November 2013

is this email line insulting?

A reader writes: I work at a university in an office setting. I share supervision of a student worker with senior-level staff member. I am in my early 30s and in a coordinator position; she is in a senior director position and about 20 years older than me. We both report to the same person. […]

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8 ways to persuade your boss to say yes

When you really want to hear “yes” from your boss – whether it’s a proposal for a new program, permission to telecommute, or the go-ahead on ordering a new computer – you can maximize your chances by going about it the right way. 1. Make it easy for your boss to say yes. If you come […]

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can we ban smelly foods in the office microwave?

A reader writes: We have an employee at work who has been bringing in some pungent food and heating it up in the microwave oven. I have received a complaint or two of the smell, and a number of vendors who’ve come to our office have commented on the smell as well. One employee shared […]

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the weirdest questions I’ve received at Ask a Manager

As regular readers know, I receive some pretty strange questions here. Back in 2011, I shared eight of the oddest situations I’ve ever been asked about here … but in the two years since, I’ve received plenty more bizarre ones. So I decided to update that list, to include the lunch-stealing boss, the compulsively hugging receptionist, […]

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perfunctory thank-you notes, profanity at work, and more

It’s six short answers to six short questions. Here we go… 1. Giving your interviewer a thank-you note on your way out of the interview My question is about handing thank-you cards to people immediately after interviewing with them (literally after shaking hands before you leave the office). My husband was told this was done […]

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is this internal feedback on job candidates unprofessional?

A reader writes: I’m new to owning the hiring process at my company. Sometimes when I send hiring managers candidates, they reply with comments that I don’t think are appropriate or professional like “Nope,” or “Meh.” Am I being sensitive or is this not okay? Even if it is unprofessional, should I just let it […]

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