Q: My daughter has been a property manager of a large business park for more than 16 years. She heard from someone in the main office that the owners (to whom she directly reports and who have said nothing to her) have sold the property and she will be let go when the sale closes in a couple of months. Should she talk to the owners about this and ask for a severance package? If so, what sort of severance should she receive?

A: The owners may not have finalized the severance packages for their business park employees, but your daughter should confirm the information she heard with the owners before asking for anything. Once the owners directly tell her about the sale, she should ask for a recommendation letter, which, after 16 years of service, should be stellar. She also may want to ask them whether they can introduce her to other commercial property owners because they often know the other major players in the business. Without an employment contract stating the formula for determining severance, severance packages are a gift, though employees have come to expect them. The amount of severance pay plus other benefits, which could include extended health insurance, are up to the owners. The better her relationship is with the owners the better the package will be.

Disabled Person Still Must Be Able To Do Job Satisfactorily

Q: A few months ago, I accepted a job as a cashier at a large supermarket chain. I have diagnosed learning disabilities (attention deficit disorder, motor dyspraxia and dyscalculia) that I did not inform my employer about when I accepted the job. I am discovering that the dyscalculia is affecting my ability to do the math needed on the job. I didn't know it would be a problem, which is why I didn't inform the employer in the beginning. Is it too late to let my employer know about my disabilities? I think I could do the job by using a calculator or asking my manager for help, though one of the store's policies is that we cannot ask the manager for help.

A: Dyscalculia is similar to dyslexia, only with numbers. Because you are having difficulties in the math required for the job, you should inform the employer immediately. As a cashier, you don't want any mistakes of shorting the register to be interpreted as theft. You can provide a letter from the doctor who made the diagnosis, but you still may be let go from the job. Even though a disability falls under the Americans With Disabilities Act, an employer is not required to allow accommodations if the disabled employee cannot do the job satisfactorily on his own. Cashiers are expected to move the customers through the line quickly and to work with money accurately. That is probably why the store has a policy that cashiers are not allowed to ask managers for help. Once you notify your employer, you may be able to transfer into a job refilling the stock or bagging the groceries, but it's likely you will not be allowed to continue as a cashier.

Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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