Q: My company recently decided to eliminate company cars as a perk for any employee. Since they have always maintained that the benefit was "part of my compensation," I want to ask for a comparable amount of salary increase as a replacement for the loss. I've done a substantial amount of research and cannot find any good rules of thumb for determining the value of a company car benefit. How likely am I to get them to simply cover the cost of my monthly car payment on the replacement vehicle? Any ideas on the value of such a benefit? A: You may not be able to receive the monetary value of your... view article details

Dear Annette,Do I have to attend the company's annual softball picnic? I hate forced socializing almost as much as I hate softball. I am to the point where I am considering faking an injury just to avoid this thing!Bitter BatterDear Bitter Batter,Stay home from a company-sponsored athletic event? And miss the chance to watch your coworkers spit, sweat, scratch, and pat each other everywhere? I don't think so. I just love it when people work with their bodies. And there are few bad seats at a ballgame, although I have a secret fondness for the right-field line, where I get an excellent 360-degr... view article details

The Beam family has preserved their reputation as dedicated and accomplished distillery owners, bourbon crafters, and businessmen for more than 200 years. Jim Beam’s quality bourbon has been in production since the 18th century and prevailed through prohibition. Seven generations later, the Beam company continues to evolve with the help of their determined employees. If you ask Marvin Stone, maintenance supervisor at the Booker Noe plant in Kentucky, he will tell you that Beam’s supportive environment is an essential piece to the companies success. “I have never worked anywhere before where th... view article details

Your company may have a number of reasons for assessing your performance. To go over your work during the period in question.To find out what kind of training you need.To help you develop as a professional.To set goals for your future performance.To determine whether and when to promote you.To compensate you based on how well you perform.To find out how your skills fit into the corporate picture.This last point is where it all starts. By measuring how effectively you and your coworkers carry out your responsibilities, your employer is also assessing how well it is meeting its overall goals. U... view article details

Create and Hone Your Organizational Culture Based on your Business Personality Just as people have different personality styles, organizations have different styles, too. Organizational culture or style is influenced by many factors -- by the person or people who started it, by its current leaders, and by the surrounding geographic and societal conventions, as well as by the nature of the work it does. But even those employees who like their jobs could end up clashing with your organizational culture. According to the founder of the Center for Values Research, Dr. Charles Hughes, harmon... view article details

Reason No. 1: Your Leadership Doesn’t Care Whenever people attend a cocktail party, invariably someone in the room will have an occupation that others will solicit for some (free) advice. Medical doctors are asked “Does this mole look cancerous to you?” Car mechanics are queried whether the “chunka-chunka” sound the engine makes means a new transmission is needed. And as an industrial/organizational psychologist, I get interrogated about “Why is my company such a lousy place to work? Why do I hate working there?” There can be any number of specific reasons why one’s work experience is l... view article details

Q. I have a weird suspicion that I am not being paid the salary my company offered me last April. My company offered me $40,000 a year, but when I do the math based on my paychecks, the amounts don't add up to $40,000, but more like $36,000. I am paid every second Thursday and before taxes, my paycheck is $1,538.46 (the same every week). Is there a calculation I can use to see if this actually adds up to $40,000 after one year?A. Your company is not withholding funds.There are a number of ways companies can pay annual salaries to their employees. Some companies pay once a month, which means em... view article details

Q. I have been trying to contact my human resource department to get a fair market value (pay range) for the position I have held for 6 years. My HR department has told me they do not have the fair market value of my position. The bank I work for does have pay ranges and I have asked for those, but the HR department said the pay ranges do not mean anything because they overlap.How can I find out what I am worth? How can I get this information from my employer to compare other positions in my area?A. Pay ranges and pay grades are tools companies use to help them administer their pay programs. C... view article details

Q. I have been trying to contact my human resource department to get a fair market value (pay range) for the position I have held for 6 years. My HR department has told me they do not have the fair market value of my position. The bank I work for does have pay ranges and I have asked for those, but the HR department said the pay ranges do not mean anything because they overlap.How can I find out what I am worth? How can I get this information from my employer to compare other positions in my area?A. Pay ranges and pay grades are tools companies use to help them administer their pay programs. C... view article details

Dear Annette,I know you're not supposed to burn bridges, but I'm so tempted to tell my former employer what they can do with their pink slip. Is it ever OK to act out when leaving a company?Disgusted in DallasDear Dallas,On a hot California day, down by my private beach, I love to have my People hire an upcoming international design sensation to build split-level sandcastles with marvelous feng shui while I sip something bitter and refreshing from the Far East, hoping my straw hat doesn't blow away. Invariably, as my dog Dickie supervises the construction crew, my thoughts turn to the 1957 cla... view article details