December 2019

update: should I take a job working for my dad?

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Remember the letter-writer wondering whether to take a job working for her father? Here’s the update. First of all, thanks for answering my initial letter! Your response and […]

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update: my boss accidentally sent me a message complaining about me

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Remember the letter-writer whose boss accidentally sent her a message complaining about her time of arrival, intended for someone else? Here’s the update. I wrote to you in […]

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the worst boss of 2019 is…

We have a winner! 16,049 votes are in, and the worst boss of the year is the manager who told an employee coworkers were complaining about the look of her post-mastectomy breasts — with 44% of the vote. The six runners-up, who managed to be pretty terrible themselves: the boss who pees in a cup […]

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my employee talks so much she can’t get her work done

A reader writes: I got my first job as a manager about five months ago. One of my employees, Jane, is a woman in her late 50s (I’m 30). She’s been with this organization for two years, but spent the rest of her working life in retail or as a stage manager for small theaters. […]

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how to survive your office holiday party

Every December, my inbox fills up with emails from people asking about their office holiday parties. Chief among their concerns: How optional or mandatory is this, really? Other questions on a lot of minds: Should you bring a date or is it better to go solo? Can you drink or should you teetotal it? What […]

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update: my problem employee is telling coworkers I’m unfair to her

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Remember the letter-writer whose problem employee was telling coworkers the letter-writer (her manager) was unfair to her? Here’s the update. An update on the situation with Sally, who […]

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