Can I ask this employee what's going on?
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Anonymous
| I have a direct report who all of a sudden has a bunch of doctor and dentist appointments. I get the sense she is interviewing and would like to know if that's the case, so we can try to address whatever is making her want to leave. But I don't want to pry or overstep any legal boundaries if she really does have a health condition requiring all this time away from work. What's OK to ask and what's not? |
Anonymous
| Not okay to ask anything about the appointments. You can say to her "Are you happy here? Is there anything I can do to address any concerns?" But don't make it about the appointments. |
Anonymous
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Do you have a weekly meeting where you go over assignments and such? Could you ask her how everything is going at work?
I'm interviewing and would love it if my boss asked this and made changes. It won't happen, so I'm leaving. |
Anonymous
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Agree with PP about not making it about the appointments, instead make it about whether the employee is feeling happy/fulfilled/appreciated in their role. Honestly, it would be good if managers were doing that without prompting instead of just waiting for issues to arise or the employee to leave.
My boss also gives me the "I hope everything is ok, let me know if you need anything" response if I give her a vague "I have an appointment" notification. It leaves the door open for me to confide in her if I would like to should there be some health issue going on. |
Anonymous
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Where I work, the only thing you can ask if for a Dr's note if the absence exceeds a couple of days.
Sounds like you're not worried about that though, so I'd not ask anything about the absences. You probably already have a sense of whether this person is well utilized, well compensated, and been given the chance to advance in-house. If that's not the case, then it makes sense that she's looking elsewhere. |
Anonymous
| I would never tell my employer that I was looking around for work, even if I'm made to feel "safe" to do so. If the prospective job falls through, I don't want to be on my boss's $it list. |
Anonymous
I wouldn't either but if my boss asked me honestly if there was anything she could do to make my job more enjoyable or help my career development, I would be honest with her, leaving out any mention of my staying with the company being dependent on said changes. |
Anonymous
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As someone with some serious medical issues, I hate it when people use the Doctors appointment excuse when interviewing. I understand why they do it, but I had a manager assume that I was missing work for interviews. So, he started thinking of replacing me, without talking to me.
That ended when I told him I would be out on disability for 6-8 weeks recovering from surgery for cancer. |
Anonymous
I blame it on a lunch date with a relative in from out of town. Justifies the longer than normal lunch hour or break (unpaid, of course) without making the manager think I'm ill. |
Anonymous
+1 to both PPs. |
Anonymous
| OP, ask HR for some training. You absolutely cannot ask about appointments. But you can ask the person directly if they are happy and have any feedback. |
Anonymous
| I think if employers actually asked employees if they were unhappy more often there would be a lot less staff turn over. As it is, managers just don't care. |
Anonymous
Leave her alone. She may be pregnant, she may have cancer--whatever. If I were interviewing I'd make another excuse. |
Anonymous
| Op - Come on, you can't ask her about anything! If she is interviewing, so be it. It's too late to ask her what's wrong. Also, what if she is really sick or pregnant? I had a crap ton of doctor appointments before I announced my pregnancy. You never know.... |
Anonymous
| None of your business. Leave her alone. |