A reader writes: At my company, we have large restrooms with 6+ stalls in both the men’s and the women’s bathrooms, with long counters that have three inlaid sinks. (I’m telling you this to let you know the rooms are large, echo-y, and there are no private “one-stall with a locked door” options.) A coworker […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I’m struggling to figure out how to give feedback to an intern about the constant barrage of criticism she emits. The intern in question, “Alice,” spends one day a week here, along with several other interns, through a graduate-level academic program that will last four years. All of these interns are over […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I have a direct report who is not performing as well as expected after a year in his role. He is on a development plan and has clear objectives to work towards. He receives monthly feedback (positive and developmental) and we discuss ways I can help him to achieve his objectives. My […]
Read the full article →It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I have regular happy hours with only one of my staff members I manage a specialty niche team of four within a larger department that otherwise doesn’t have specific teams. My direct reports are the only ones in the department who only report to one […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I submitted a cover letter and resume a couple weeks ago for a job. Four days ago, the hiring manager’s assistant emailed to ask if I was available for an interview with the hiring manager on a specific date and time next week. She only gave me one option, and unfortunately I […]
Read the full article →The hardest part of writing an effective resume is figuring out the content – how to talk about your achievements in ways that tie to what an employer is looking for. But people also do an awful lot of agonizing about the smaller details of a resume – things like format, length and even font […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I have a question about interacting with colleagues. I work in a client-facing organisation. For the past six months, we have been understaffed and I have been managing projects pretty much on my own (client management and the delivery). I’ve been with the organisation around five years and it’s my first job […]
Read the full article →It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss goes overboard for Halloween I’ve worked six years for a man who goes way over the top with Halloween. Our office becomes a haunted dungeon with spooky lighting, a disturbing soundtrack, gothic pictures and dust covers, and toys that use sensors to jump […]
Read the full article →This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school.) Book recommendation of the week: 4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster. This is four stories in one — all starting with the birth of the same person, […]
Read the full article →It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything work-related that you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * If you submitted […]
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