am I a mansplainer? by Alison Green on April 11, 2018 This week on the Ask a Manager podcast, we talk about mansplaining! “Mansplaining” = the weirdly frequent phenomenon where a man gives a woman an unrequested explanation of something that she has more expertise on than he does. It was coined in an essay by a woman who described how a man at a party kept condescendingly explaining her own […] Read the full article →
I shared a room with a coworker on a work trip, and their respirator kept me awake all week by Alison Green on April 11, 2018 A reader writes: I just got back from a week-long work trip where I had to share a room with a coworker who did not warn me in advance that they sleep with a noisy respirator. We got to the hotel and they told me about it when they were literally setting up the machine. […] Read the full article →
a 3-day camping trip for work, taking time off after a break-up, and more by Alison Green on April 11, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My firm wants us to go on a three-day camping trip I work in the design field, and my small company was recently acquired by a multinational firm. We’ve known that each summer the entire company is invited to three-day company-wide meeting. The dates, location, and […] Read the full article →
are senior execs too busy for spelling and grammar? by Alison Green on April 10, 2018 A reader writes: I’ve been working at a small company (~30 employees) for almost a year. I am the lowest on the food chain, just above the interns. We have a few offices, and I work in the same office as the COO and work closely with him often. He is easily one of the […] Read the full article →
how to ask for a raise by Alison Green on April 10, 2018 If you’re like a lot of people, it’s been quite a while since you’ve asked for a raise – or maybe you’ve never asked. Surprisingly, given how much most of us appreciate money, a ton of people have never asked for a higher salary, because they feel awkward about initiating the conversation, or they’re worried […] Read the full article →
my brother broke up with our coworker, it’s causing drama, and I want to intervene by Alison Green on April 10, 2018 A reader writes: I work in an office with my older brother, Jack. He is not my boss, nor am I his. We have pretty separate roles, but we do see each other frequently during work. Everyone knows we are related, and it has caused no issues so far. A few months back, Jack began […] Read the full article →
my coworker’s constant emergencies mess up my work, office weight loss competition, and more by Alison Green on April 10, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker’s constant emergencies mess up my work I have a coworker, let’s call her “Cersei,” who seems to be the unluckiest person in the world. At least once a week, she has to bail on work because of some emergency: her husband’s car was towed, […] Read the full article →
do I have an obligation to tell my bosses about my substance abuse problem? by Alison Green on April 9, 2018 A reader writes: I am high-performing mid-level supervisor at my job. That’s not just a self assesment; in my most recent performance review, the GM of my branch told me that he is impressed with my work and he even wants to start preparing me for a management role! So what’s the problem? Well, I […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps calling in sick right before and after the weekend by Alison Green on April 9, 2018 A reader writes: What is the appropriate way to talk to an employee who tends to take Thursday afternoons and Fridays and Mondays as sick time? I would think some of these are legitimate, but the pattern is somewhat obvious and my boss has even noticed and is wondering if this employee is really just […] Read the full article →
I’m frustrated that my employee didn’t want the post-baby flexibility I arranged for her by Alison Green on April 9, 2018 A reader writes: One of the people on my team announced she was pregnant. I was thrilled for her and wanted to be supportive manager. This company is too small to qualify for FMLA but they do have their own program in place for emergency and medical leave which is similar to FMLA. It allows […] Read the full article →