Ask a Manager

I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My friend/client won’t pay my cancellation fee I have a friend who I met because we both enjoy certain sports. I’ll call him Frank. I only see Frank when I am involved […]

I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My boss got drunk and was angry that I couldn’t drive him back to the office I have been working at my job (a Fortune 500 company) for nine months, after I […]

I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. And then later today, updates season begins! 1. My former tenant’s “manager” is requesting money for her time spent on a lease dispute I have been in conflict with a former tenant (Sara) […]

aIt’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss called me a “rando” I’d been working at my company for a couple months, consistently contributing and even receiving recognition from other departments. So, I assumed I had a solid reputation. During a team meeting, my boss was discussing a recent project which […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker keeps snarking on the way I fold paper I work in a public library. One of my duties is to fold paper, such as brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, etc. My coworker whose responsibility it is to create, edit, and print those documents will hand […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss runs hot and cold I work in a mid-size non-profit as a fundraiser. I’ve been in this field for 20+ years and am used to the pressure that comes with this job. I joined this organization a year ago and have been successful. […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My boss hates that I blush a lot I have always been a chronic blusher. Whatever you’re thinking when you read that, it’s way more. I blush at everything. Someone looks at me — I turn red. I think about something slightly awkward that happened […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our agency flexed its own policy to hire a sex offender I work for a government agency and a new hire in our group took a while to pass their background check. Living in an open records state, it’s easy to find someone with a […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Do I have to go to more company social events when last year’s Christmas party went badly? Last year, I started a new job the week of Thanksgiving. Three weeks later, my office had a Christmas sweater day (we normally wear jeans and hoodies) and […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My manager wants to dumb down my writing After a long stint in academia, I took a position with a state workforce agency two years ago. While I still teach adjunct at the university and maintain a “collegiate vocabulary,” I am far from inaccessible when […]