Ask a Manager

A reader writes: My uncle is missing. It’s been so, so terrible. The police are still searching, but we’re all so scared. I’ve been trying not to let it affect my work, but of course I’m struggling, so on the advice of several people I finally told my boss. He’s high-up in my company and […]

A reader writes: I’ve found myself in several situations now where I periodically need to show up at my bosses’ office to ask them something. These are high level people at the top of the organization. Sometimes I can email or text them and get a response (but not consistently), but their offices are near […]

A reader writes: I have a strong working relationship with my boss, the owner of the company I work at. We clicked instantly in my initial interview, get along well, and he is consistently impressed by my work. Most importantly, I think he values me because I’m not afraid of difficult conversations, and I’m the […]

A reader writes: The backstory: I went back to university in my late 20s to do my PhD, and shared an office with a few other students for many years. One of the students, Jacob, completed his thesis and was moving back to his home country, so we all went out for congratulatory/farewell drinks. One […]

A reader writes: I need a reality check on whether I should weather the current company storm or jump ship. My manager, Bob, is the owner of the company, and while theoretically has people high up who could push back on him, the reality is that he makes the final decisions on most everything. Bob […]

A reader writes: Last year I started a new job doing exciting work at a great company. Unfortunately, in the first few months several things made my performance crater. I got Covid the weekend before I was supposed to start and struggled with brain fog for months, insurance stopped covering the medication I took for […]

A reader writes: There’s no easy way to say this so I’ll be blunt: My department director, Katherine, has created a horrible work environment because of her unmanageable PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). As a woman, I do not want to reduce Katherine’s education, expertise in this field, and actually great work she’s done down to […]