Q: A new hire started today. He says he scheduled a trip before applying for the new job. He says he has all his reservations and has paid, so he will be taking the trip. He will finish the onboarding process and then go on the trip. What can I do?
Written by Suzanne Lucas.
Produced by Shoka.
Audio engineering by Phillip Baldwin.
This Evil HR Lady column ran in the April 2021 issue of Comstock’s magazine. Read it here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-should-new-hire-be-allowed-take-trip
2020 will go down in history as a time when women made remarkable advances on the political scene.
Written by Laurie Lauletta-Boshart
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/rise-and-shine
Q: I’ve been working in a key position at my company for 20 years. When a management position opened for which I am highly qualified, I applied and, frankly, expected to land the promotion. My company instead promoted a male colleague who has similar experience but has only been with the company for 10 years. Do I have any recourse?
Written by Suzanne Lucas.
Produced by Shoka.
Audio engineering by Phillip Baldwin.
This Evil HR Lady column ran in the March 2021 issue of Comstock’s magazine. Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-were-you-passed-over-promotion
Comstock’s magazine invited three of our 2021 Women in Leadership honorees to join us for a discussion on the ways women are shaping the future of the Capital Region. Listen in on our conversation with Betty Yee, California state controller; Cassie Gilson, president and managing partner of Axiom Advisors; and Elizabeth-Rose Mandalou, advanced sommelier and co-owner of Allora restaurant and WM Catering and Events in Sacramento.
Hosted and produced by Sena Christian and Shoka.
Audio engineering by Phillip Baldwin.
"Blur And Coalesce" by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.
Q: When is it too late to change careers? I’m 40 and hate my job. But with almost 20 years invested in my field, I really don’t want to start over with an entry-level position in a new area. How possible is it to switch careers without taking a massive pay cut?
Written by Suzanne Lucas
Produced by Shoka
Audio engineering by Phillip Baldwin
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-switching-careers-doesnt-mean-starting-over
After 15 years as a Major League Baseball player for five teams, Greg Vaughn now focuses on Vaughn’s Valley Foundation. This profile is part of The Next Chapter, in which we check in with Capital Region professionals who moved into new pursuits or retirement after successful careers.
Written by Tom Couzens
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/still-swinging-away
Roger Valine helped transform VSP from a small local company to an international operation by 2006 when he decided to retire. This profile is part of The Next Chapter, in which we check in with Capital Region professionals who moved into new pursuits or retirement after successful careers.
Written by Graham Womack
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/new-mission
Michele McCormick sold her public relations company and became a model, actor and photographer who specializes in travel and nature photography. This profile is part of The Next Chapter, in which we check in with Capital Region professionals who moved into new pursuits or retirement after successful careers.
Written by Shoka
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/camera-ready
In December 2019, a few months before the fastest drop in global stock markets in financial history, Mark Otero launched Alice Capital, a hedge fund designed to bypass emotion.
This profile is part of The Next Chapter, in which we check in with Capital Region professionals who moved into new pursuits or retirement after successful careers.
Written by Jennifer Fergesen
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/game-skill
After losing his bid for reelection as Stockton mayor, Michael Tubbs is weighing his options.
Written by Marcus Crowder
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/career-detour
Pam Marrone, who retired as CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations in 2020, didn’t take a break; she still works 10-12 hour days. This profile is part of The Next Chapter, in which we check in with Capital Region professionals who moved into new pursuits or retirement after successful careers.
Written by Jennifer Junghans
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/agriculture-and-beyond
Carl Landau had spent 37 years in publishing and event organizing when he decided to launch Pickleball Media last year. This profile is part of The Next Chapter, in which we check in with Capital Region professionals who moved into new pursuits or retirement after successful careers.
Written by Sena Christian
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/somebody-again
Q: I had a midlevel manager recently leave for another position, and I’m about to post the job. I know that several of the people who worked for her want that position, but I think the company might be better served by going for an outside hire. How should I proceed so I don’t anger my current employees and risk losing them too?
Written by Suzanne Lucas.
Produced by Shoka.
Audio engineering by Phillip Baldwin.
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-be-fair-when-considering-outside-candidates
Cohousing communities are neighborhoods where physical spaces, outdoors and indoors, give residents a place to interact outside of their private homes. These communities are growing in popularity across the Capital Region.
Written by Rachel Leibrock
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/neighborly-design
Q: Early next year, our company will begin using new software for most everything we do. It’s already so late in the process, so what can we do quickly to ensure that our employees are adequately trained and don’t feel like they are on their own?
Written by Suzanne Lucas.
Produced by Shoka.
Audio engineering by Phillip Baldwin.
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-new-systems-require-proper-training-and-patience
In September, UC Davis was awarded the first federal funding given to a university to research cultivated meat, positioning the Capital Region to serve as a hub of the advancing technology. Efforts to advance the emerging food market using science and technology have ignited worldwide to address the global challenge of food access and proper nutrition for a growing population and the unsustainable environmental and ethical practices of industrial animal agriculture as it barrels toward the planet’s capacity on land and at sea.
Written by Jennifer Junghans
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/promise-new-proteins
Q: This has been a terrible year. Unfortunately, as a business, we’re just scraping by — and that’s despite the Paycheck Protection Program loan from the Small Business Administration. There’s no money for a lavish holiday party, year-end bonuses or even anything more than a $5 gift. What can we do to show our employees how much we appreciate their hard work at year-end?
This Evil HR Lady column ran in the November 2020 issue of Comstock's magazine.
Written by Suzanne Lucas.
Produced by Shoka.
Audio engineering by Phillip Baldwin.
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-easy-ways-thank-employees-hard-year
Ranchers and those in the conservation industry know there’s an inherent value to working lands, such as cattle ranches. But how does one monetize that value?
Written by Jennifer Junghans
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Read more here:
https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/protecting-open-land
Q: I have a problem with employees calling in to say they are not coming into work once they’ve reached 40 hours. We have a lot of overtime available, so it’s easy to have worked 40 hours by Thursday. People then call to say they are not coming in on Friday and don’t want to use their paid time off to cover the time, since they’re already getting paid for 40 hours (plus more, because of California overtime laws). It’s really causing problems with scheduling. What can I do?
This Evil HR Lady column ran in the October 2020 issue of Comstock's magazine.
Written by: Suzanne Lucas
Read by: Shoka
Produced by: Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-why-startups-need-hr-help-they-launch
Q: I’m launching my own company this year, with about 12 employees, and I’m thinking about the importance of human resources services. Should I hire someone for that position, or can I use an outside service or an online site? And what are the most important things I should do before I launch?
This Evil HR Lady column ran in the July 2020 issue of Comstock's magazine.
Written by: Suzanne Lucas
Read by: Shoka
Produced by: Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/dilemma-month-why-startups-need-hr-help-they-launch
Family businesses are the heart and soul of Little Saigon in south Sacramento. These businesses and their customers are banding together to keep everyone afloat during the pandemic.
Written and read by Lien Hoang
Produced by Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/lineage-success
West Sacramento’s Washington District has transformed in the past decade, due to efforts by the City of West Sacramento, developers and food entrepreneurs.
This story originally appeared in the September 2020 issue of Comstock's magazine. Read it here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/back-business-not-usual
Written by Graham Womack
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Companies can expect to see COVID-19-related employment lawsuits from nearly any corner, including wage and hour issues and disability discrimination. These four strategies can help mitigate risk.
This story originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of Comstock's magazine. Read it here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/article/back-business-not-usual
Written by Jennifer Duggan
Read and produced by Robin Epley
Q: I’m a small-business owner with fewer than a dozen full-time employees. I cannot afford to have a full-time human relations person, but I know I need guidance, including for onboarding new hires. What can I do?
This Evil HR Lady column ran in the February 2020 issue of Comstock's magazine.
Written by: Suzanne Lucas
Read by: Shoka
Produced by: Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/qa/dilemma-month-why-onboarding-critical-new-hires
We’re considering making the temporary measures for people to work from home caused by the coronavirus lockdown more formal to keep our business going. What are our obligations as employers? Do we have to pay for the internet? How do we make sure our time cards are correct? How do we keep people engaged?
This Evil HR Lady column ran in the June 2020 issue of Comstock's magazine.
Written by: Suzanne Lucas
Read by: Shoka
Produced by: Robin Epley
Read more here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/qa/dilemma-month-how-working-remotely-can-be-effective-your-company