Ask a Manager

A reader writes: I recently left a job that I’d been at for a few years and felt really comfortable, had a relaxed working environment, and fun coworkers. The problem was I didn’t have room for advancement or growth, I was regularly bored with the work, and there wasn’t any wiggle room for more responsibilities […]

A reader writes: I’ve been at my job for almost two years now, and in the industry for a while. During the time that I’ve been here, the team I’m on has undergone a lot of changes, including two re-orgs, several upper-level leadership changes, and I have personally switched managers. Throughout this time, I’ve heard […]

Here are the posts that interested people the most this year, via two lists: the most commented on posts and the most viewed posts. Most commented on posts of 2018: (doesn’t include open threads or “ask the readers” posts, which otherwise would hold many of the top 10 places) 10. Coworker was fired for a […]

Here are my favorite posts of 2018, in no particular order: 1. I delay writing back to people and then never do it Because so many people struggle with shame over this and don’t need to. 2. I’m hypersensitive to criticism — how do I fix this? Because we can get wired in weird ways early […]

All year long, I’ve made a weekly book recommendation when kicking off the weekend open thread. These aren’t work-related books; they’re just books I love and think everyone else should read. Sometimes they’re books that I’m in the middle of reading, and other times they’re just long-standing favorites. Here’s the complete list of what I’ve […]

A reader writes: I spent almost seven years in property management before vowing to never, ever, ever go back. I don’t know if it is just my local market or if it is like this everywhere, but in the course of working for several different companies I encountered everything from sexual discrimination, retaliation, and a […]

A reader writes: I work for the largest employer in region and have been in my current job for over four years. For four years, I have been telling myself that my job will get better but it hasn’t. My employer is a mess with constant scandals in the news, reorganizations and firings with no […]

A reader writes: I studied Humanities at an elite college (think Ivy League, but in Europe) which is very prestigious and has a lot of famous alumni (scientists, politicians, etc.). The thing is, I didn’t do much with this. I battled depression during my stay there, and although it didn’t affect my grades, I didn’t […]