Workplace advice: First job, lasting lesson

Reader: My 17-year-old daughter started a job at a national retail chain store two months ago. After working there for a couple of weeks, she asked for a weekend off to attend a family event. It's now a few weeks later, and they haven't put her back on the schedule. They keep telling her there's a problem setting her up on the payroll, so they cannot schedule her.

The worst part is that they never paid her for the time she did work. How do you suggest she proceed? This is her first job, and she is reluctant to rock the boat.

Karla: First of all, whether or not she's still on the payroll, she is absolutely entitled to wages for hours she's already worked. It's been six weeks since her last work day; even on a monthly pay schedule, she should have been paid by now. Second, I can't tell whether the employer's bookkeepers are incompetent or whether the "payroll setup" line is a passive-aggressive way to say "Eh, we'll call you" -- but neither case makes this job sound worth keeping.

So, at the risk of generating enough teen eye-rolls to knock the earth off its axis, I'm going to recommend your daughter turn this into a learning experience. Call it Take No [Bleep] 101. She has the law on her side and nothing to lose.

She should start by documenting the days and hours she worked, including gathering any documents, texts, witnesses or other evidence to back her up. Then she should script and rehearse the following two questions with you:

--When can I expect payment for the [number] hours I worked between [start date] and [last date worked]?

--Am I still an employee? (Perhaps a moot point, but she's entitled to a straight answer.)

Pretend to put her off so she has to repeat her questions. Give vague answers; make her challenge you. Once she's gotten the hang of pressing her point politely but firmly, she's ready to call her manager for the live run-through.

If talking to the manager yields no results, her next step is to write a letter (reviewed by you) that requests payment for the hours worked, and either mail or hand deliver it to her manager. She should also check her new-hire paperwork or the parent company's Web site for instructions about filing a complaint with the national headquarters. Being a squeaky wheel is important, but sometimes you need added leverage from HQ -- or, eventually, an employment attorney -- to really get things rolling.

I realize she probably took this job for pocket cash, but learning to stand up for herself is going to pay dividends for the rest of her life.

Thanks to Paula Brantner at Workplace Fairness.