[shanek327]

private accounting, ive been here for a year.

they have a very generous pto policy that they bragged about MUCH in the interview.

for example…

oh work any 8 hours you want, 8-4, 9-5 etc.

after getting the job I asked to work 8-4 my direct boss said no, 830-430 it is.

also I asked to work 8-4 only one day a week bc of outside responsibilities, and her answer was no.

we are allowed to work from home if a child is sick. this past week my son was sick and I asked to work from home, she let me but wasn’t happy about it.

she gives me a hard time regarding the time I take now, so far…I just take the time I want when I can take it. she can’t say much because, it’s company policy….

I believe there’s resentment developing on her part…against me.

do I ask to speak with her privately and say “hey, is there any issues?”

Or do I just start looking for a new job…?

FAR - 75
AUD - 78
BEC - 82
REG - 77

2 Corinthians 5:21

Our value does not come from our skills and abilities, as good as they may be; it does not come from our GPA, our job, a promotion from that job to a better job, our success on the CPA exam, or anything of the like; but our value comes from the fact that we have a Creator who loves us, cares for us, and desires to help us navigate the rough waters of this life in a way that provides security, hope, and true, everlasting joy while we anticipate the life to come, with Him.

[tcheney3]

If you ask me you should get out. In today's world the idea that you can't change your schedule a half an hour either way is ludicrous. I work in public mind you, but I can work any hours of the day or remotely any time I want.

BEC - 82
REG - 86
FAR - 85
AUD - 84 and I'm out!!!!!
Ethics - 95
In Skynet's Honor:
Act I: Shutdown Skynet and prevent Judgment Day.
Act II: Add a comma and three letters to my title.
Act III: Time Travel and marry a young Denise Richards (and prevent subsequent plastic surgery),return to present.
Act IV: Serve as Successor to Elon Musk as CEO of Tesla.
Act V: Ensure Judgment Day has been stopped. Utopia achieved.

[JohnWayneIsGod]

Always talk behind close doors first. If the boss is reasonable, this should be an easy issue to solve.

FAR - 80

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.

-John Wayne

[greg2015]

My initial thought to this is that maybe the issue is not the hours or time off, but maybe there is something else going on. It appears that this could be some passive-aggressive behavior on the part of your boss. How is your work performance? What is the quality of your work and what type of feedback does your boss provide? Do your other co-workers get to have more flexibility than you or are you being singled out?

AUD: 99
FAR: 95
BEC: 89
REG: 87

AICPA Ethics: 91

Licensed Illinois CPA

[shanek327]

My work has been good. ive only been here a year and I rarely need assistance with my work, and when I do I don't go to her I go to other accountants who actually trained me.

I never miss a deadline, and whenever i'm “slow” I offer my help to any other accountants in the dept that need it.

I've also mentioned to my boss that after being here a year I would be willing to take on more work if she felt that was appropriate and there was a need.

but my workload hasn't changed.

any time ive asked her how im doing or whether or not theres anything I could do better…she says no your doing good. (few words)

there's 5 accountants that work under her…and there is definitely different standards. 3 of the 5 have worked here as long as she has, and they have customized schedules.

FAR - 75
AUD - 78
BEC - 82
REG - 77

2 Corinthians 5:21

Our value does not come from our skills and abilities, as good as they may be; it does not come from our GPA, our job, a promotion from that job to a better job, our success on the CPA exam, or anything of the like; but our value comes from the fact that we have a Creator who loves us, cares for us, and desires to help us navigate the rough waters of this life in a way that provides security, hope, and true, everlasting joy while we anticipate the life to come, with Him.

[Anonymous]

Did you get any of this in the offer letter? Is it stated explicitly in the employee handbook? If so, take it to your boss, privately. Respectfully remind her that these are the terms that were agreed to when you joined the company.

And for future reference, there are a lot of dishonest managers in the world. If a company really wants to hire you, they are likely to promise you any number of things to get you to sign the offer. But if those things are not in the offer letter or employee handbook, assume they are lying to you.

I used to be a very trusting, naive person (and often wish I still were), but I learned very quickly in my career that MANY people do not lose any sleep at all over lying to your face to get what they want. If they won't put the terms in writing, they very likely do not intend to follow through and are hoping you'll either forget or cave when you get pushback later.

[greg2015]

There is something about you or your work that she doesn't like, and for whatever reason, she does not have the courage or communication skills to deal with it. Her behavior towards you is likely to continue or even worsen over time. You can try to talk with her, but keep in mind that it could backfire. If you do talk to her, I would not discuss the hours at all, but instead discuss what you can do you to help make her job easier and try extract some more specific feedback on your performance. If this doesn't work, you will either have to accept the situation for what it is or look for something else.

You mentioned resentment…why would she be developing resentment?

AUD: 99
FAR: 95
BEC: 89
REG: 87

AICPA Ethics: 91

Licensed Illinois CPA

[Anonymous]

I'd say there's a few options:

– HR promised something that this boss isn't aware of and didn't intend to offer

– This boss knows things should be how you were told in the interview, but refuses to follow policy

– For one reason or another it is vital to this boss that you're available during certain hours, and HR wasn't aware of them when making other promises

As for how to resolve it, you could ask HR to clarify if you're supposed to have a flexible schedule. Once you've verified the policy, you could have a serious discussion with your boss about it, or you could “report” your boss for not following policy and/or showing favoritism in scheduling. Note that if you're the only one required to follow the hours, your boss will surely know who complained if you complain to HR about it.

Some corporate cultures and some departments are more flexible in work-hours than others…could be that your boss has a logical reason for being unable to give you the scheduling freedoms that you anticipated, and that after a discussion with her, you'll be more aware of her reasons to be able to accommodate them, and perhaps be able to find some solutions to get some more flexibility while ensuring her concerns are met. (For example, perhaps they have to ensure someone is in the office till 4:30 in case there are urgent issues that come up. Perhaps you and another coworker could switch 8-4 and 8:30-4:30 weeks so that it's covered till 4:30 but you can go home earlier some days.)

Also, in reply to tcheney3, I just wanted to mention that I've never had a flex-schedule job and don't think they're as common as might be thought. I'm salaried at my current job, so I might get here at 7am or might get here at 8, and might leave at 5pm or might leave at 9, and to that extent I'm flexible and work as much as needed to finish the job. However, I'm still supposed to be here from 8-4:30 unless I've put in a request to be out during the day (for example, if I have a doctor's appointment, I can go during the day, but need to notify in advance). So, I don't find the fact that a certain schedule is expected to be outlandish, though having flexibility in hours would be nice. (I'm pretty sure I'd wait till 9 every Monday if I could choose my hours… 🙂 )

[SaveBandit]

Was your boss the one who told you that you could work flexible hours during the interview? Or was it HR? If it was HR, then your boss may have no idea this was even mentioned. If your boss have you the green light, then backed off, I would approach her about it. I had a boss like that…told me I could work flex time then later denied having that conversion completely. I didnt stay there long. May not be a bad idea to audio record future interviews or conversations with HR/the boss, since they obviously go back on their word.

4 for 4

FAR 85
AUD 94
BEC 86
REG 90

[shanek327]

thanks so much for the feedback to all!

@Casey TX – my boss was in the interviews where the schedule flexibility was discussed, to be honest, I don't think its something that would be in the handbook but I can look into it

@greg2015 – she has very poor communication skills, you can tell she gets very nervous during minor confrontation. the reason for resentment, I don't know but here is my educated guess. she is not a CPA, she's a manager simply because she has worked there for over a decade. I am a candidate who has two parts passed. that coupled with the fact that she is my “day-to-day” boss but not necessarily my boss when it comes to raises/promotions/etc. may be upsetting her. My boss in regards to salary-type issues is her boss as well. And he “LOVES” the CPA. this certainly could be firing her up.

FAR - 75
AUD - 78
BEC - 82
REG - 77

2 Corinthians 5:21

Our value does not come from our skills and abilities, as good as they may be; it does not come from our GPA, our job, a promotion from that job to a better job, our success on the CPA exam, or anything of the like; but our value comes from the fact that we have a Creator who loves us, cares for us, and desires to help us navigate the rough waters of this life in a way that provides security, hope, and true, everlasting joy while we anticipate the life to come, with Him.

[sdguy]

If that's the case, then you should schedule a meeting with both of your bosses. You have the right, respectfully of course, to bring up your concerns. Don't be confrontational, just mention you like the job, the company culture etc. And you want to stay there and grow. Do they see a career path for you, are there advancement opportunities? Can you take on more responsibilites, and maybe with that get some more freedoms and flexibility (ie scheduling, work from home etc)

You have to be really careful, BC ur basically going over ur supervisors head here. But if u treat it as an open forum so that the 3 of u can discuss things, it will be received much better.

AUD: 83
FAR: 77
REG: 86
BEC: 86

[SomedayCPA2015]

Sounds similar to my experience in industry.It was presented as completely laid back, and that it didn't matter what time I got in and left, as long as I worked 8 hours. I very quickly realized that was not the case, but what was most annoying about it is that nobody would just SAY it to us – we would just hear through the grapevine if they were frustrated. I could see if I had work and wasn't getting my job done, but I was bored out of my mind, and never had an issue with meeting deadlines. I could go on and on, but really the main point is that our experiences sound exactly alike.

It all depends on the person, but for me the lack of flexibility was hugely influential in me coming back to public. I have kids, and being able to leave for appointments, or emergencies with the ability to work from home without having to “report” my every movement was something I desired. Between the boredom and lack of flexibility, it was not the right fit for me.

REG - Passed
BEC - Passed
AUD - Passed
FAR - Passed!!!! I have my life back.

[ruggercpa2b]

I think it comes down to who you work for. I am located in a different office from the rest of my team. Everyone in my office has flexible hours and I usually work from 7 to 4 and some days I do stay late to get my work done. However, the people on my team that work at HQ have to stay till 530pm no matter what because our VP doesnt like people leaving before at least 530. When we are in that office we just go by how they do things. I think it just comes down to the person you are reporting to. When I worked at Deloitte our partner was very old school, so even though the firm was all about flexibility we had to kinda do things his way. He liked to have us in the office visible. So we abided by his rules. The only time people had regular work from home days was when it was in writing and done through HR. He had no problems with that. It can get a little tricky, however, I have learned that a company may preach flexibility but if your direct boss is not for it then you are kind of screwed.

AUD - 73, 72 retake 7/2/2016
BEC - 8/20/2016
REG - TBD
FAR - TBD

I am so ready for this nightmare to be over. Been at this way too long.

[shanek327]

Yes tk boss was in the interview and affirmed everything that was said

FAR - 75
AUD - 78
BEC - 82
REG - 77

2 Corinthians 5:21

Our value does not come from our skills and abilities, as good as they may be; it does not come from our GPA, our job, a promotion from that job to a better job, our success on the CPA exam, or anything of the like; but our value comes from the fact that we have a Creator who loves us, cares for us, and desires to help us navigate the rough waters of this life in a way that provides security, hope, and true, everlasting joy while we anticipate the life to come, with Him.

[JUDOT]

I totally agree with “ruggercpa2b.” Her boss is aware of company policy, but keep in mind that although it's company policy the final decision is left up the your supervisor. She also has a schedule to keep and keep it she will. If it means you working overtime, she would ask you to work overtime. One year at a company doesn't mean that you know much if anything. That period is like your probationary period and she is feeling you out. You have to prove that you are there for the long term and not just passing through. Some team works different hours and if that is the hours of your team then I would advise you to be team player and work the hours she requested. Reporting her would get you off her team, but no one would want you on their team if word gets out. You are the one that should be flexible not her. You came into her team/turf, it too early to start changing the rules. Wait until you are in her position.

NINJA EFFORT!!!

[fuzyfro89]

Not to belittle you in any way…

… but are you complaining about a job that lets you come in from 830-430? That seems SUPER flexible to me. If you have an actual conflict like picking up kids, gym training session, errands, etc., then absolutely make that known and find a way to make it work. But, don't forget to count your blessings for such a sweet schedule as it stands.

Be warned that you may not find another strict 8-hr/day job if you look elsewhere. Personally, I wouldn't sweat it for a difference of 30 minutes a day.

[Author]

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