my employee is passing off ChatGPT lists as his own ideas by Alison Green on November 13, 2023 A reader writes: I am an experienced designer and I lead (but don’t directly manage) teams of young engineers. Dan (who has two years of experience) has recently been assigned to our team and sat in on a meeting where other members were sharing testing results of new ways to “automatically perform X,” which is […] Read the full article →
my new hire didn’t tell me she’s pregnant — can I fire her? by Alison Green on November 13, 2023 A reader writes: After four weeks on the job, my new employee has told me she is almost five months pregnant and did not say so at the interview because she’d been told that no one would employ her. I feel lied to. Do I have any rights on this issue? Can I terminate her […] Read the full article →
my new employee keeps leaving early by Alison Green on November 7, 2023 A reader writes: I’m new to management and am building a new team. I’ve hired a few people, they are all settling in well, and the team is gelling. I’ve tried to set the expectation that team members can have a flexible schedule as long as work gets done. However, while people are ramping up, […] Read the full article →
how to tell an overstepping employee to stay in their lane by Alison Green on November 6, 2023 A reader writes: I manage a large team. Their job descriptions and roles are pretty clear and specific, but one of our subject matter expects, “Jane,” is constantly questioning the work of other team members on projects she doesn’t have a stake in (and by default, my support for that work and the decisions being […] Read the full article →
how to tell an employee there’s no room to move up by Alison Green on November 2, 2023 A reader writes: I supervise my firm’s receptionist, who has been here for just over two years. In her most recent annual self-evaluation, under the section which asks about career goals and training opportunities, she wrote that she “curious as to where I can go from a receptionist position.” This is the first time she […] Read the full article →
my intern thinks he’s great at things he’s terrible at by Alison Green on November 1, 2023 A reader writes: I have an intern who is book smart and a very hard worker. But there’s one big problem: he’s bad at things he thinks he’s a superstar with. A few examples: – He thinks he’s an amazing writer, but his writing is awful. He misspells words, leaves out words, has no organization, […] Read the full article →
how should I respond to a complaint about my employee’s behavior outside of work? by Alison Green on October 24, 2023 A reader writes: I was in a popular online fitness forum last night when several posters complained about being doxxed by a popular Instagram fitness/weight-loss account. The influencer was looking up accounts that she felt had trolled her, trying to find their employers, calling the employer, and asking to speak to person’s manager. She complained […] Read the full article →
my employee is disrespectful of patients, refused an assignment, and told us “nice try though” by Alison Green on October 24, 2023 A reader writes: Can you help me tell my employee that I am not harassing him as he stated by telling him to do his job and also to cut the snarky, un-professional comments? For background, I am a mid-level manager for clinicians who go into patient homes and provide very essential, highly skilled needs. […] Read the full article →
I don’t want my long hours to make my team feel pressured to work late too by Alison Green on October 19, 2023 A reader writes: I work a lot, and I am worried that my schedule is making my team feel like they have to follow suit. It’s fine for them to work 40 hours a week (which I definitely do not do) but I’ve noticed stuff like them staying late or offering anxiously to be available […] Read the full article →
should I suggest my employee with mobility issues get a different job? by Alison Green on October 10, 2023 A reader writes: I run a small call center, which is on the third floor of a building without an elevator. Due to the nature of our phone system and the job, we cannot offer employees the option to work from home, nor do we have any other locations. We have an employee who, from […] Read the full article →