family, friends & significant others

When your family, spouse, or partner intersects with your job or work, things can go badly. Here’s advice to navigate it well.

I’m angry at my coworkers — can I refuse their apology?

A reader writes: I was out for a few days recently for personal reasons and came back to discover that two of my colleagues have done something incredibly thoughtless that has completely screwed up a major work product for me and then lied about it to my supervisor, saying I was involved in the decision. […]

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is my girlfriend’s CEO hitting on her?

A reader writes: I previously have asked you a question about whether my girlfriend’s CEO was overstepping (#2 at the link). You very kindly answered my question and I followed your advice and happily let it go as I believed the CEO wasn’t overstepping his professional boundaries. At least not until recently when I read […]

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when your teenager dates your boss’s son and it goes bad

A reader writes: I know that you’ve repeatedly discussed how romantic relationships at work can be problematic, but how do you navigate it when it’s your child? I was catching up with a friend (Sara) who told me that her teenage daughter had started dating Sara’s boss’s teenage son. Sara didn’t want to forbid the […]

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I’m supposed to fire my husband’s ex-wife

A reader writes: I have recently accepted a job I am excited about. I have been working a long time to get to this level of position. I am taking a week off before starting my new position. While I was interviewing for the new position, they mentioned that one of my potential direct reports, […]

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