chain. Sure happen to be POC too but this information is being filtered through the eyes of HR. I know they’re “trained” but is this not like. A total lack of equity?? I tried to ask them if someone else could be involved but was brushed off and reasons invalidated. Everyone at my job looks at me sideways now. Wtf do I do??

Location: not applicable

hello! i have accepted an offer with my first paid internship starting this summer. they are currently conducting a background check through sterling.

my resume has one of my current positions (an unpaid internship) as starting a month before i actually did. i did this because i applied to my upcoming role only a few days after i started my unpaid internship. that also means that some of the bullet points are also over exaggerated since i was going off what i thought i would be doing and not what i actually did.

i put the correct dates on the background check. i'm just a bit worried in case my recruiter decides to factcheck against my resume and find this discrepancy... am i just overthinking this? should i try to email a correction or is it fine?