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Carol Kleiman / Syndicated columnist
Full disclosure best prescription before taking drug test

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A: I think you need to state before the drug test exactly which drugs you take. It probably is best to submit a list of the medications along with a note from the physician who prescribed them. That way, there will be no surprises and, hopefully, the company will not risk a lawsuit for discriminating against you under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Q: After being downsized over two years ago, I applied for a lower-level job with the very company that let me go — and got it! I had to take a big pay cut, though I get benefits. I feel awful about the "demotion" and lower salary. Did I make a bad decision to take the job?

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A: The job market is so slow that there's certainly nothing wrong with swallowing your pride and returning to your former employer at a lower level. Having a job with benefits, even at half the salary, is much better than not having a job at all. And you can still continue to job hunt.

Q: In the offer letter for my new job, it states I will earn 14 vacation days each year. But when I mentioned to my colleagues how nice it is to have 14 days of vacation, they insisted we only get 10. Should I pursue this with my boss?

A: Forget it for now and don't discuss it with anyone. You don't make the rules. And vacation changes probably are in the works. You can ask about it if you are denied the time clearly stated in your letter of employment.

Q: My boss and I secretly have been dating and now plan to marry. I have found another job and will be leaving here shortly. Is it OK to announce the engagement before I leave?

A: First of all, whether you are aware of it or not, everyone does know: There is no such thing as "secretly" dating your boss. However, to make things more comfortable for your co-workers, I think it's best you just give notice that you are leaving and delay announcing your matrimonial plans until you are out of there.

Q: A former colleague of mine told me that my former supervisor has made derogatory remarks about me in meetings, and I don't even work there anymore. He's one of the reasons I quit. I left voluntarily and in good standing. What should I do?

A: You could talk to an employment lawyer who might call the supervisor and say cease and desist, which possibly could scare him into shutting up.
 
But remember, you only know about this secondhand. You don't know if it actually happened. That's why I advise you to ignore it. That job is over and gone. Who cares what he says?

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. E-mail questions to Carol Kleiman at ckleiman@tribune.com