When we were kids, the rules of the playground were simple: don’t snitch, unless you or someone else was in serious danger. As adults, it’s slightly more complicated. For example, what if – like an Ask a Manager reader – you know that your colleague is planning to take paid maternity leave, and then quit? Alison Green’s answer to that question, plus Dan Erwin’s latest reading list, and Emmelie De La Cruz’s tutorial on personal branding, in this week’s roundup.
(Photo Credit: jinterwas/Flickr)
Alison Green at Ask a Manager: I Know My Co-Worker Secretly Plans to Quit After Her Maternity Leave:
A reader writes in to ask:
A close friend coworker of mine is due with her second baby in July. We have a temp coming in to transition her work during her leave from June to October. She confided in me over lunch that 3 weeks after she comes back to work, she is resigning and moving across the country. This plan is elaborate and already in the works.
I think taking months of maternity leave pay and benefits, knowing you are going to quit shortly thereafter (within 2 months), is robbery and a truly bad thing to do. I am on very good terms with our head of HR and talent. I feel bad keeping this secret. I know the temp coming in (former employee who saw grass isn’t always greener) and strongly assume that she will want the full-time gig if presented to her after the current employee’s departure.
The questions: Should the reader tell HR? And, as an aside, is it legal to plan an escape route after maternity leave? Green’s answer is edifying, whether you’re on the side of the quitter or the friend.
Dan Erwin: 11 Books Every Leader – and Wannabe – Should Read
“Inevitably, when conversing with a friend or former client whom I haven’t seen for some time, I get asked what I’m reading,” Erwin writes. “So this is a second list of books that have taught me much about people, careers and organizations. Three don’t fit those categories, but they are exceptional: one on America’s role in the world, one on valuing popular music and an absolutely delightful and hilarious book on mathematics.”
He admits they aren’t quick reads, but if you’re looking to propel your career to the next level, it might be worth it to make some room in your summer reading list for a few of these titles.
Emmelie De La Cruz of The Branding Muse at Career Rocketeer: Personal Branding – Where to Start When You Don’t Know How
Do you cringe when someone mentions the words “personal brand”? Even so, you probably know that it’s in your best interests as a professional to differentiate yourself from the competition, whether you’re looking for a job or building a business. The good news is that creating a brand for yourself doesn’t need to be a huge investment of time. De La Cruz explains:
Launching your brand does not need to take months and months of preparation. What it does require is countless hours sitting in front of a computer and a determined mind to get things done. Here is the secret formula to launching your brand in a nutshell: Vision + Plan + Action= Brand. Decide what you want to do. Decide how you are going to do it. Do it. That’s basically it, but don’t worry. I’ll elaborate.
Her tips include the questions you need to ask in order to define your vision, an example of a simple day-by-day plan to bring your vision to reality, and some words of encouragement that will help inspire you to make it happen.
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