Q: Every time I go with my assistant to inspect a job site, we stop at a nearby fast food outlet. Generally, we each order a cheeseburger, fries and Coke (don't mention the word "cholesterol"), a meal that requires a few napkins, straws and several catsup packets from the "help yourself" shelf. Right?
Not really. According to my assistant, everything is there for the grabbing. And he sure picks up the loot: a dozen condiments, plastic knives and forks by the handfull, dozens of straws and enough relish packets to smother a cow.I'm always embarrassed, so last week, I said jokingly, "Hey, you're not leaving anything for the next customer." He answered, "Quit worrying and help yourself to some `extras.' You're paying for it in the price of your burger." Am I? - Bummed Out in Birmingham
A: You probably are picking up the tab, but that doesn't excuse the fact that your assistant is - forgive me - piggish! I spoke recently to the regional manager of a fast food chain with a worldwide network of 17,000 franchises (guess who!) and he told me, "We expect customers to take a reasonable number of condiments and cutlery, but if someone goes overboard, our policy is to say nothing. Now, if the customer picks up an outrageous number of items - like filling a huge bag - then we might inquire!"
Q: When our CEO mentioned the need for downsizing in a memo last month, I knew that as one of the firm's twentysomethings I would be one of the first to go. And, sure enough, I was handed my walking papers last week. By now I've had several interviews but no job offers. So I asked the last interviewer, "What's wrong with me?" He said, "OK, you want it straight; here it is! You look like a typical techie nerd. You have problems communicating unless you're using unintelligible tech talk and you definitely don't understand the bottom line - making money for the company. When you change yourself, come back for another interview." Wow, am I shook up! Where do I go from here? - Mike, Santa Cruz, Calif.
A: The only place is straight up. It's great advice, worth at least a thousand bucks. Find a good communications and public speaking course and sign up. Skip your tech talk when being interviewed; instead, explain how your ideas and solutions will save money for the company. And if the interviewer thinks you're "fashion-challenged" (wearing your high school denims and run-down loafers), ask your folks to take you to a Brooks Brothers makeover. When you land a new job, you can pay them back.
Q: It's been three months now that our state has had a law permitting citizens to carry concealed handguns. In that time I've noticed at least a half-dozen employees bringing their weapons to our factory. Now, don't misunderstand, I'm not against the new law, but I just don't see guns in the workplace under any circumstance. Our department has a couple of hotheads who probably wouldn't hesitate to open fire if they became riled up enough. And, frankly, the whole idea gives me a whopping case of nerves! The latest meeting place for employees toting arms to work is in the factory parking lot, a place I avoid like the plague. Don't you think any responsible employer would have a written policy prohibiting employees from carrying handguns to business? - Wary Willy, Dallas.
A: You're right on target! Workplace violence has become one of the leading causes of job-related deaths, so a couple of loose-cannon employees running around a factory with concealed handguns would be enough to give anyone the jitters. It's easy to understand why businesses wouldn't want guns in the office, but it's not going to be so easy to keep them out in the future. There's a huge potential for liability for both the businesses banning guns and for permit holders who claim their new legal right to carry concealed weapons.
(Dr. Paula Bern, author of "How to Work for a Woman Boss," has taught executive seminars at Pittsburgh's Carnegie-Mellon University's Graduate School of Urban and Public Affairs. Questions may be mailed to Dr. Paula Bern, 1090 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC, 20005. Questions can be answered only through this column.)
AP-NY-04-10-96 0913EDT