Harriette Cole: Should I tell this sneaky woman she’s never getting her job back?

DEAR HARRIETTE My sister-in-law Kate worked for me for several years Last summer she had a baby and declared she d return to work this instant after maternity leave Related Articles Harriette Cole I should never have agreed to the father-son blind date Harriette Cole She took my car and went to brunch Two months later I got a huge bill Harriette Cole I keep replaying the moment this date went bad Harriette Cole My friend got engaged and now she s doing things that worry me Harriette Cole I located out his ex was in town when she displayed up for our date The week before she was to come back to work I emailed her the upcoming work schedule Kate informed me that she wouldn t be returning I yearned to send back a scathing email but instead I replied I am at a loss for words and you put me in a intricate position as far as scheduling for the holiday shopping season She replied Sorry I ended up having to work extra hours without pay It was hard trying to make up for her absence Eventually I detected out that Kate had never intended to come back to work I saw texts of her telling people to keep it a secret from me This past weekend Kate mentioned that their finances were tight and she was looking to get her job back After what she did I have absolutely no intention of hiring her again Do I tell her that point blank or let her apply and just not hire her How should I deal with the fallout from the family Family Business DEAR FAMILY BUSINESS Your sister-in-law has burned that bridge She cannot be trusted You should speak to her and let her know how selfish and deceitful her behavior was regarding her maternity leave and returning to work While people do those things sometimes in order to get as much money out of their jobs as practicable she is family She should not have taken advantage of you in that way Unless she is your only option don t hire her back If you need her make her a probationary hire She will need to prove her loyalty With a new baby and the various challenges that can come from establishing a new rhythm in her life she will have to make a big effort to prove herself DEAR HARRIETTE This letter is regarding Off-Limits who wants a boyfriend of two months to reveal where he lives Your advice to be direct was good but there are perhaps other reasons he doesn t want Off-Limits to see where he lives maybe he lives at home with his parents or in transitional housing and is embarrassed about this maybe he is interpreting the request as a way to get him in bed and he s not ready for that In any episode these two need to have an open conversation as you recommended Fan of Yours DEAR FAN OF YOURS Good additional considerations Thanks Yes talking is necessary Related Articles Dear Abby His wife won t speak to him for months at a time What should he do Asking Eric Is it up to me to tell my niece what her mother won t Harriette Cole I should never have agreed to the father-son blind date Miss Manners I opened the office door and only then realized it was an unwanted visitor Dear Abby He s hurt when I call him she Was my response out of line DEAR HARRIETTE I m writing about the letter you received from Off-Limits My thought is that possibly the boyfriend has had an experience with a person that he had dated a short time becoming a stalker after they broke up Maybe he s feeling it s best to know someone longer than two months before he invites them to know where he lives Another Angle DEAR ANOTHER ANGLE Stalkers are hard to shake Being protective of your personal space is wise before you let somebody all the way in to your life Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams You can send questions to askharriette harriettecole com or c o Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO