2009

5 signs you might be a bad coworker

5 signs you might be a bad coworker I get a lot of mail at Ask a Manager from people who are consumed with fury over habits their coworkers have — habits that I bet most of those coworkers aren’t even aware of. Below are five signs that you might be the one pushing your […]

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upset with size of raise

A reader writes: I’m on my 6th year of working with the same small nonprofit. I haven’t moved up or down. I’ve stayed at my same position. Every year they do an evaluation, and every year I get the same raise, 1.5%. Since I have been working here, I have taken on more than my […]

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how to manage an employee without enough work to do

A reader writes: I have an employee who for the past few months has said that she doesn’t have enough to do. I am not the type to give out busy work. It is perhaps that she has mastered her job and should move on to something else with another company? We are a small […]

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did boss misrepresent vacation policy?

A reader writes: I work at a small start-up company, and when I accepted the position my boss represented one of the perks as “we can be informal about vacation days.” I’m not a slacker and didn’t plan on taking advantage of it, but understandably I was happy about the attitude. However, in the seven […]

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which job should I take?

A reader writes: I have a temporary job working for a federal government agency as a clerk. I have been offered a promotion. The new position would raise my salary from $30,000 to $38,000. Accepting the position would require moving from the large city I currently live in to a much smaller place about 300 […]

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boss constantly misses our meetings

A reader writes: I work as analyst at a nonprofit organization in the IT department. One of the things my project manager has asked me from the beginning when we started working was to have a bi-weekly status meeting. For the first couple of months, these meetings were happening on time and scheduled. Lately for […]

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you don’t really want an informational interview

I’ve said this before, but apparently it’s time to say it again. When I’m asked for an informational interview, I’ll generally explain that my workload usually prohibits that but that I’d be happy to answer the person’s questions by email. The person is then never heard from again. This tells me: (a) The person didn’t […]

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should I give advance notice that I plan to resign?

A reader writes: I’ve worked at a large non-profit for 4 years. I’ve recently interviewed at another non-profit and expect that they will make a job offer soon. I’m concerned about how I’ll resign if offered the new job, and I’d appreciate your advice based on the following: * My manager and vice president constantly […]

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coworkers are having an affair – should I say something?

A reader writes: Our office is rife with gossip regarding a married man in our office and young single co-worker. The man has a brand new baby at home and knowing that he is having an affair behind his wife’s back is rather upsetting to some of us on moral and character grounds, but also […]

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