I’m about to fire an employee … but we just hired her husband by Alison Green on December 5, 2023 A reader writes: One of my staff is about to be fired for grossly inadequate performance. I’m confident that we’re on safe legal ground with the firing, and her performance issues have been documented and addressed with no improvement. However, the complication is that we have just hired her husband to work within the same […] Read the full article →
45 gift ideas for every type of employee on your team by Alison Green on December 4, 2023 If you’re the boss, finding the right gifts for your employees can be fraught with questions: How much do you spend? Should you spend the same amount of money on each person? And if you don’t know someone well, how do you make sure they like the gift while still keeping it professional? For the […] Read the full article →
a truly hilarious company holiday party story, told in bullet points by Alison Green on November 30, 2023 There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. This is one of my favorite holiday stories of all time, which was relayed last year by a reader who is a pure angel for sharing it with us: I love me some bullet points, so here goes my […] Read the full article →
how to survive your office holiday party by Alison Green on November 28, 2023 After a hiatus during the pandemic, office holiday parties seem to be back – and with them, questions about how to navigate them: Are office parties optional or just “optional” (i.e., are you really expected to attend)? Is it okay to bring a date or is it better to go solo? How much drinking is […] Read the full article →
my company’s holiday party is at a steakhouse … I’m a vegetarian by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. A reader writes: Every year my company does a really nice holiday dinner for employees, with plus-ones (except during a break for the pandemic). In the past we’ve usually gone to fancy places with lots of options, and everyone […] Read the full article →
the schedule for updates this year by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 Welcome to “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. A heads-up about update season: for the next few weeks I’ll be posting at midnight, 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2 pm, […] Read the full article →
my employee is being difficult … but I think it’s the stress of illness by Alison Green on November 21, 2023 A reader writes: I am a manager for a team of 11 people. One of my long time employees, Zed, has stage 4 cancer. When Zed was first diagnosed about three months ago, I asked if he might consider taking FMLA leave (we have very generous medical leave policies). Zed refused. I think it’s because […] Read the full article →
should I warn job candidates that we don’t give raises? by Alison Green on November 20, 2023 A reader writes: My organization recently replaced merit increases with capped bonuses. While I think this is a bad policy and I’m pushing back on it, in the meantime I’m concerned about my responsibility to new hires. I would never have thought to ask about this as a candidate. I’m hiring a new junior staff […] Read the full article →
my employee identifies proudly as a grump by Alison Green on November 15, 2023 A reader writes: I manage a small team of creative people and we all have different work styles (as defined during a company-wide professional growth workshop.) One team member has so strongly identified with her more aggressive and direct work style that I find she is using it as a crutch to excuse bad behavior […] 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 →