December 2023

updates: the abusive volunteer, the heavy furniture, 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 four updates from past letter-writers. 1. An abusive volunteer is holding our website hostage As it turns out, I wasn’t as generic in my description as […]

Read the full article →

updates: reading at work, lying about leaving, 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. There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. 1. Is reading books at […]

Read the full article →

all of my 2023 book recommendations

All year long, I’ve made a weekly book recommendation when kicking off the weekend open thread. These aren’t work-related books; they’re just books I like, mostly fiction. Sometimes they’re books that I’m in the middle of reading, and other times they’re just long-standing favorites. Here’s the complete list of what I’ve recommended this year (maybe […]

Read the full article →

I have a crush on my employee

A reader writes: I’ve worked with a male colleague who is close in age to me (I am female) for several years, and last year I was promoted to manage him and others. We have a great working relationship and complementary skill sets; people have remarked on what a great team we make. We have […]

Read the full article →

navigating workplace Christmas overload as a non-Christian

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’d love to hear from you and/or your readers about how you handle the ubiquitous “holiday” activities every December that are invariably just Christmas celebrations. I’m not Christian and I always find this time of year tiring. It doesn’t help that I’m an elementary teacher, […]

Read the full article →

updates: the weekend party, the demanding client, and more

Welcome to “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are three updates from past letter-writers. There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout […]

Read the full article →

update: is our “Diversity Day” as insensitive as I think it is?

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 HR team gave them a list of holidays that aren’t traditionally days off and asked them to vote on which would be their “Diversity […]

Read the full article →