August 2024

I negotiated salary for the first time — and it worked!

A reader writes: Recently I had the chance to put into practice so much of what I’d read on your site. I was offered a job, but was disappointed at the salary (even though it was a 25% upfront increase and title bump, I’d expected more). Were my expectations too high (I was operating on […]

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let’s discuss animals at work

Let’s discuss animals at work! We heard last week about someone who accidentally went to work with a bird on her head, and we’ve heard in the past about someone who couldn’t get to work because of aggressive nesting geese, we’ve fielded some drama about bears, and we’ve of course had myriad stories about dogs […]

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my employee doesn’t read her email

A reader writes: I supervise a manager who is in most respects a great manager. She does an excellent job of coaching her team, but she has difficulty getting to all her emails in a timely manner. We’ve talked several times about the need to delegate and to review all emails within 24 hours, and […]

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is liquor inappropriate at a work event that offers beer and wine, visitors want to use our employees-only bathroom, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is liquor inappropriate at a work event that offers beer and wine? This is a silly, low-stakes question, but I’m curious. I work very closely with another coworker and we frequently plan events for a specific network of professionals. My coworker absolutely refuses to offer […]

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my employee refuses to reveal her online status

A reader writes: I manage a small customer-facing portion of a broader team. The 10 of us are responsible for being on the frontlines, understanding our customer needs, and responding to questions and new requests. Since the pandemic, our company has switched to using Slack as our primary mode of communication. While the company is […]

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