Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. A patient threatened to hit me I work as a dental hygienist. I see most patients several times a year and build a relationship with them while providing their care. I love my job and especially love winning over anxious patients who are worried about […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss keeps giving me food I can’t eat Is there a tactful way to ask my boss to stop giving me food-based tokens of appreciation? My boss occasionally gives donuts, cookies, candy bars, or buys pizza for our small work group to show her […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss keeps pulling on my ponytail I started a new part-time job at a restaurant a few months ago. I like it, for the most part, and I like the managers. But one of them, Phil, has a rather odd habit. He semi-regularly tugs […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee never remembers to save things on our shared drive, no matter how many reminders she gets I’ve been having an issue with one of the people I manage, our document processor, Ashley. I like Ashley; she is bubbly and friendly, which is a […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. How do I talk to my employee about sleeping in and missing work? I have a direct report who is not a morning person. We have a hybrid schedule (two full team in-office days, remainder WFH). Our day starts at 8 to accommodate half day […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. A conversation about kittens led to a lecture from HR Yesterday I was called into a meeting with HR where I was reprimanded for an inappropriate sexual comment that I made. I did make the comment, it was absolutely inappropriate, and I am mortified! I […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee said awful things about a coworker … while on the phone with them I’m writing about an incident that happened to my coworker, “Jane.” Jane was out of town over the weekend and her corporate lodging card wouldn’t work. She called an admin, “Elvira,” […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I ask my employer to cover the costs of vet bills caused by my job? I work in a job that requires going to other people’s houses, and a few months ago when I went in to visit a client, their pet had a […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can you be fired for being fine but not great? Beyond egregious performance violations and the like, can an employer fire you for doing fine or decent work — but it’s not quite at the level they have in mind? (Maybe a rephrase here: for […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. The better I do, the more resentful my boss gets I’m a manager in a technical field and my boss used to be a huge micromanager. He is one of those senior leaders who is good at delegating tasks, but not at delegating decisions or […]