September 2023

weekend open thread – September 16-17, 2023

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: You Can’t Stay Here Forever, by Katherine Lin. Days after losing her husband in a car crash, a lawyer discovers he had been having […]

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it’s your Friday good news

It’s your Friday good news! Thanks to your posts about how women tend to pass on opportunities that men would pursue, last year I decided to apply for a position that would have been a bit of a stretch. I knew I didn’t have 100% of the experience they were looking for, but I used your cover letter […]

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open thread – September 15-16, 2023

It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions 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 take your questions to […]

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Ask a Manager in the media

Here’s some coverage of Ask a Manager in the media recently: I talked to Eater about lunch etiquette at work. I talked to CBS News about the downsides of unlimited vacation time. I talked to The Kit about how to talk about your divorce at work. I talked to American Banker about a horrifically invasive […]

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how can we equitably handle time off for religious holidays?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: With the Jewish High Holidays coming up, I’ve been thinking about how workplaces can promote equity around PTO and religious holidays. My workplace has an extremely generous amount of PTO, but I still have to use vacation time for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (and […]

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my employee demands to know where I am at all times

A reader writes: I started a new management role three months ago and am managing a small team. One of my staff was under-performing when I started, and one of my directives was to get them on a coaching plan, which I have. As a result, they have made complaints that I’m out to get […]

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