I yelled at my employees and they walked out by Alison Green on August 6, 2024 A reader writes: I lost my temper with several employees today. I yelled and cussed, but I did not say anything discriminatory. Before I lost it, multiple employees had done the opposite of what I instructed today. I reminded them of who they worked for. I yelled and used the “f” word. We all use […] Read the full article →
my employee doesn’t have what it takes to do the job he wants by Alison Green on August 5, 2024 A reader writes: I’m in a tricky spot with a long-time employee, “Bob,” and I need advice on how to deliver a potentially devastating piece of feedback: “You just don’t have what it takes to succeed in this role.” Bob is interested in growing from his current position into a more senior role. He has […] Read the full article →
my employee texts me late at night by Alison Green on July 30, 2024 A reader writes: One of my employees texts me at 10:45 pm. I’m wondering how I can firmly but fairly lay down boundaries and let her know it’s not okay or respectful of my free time to message so late. I answer this question — and three others — over at Inc. today, where I’m […] Read the full article →
my employee is monitoring other people’s work by Alison Green on July 24, 2024 A reader writes: We are a semi-remote team that uses a project management system to keep our workflow organized and distribute assignments. One of my employees, Jane, feels it is necessary to look at everyone’s work on this system and comment on it. She also uses it as a tool to fuel her immense paranoia […] Read the full article →
I’m about to manage someone who thinks we’re good friends, but we can’t be by Alison Green on July 16, 2024 A reader writes: I have accepted a management role in a new team my company has set up. My coworker also applied for the role (unbeknownst to me at the time). She was not offered the job, but was offered one of the team roles so now I will be her manager. I found this […] Read the full article →
anti-vax employee is pressuring a coworker not to vaccinate her baby by Alison Green on July 10, 2024 A reader writes: I have three people who I have supervised for the last three years. Although I am not their official manager, I am the person who handles the bulk of their day-to-day responsibilities. I’ll call them Cordelia, Willow, and Dawn. All three are hard workers and are good at their jobs. They are […] Read the full article →
my former employee is using my job and title on LinkedIn by Alison Green on July 8, 2024 A reader writes: I recently discovered that a former employee took credit for my title and job during the brief nine-month period she reported to me temporarily while my assistant was on maternity leave. What’s mystifying is that she did it on LinkedIn. While we’re not connected, we share a good number of connections because […] Read the full article →
should I address the feedback from an anonymous survey? by Alison Green on July 2, 2024 A reader writes: My company did an employee survey. It really was anonymous (no names and anything that could be de-anonymizing was scrubbed from the results I can see) but my department is small enough that I have a good idea about who gave each rating, including who gave a tiny bit of negative feedback […] Read the full article →
how much should I tell a team whose boss might be fired? by Alison Green on July 1, 2024 A reader writes: Six months ago, I was promoted to lead a group of three managers who each lead around 20 people. “Howard,” one of the managers, had been hired two months before by my predecessor, but it was immediately obvious to me that his work was not up to par. I did my best […] Read the full article →
my employee puts on a show of being busy, but they shouldn’t be by Alison Green on June 18, 2024 A reader writes: I manage an employee who’s in a job that I used to do myself, so I have a pretty good idea of the work required and the amount of time it takes. This person does a good job on the tasks and is competent and well liked. However, they put on a […] Read the full article →