Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I tell my coworker to stop scrolling on her phone in meetings? I’m writing to ask how to handle a coworker who is constantly texting in meetings — virtual, in-person, the works. She doesn’t try to hide her phone and is often scrolling in […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Can I ask for a hotel room far from my coworkers when traveling for a conference? I recently completed my professional degree and licensure in my field, and have been getting a lot of support from my employer in establishing myself. In about a year, […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss told me to be less harsh but I think it was a miscommunication Yesterday, I had the rare honor of crying in front of my boss. He pulled me aside to gently ask me to rein in my big and sarcastic sense of […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss asked us to hold him accountable for his weight loss plan I recently left an admin position at a resort that includes a high-end athletic facility in an affluent tourist area. It is a very old three-star resort that has made serious investments […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker doesn’t listen and then pretends she was never told I’m having an issue with my coworker, Christine. I am in no way her supervisor so I’m not sure there’s anything I can do, but here goes! Basically, she complains that our boss, Lars, […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is it weird to bring my toddler’s sippy cup to work with me? Is it weird to bring my toddler’s sippy cup into the office? I drop her off at daycare in the morning, and she brings her milk in the car. I don’t want […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My neighbor, her nephew, my kid, and her dogs My question has to do with kid work. I recently found myself in an uncomfortable situation with my middle-schooler, Falcon, and I’m wondering if I handled it badly. My neighbor, Jane, asked Falcon to check on […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My doctor’s office constantly leaves me on hold — how do I deal with this at work? Do you have any advice on how to handle important personal phone calls with LONG hold times when you’re working in a client-facing position? My doctor’s office has […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How do I rebuild a department after an abusive manager? I’ve recently accepted a new position at the director level. I supervise several managers who, in turn, each supervise their own team of employees. Prior to my arrival, one of the managers, Marcy, exhibited some […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker sleeps too deeply when she’s on-call I work in a job (child welfare) that requires overnight and weekend on-call shifts. We get calls almost every night, but usually those are in the evening hours; true middle-of-the-night emergencies are more rare, but always highly urgent. […]