Ask a Manager
how do you stay focused on work during anxiety-inducing world events?
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: I wonder if you have any tips/tricks on how to keep focused on work when there is a major event going on? I recall trying to work for several weeks after the 2020 election and January 6 and know my work was not efficient or good quality during that time. I’m so […]
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Checkout newshave a question about holidays at work?
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
I’m doing a column for Slate answering questions about holidays at the office, and I want your questions! Maybe you’re wondering how to get out of buying gifts for all your coworkers, or you want to avoid being shafted in the Secret Santa this year, or you’re terribly afraid your boss is going to hand […]
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Checkout newsmy boss thinks my employee is lying about having cancer
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: My operations manager, Burton, took me to one side on Friday to ask me whether I had seen any evidence that my employee, Belle, who had been off that week, really had cancer. I am now second-guessing every interaction and whether I have either been manipulated or been a horrible boss. Our […]
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Checkout newsI want to ask out our manager, my coworker sucks at his job, and more
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How can I ask out our general manager? How do I get ahold of someone who works in the offices where I work to ask them out? Her position is GM. I’m intending to ask her if she’d like to go for a coffee or […]
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Checkout newsweekend open thread – November 2-3, 2024
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: All I’ve been able to read this past month have been comfort re-reads — mostly Elinor Lipman and Barbara Pym. This week it […]
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Checkout newsopen thread – November 1, 2024
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to […]
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Checkout newsmy boss wrote a poem about us but left people out, I doubt my boss’s nephew is really a genius, and more
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My new boss wrote a poem about our team … but only some of us My company has an annual team-building outing, which is traditionally the occasion for higher management to express their gratitude to the employees. At least, that was what I was picking […]
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Checkout newsmy boss says I do great work but won’t give me a raise after 3 years
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: I’m early in my career but have been in my current organization (10,000+ employees) for over three years. I was hired in a two-person “department,” where I am an individual contributor reporting directly to the department director. Since I started in this position, my manager (George) and I have had conversations about […]
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Checkout newsthe escape room, the haunted house, and other times Halloween at work went wrong (or right)
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
Happy Halloween! Here are some of my favorite stories about Halloween at work that you shared earlier this week that didn’t make it into my column for Slate on Monday. 1. The escape room At Old Job, the position that I and the majority of the department held was rather soul sucking. The supervisors all […]
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Checkout newswhat are the weirdest things you’ve found when cleaning out an old office or desk?
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
What odd things have you found when moving into a new office or desk? To start us off, here are some disturbing and/or amusing examples shared here in the past: “A friend of mine went to work for a museum in DC. As she cleaned out the desk she found an old (1920ish?) cigarette box, […]
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Checkout newsmanager says I have to come in despite a doctor’s note, boss interrupted me in the bathroom, and more
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Manager says I have to come in even though my doctor says to stay home My company has just increased the number of days we’re expected to be in office. We were fully remote for two years during the pandemic, so the shift to hybrid […]
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Checkout newssomeone is always crying in our morning meetings
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: Can you help me deal with the amount of crying at work I’m dealing with at the moment? I manage a mid-size team of people who are all very caring and empathetic, and are through and through a great team. Every morning we have a meeting set up for the day. I’m […]
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Checkout newshow can I stay in touch with former coworkers?
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader asks: I’ve been working for a while with a senior colleague who has been amazing — knowledgeable, supportive, and patient. He recently moved on from my organization. When he left, he told me to keep in touch. I’d love to keep in touch but have no idea what to say! I feel like […]
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Checkout newsmy drunk coworkers are gossiping about me not drinking
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: I find myself in a truly bizarre situation. I attended a work conference overnight this weekend with almost all of my colleagues. We’re attorneys at a pretty large “small” law firm. At the end of the conference day, we all had dinner together. My close colleague, Jenna, and I arrived to dinner […]
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Checkout newscoworker asked to borrow money, changing into pajamas as soon as you get home, and more
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should managers have to train professionals on basic computer skills? We have an ongoing debate in my office – is a manager responsible for training an employee on non-essential but generally required skills? For example, my partner and I provide our new attorneys training in […]
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Checkout newsis it OK to ask my team to do working lunches?
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: I have a question about working lunches. I manage a small team, and I recently held a brainstorming session for some professional development ideas for next year that the whole team can participate in. One of the options I suggested is (company-sponsored) lunch and learns, where we watch a work-related webinar and […]
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Checkout newscan I ask why my coworker was fired?
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: I have always thought of my job as a place where people didn’t get fired unless they were obviously and consistently bad at their jobs. I have been here for six years and I know that when we get the “goodbye so-and-so” emails from HR about people unexpectedly leaving, that probably means […]
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Checkout newsat what point can I report my inappropriate and inflammatory coworker?
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: I’m having an issue with a coworker who I find deeply irritating and, frankly, am embarrassed to be professionally associated with. I have reported her more egregious actions to our manager and, after my second complaint, started documenting behavior but I don’t know what is actionable and what is petty and interpersonal. […]
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Checkout newscan I opt out of AI assistants in meetings, potlucks with food-restricted coworkers, and more
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I opt out of AI assistants in meetings? In large Zoom meetings, I’ve noticed a coworker using an AI assistant to transcribe and take notes. While I understand the desire to use these kinds of tools on an ease and accessibility level, everything about […]
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Checkout newsthe star guest got drunk at an event I was hosting
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes: I’m in a position where I do some industry event hosting and public interviewing. I don’t arrange any of the events, I’m just a speaker/host (I work in a related field too, but these gigs are freelance and paid separately.) I had agreed to interview someone very prestigious in their field who […]
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