How can I convince my boss to reduce my hours?
Q: I currently work full-time in retail. My boss refuses to cut back my hours, even though I'm also going to graduate school full-time. When I graduate, I plan to find a position in a different field, but I'd like to continue working part-time in my present job. How can I persuade my boss to let me do this?
B.V., Waltham
A: Talking to him quietly, unemotionally, and unaccusingly is the best way to get your boss to agree. Unfortunately, if you simply go in and ask for part-time work knowing your boss isn't predisposed to it, your request probably won't be granted.
You need to show how you can be switched from full- to part-time without causing a problem for the boss or the other workers. So have a plan in mind when you go in to that office: If it's reasonable and makes sense, you may be able to get the boss to come around.
Earlier this month, a reader wrote in about how to deal with a colleague who constantly burps in his cubicle. My response: Pull your colleague aside and have a frank talk with him so he knows that his belching offends you. Several readers took issue with my answer:
He may well have a medical issue, such as GERD or lactose intolerance, that's causing the excess gas. Just because someone is aware of such an issue doesn't mean they have control over it.
M.D., Somerville
Q: Has it occurred to anyone that the belching co-worker could have a medical problem that causes excessive burping? Acid reflux is one of many possibilities. I happen to be one of those people who ``burps" frequently, and the best I can do is politely excuse myself. I'm sorry if this offends my co-workers, but that's just the way it is.
D.A., Arlington
A: In my response, I was careful to point out: ``Even if this behavior is something he can't prevent, you need to find out if it's necessary for him to burp loudly."
The issue here is really how the burper burps. Unless there's a medical condition that causes the person not only to burp, but also to burp loudly and uncontrollably, then the burper should consider trying to burp quietly.
I've done a lot of burping as a youth (when the idea was often to burp as loudly as possible for effect) and as an adult. The difference is that now I choose carefully whether to burp quietly (when I'm with others) or loudly (when I'm alone). For the sake of your co-workers, if you must burp on the job, try to do it discreetly.
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