December 2021

update: I caught my coworker masturbating at his desk

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. We have so many updates this year that I’m going to be posting six to seven times a day for the next several weeks — so keep checking […]

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the best office holiday party date story of all time

A couple of years ago, someone shared what I consider to be the best holiday date story of all time, and it must be shared here again. Enjoy: When I was fresh out of college, a dude in my social circle invited me to his fancy work Christmas party. He was a teacher, so I’d […]

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update: student employees are using me for therapy

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 student employees were using her for therapy? Here’s the update. I really appreciated the feedback from Alison about setting boundaries, and some of the […]

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updates: the upset colleague, the evaluation input, and more

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. Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. Colleague was upset that I didn’t support his bid for promotion (open thread, commenting as “Academic glass half full”) Recap […]

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it’s your Friday good news

It’s your Friday good news! 1.  “I have been dying to either ask a question or share some good news, and the time has come! Thanks to a professor’s suggestion, I decided to take medical leave from my graduate program just after Labor Day, which meant I needed to find a full-time job ASAP. Well, […]

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open thread – December 10-11, 2021

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 (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * […]

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updates: the coworker secretly living in the office and more

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. Here are five updates from past letter-writers. 1. My coworker is secretly living at the office I took your advice and asked the COO about the situation. The […]

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