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Taking care of business Queries for Carrie December 2006

Query: In June/July I did some work on a contract basis for a well-known, well-respected local business. I sent my bill in July after completing the work. No payment. Well, after sending a paper invoice, three e-mailed invoices and two phone calls, still no payment. I'd worked for the business before and had been paid. The amount I'm owed is only $49, so it's not worth going to court. (This is precisely why I think the business owner is blowing me off.) I'm tempted to go public and embarrass the business, but really don't want to do that. What can I do about this?

— Baffled on Buffalo

Carrie: In the spirit of the holiday season, you owe it to yourself to allow others to enjoy how much better it feels to pay off a past-due account than to leave you in open receivables. Of course, you're undoubtedly aware that even well-known local businesses are sometimes not always able to go with the cash flow. Their invoices get blown off by contractors with whom they work, no doubt. It's one of the double binds of being in a small business in an informal town with lots of collateral connections through organizations, schools and etc.

Be compassionate, but firm, with those who owe you. Make an appointment when you know that the person who signs checks is at the office. Be friendly when you bring up the matter of the outstanding invoice that you need to close your annual accounts. You've got right and reason on your side. Throw in a dollop of undeserved, but much needed, understanding and you'll have satisfaction on your side--and payment in hand--in no time.

Query: My boyfriend gave me a cell phone for Christmas last year. I was so happy to get it. I'm working two jobs to put myself through school and I thought it would be nice to be able to snatch a minute and catch up. But I've found that what I really got from him was an electronic leash. He has to know where I am, and who I'm with and what I'm doing every hour. I love the guy, but I'm not comfortable with this. It's like I'm under surveillance. If I told him I lost the phone, he would just get me another one. How can I slip my collar?

— Cramped on Colby

Carrie: Explain to him outright that you're busy during the day when he calls you, and that you need to stay focused on what you're doing as you're doing it. Say that you don't want to hurt his feelings, and that you love the usefulness and convenience of the phone. Then tell him that you're making a New Year's resolution to be more present to improve your grades and work performance and that means that you want to be less distracted by the phone. Tell him you want to use it only for emergencies and changes in plans.

If he doesn't understand this, it may be time for you to decide if you love your independence as much as you love him.

Query:I'm a contractor. My foreman tells me that one of our regular laborers has gotten himself an addictive drug habit. The crew and the foreman are worried about this guy and about the kinds of accidents and materials waste that come with his problem. He's definitely less productive than he was a few months ago. And he looks like hell. Do I just fire him? I'm not really comfortable with that solution, since I haven't witnessed his condition for myself. But he's a safety liability and a time suck as things stand.

— Harried on Hammond

Carrie: You owe it to the health of your business not to allow this man to destroy your reputation and the quality of work for which you're responsible. If he's got the problem your foreman has identified, you want him off your sites ASAP.

It may be necessary for you to spend several hours a day, different days of the week with your crew over the course of a week or two, to assess his state for yourself. If indeed he's in the kind of trouble you think, then you should let him know that you can't allow him to work for you anymore.

If he was a good worker with the skills you need and count on up until his problem took over, you may wish to invest in helping him find treatment and other social support services. In that instance, you could provisionally continue to employ him--as long as he stayed in the program and stayed clean. It's a horrible thing to have happen to anyone you know, and the season dictates that we keep love and charity in our hearts for those less fortunate than ourselves. Extend a helping hand to him, if you can.