DEAR HARRIETTE: I was applying for a position as a hotel receptionist, and one of the other applicants mentioned that she was just 15 years old.
Related Articles
Advice |
Harriette Cole: Our mom isn’t coming home to take care of the kids
Advice |
Harriette Cole: After 3 years of silence, she sent me this text
Advice |
Harriette Cole: Oh, your boat dock? Yeah, our kid broke that.
Advice |
Harriette Cole: How to be a mother who abides and inspires
Advice |
Harriette Cole: Is it shallow to want my boyfriend to pay for our dates?
She said she had received an application from management — despite being underage — because she is pretty and talented, meeting their high-standard requirements.
I told her that it is against the law, but I am unsure of what to do since I know she really needs the job to support her family, while at the same time I am aware that underage individuals are not allowed to work. Please give me some advice on what I should do.
— Underage Employment
DEAR UNDERAGE EMPLOYMENT: I suggest that you not get involved in that person’s employment process.
I sense that you feel threatened as this teenager may be up for the same job you have applied for — and she may win the job based on her appearance. While that, in and of itself, is a form of discrimination, it is unlikely that you will win a fight on those grounds. Instead, you will make it even less likely that you will get hired.
Is that fair? No, but since right now you need a job, set your sights on that.
As hard as it is to believe, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets 14 as the minimum age to work. There might not be anything wrong with a 15-year-old applying for the same role as you; however, many employers simply choose not to hire teens.
Additionally, many people skirt age requirements as they are looking for work and hiring. This topic deserves examination, to be sure. That said, this doesn’t seem to be your battle right now.
Pivot away from that young lady and toward your own future. Unless you believe she will be in danger if she is offered the job, don’t make her potential employment your issue.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My friend Fred’s daughter was having a birthday, and her friends surprised her with balloons and food.
It was also a surprise when one of the guests blew out the candle for her. It made her upset, and she cried a lot. Fred got angry at the other kid.
How …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
