2023 posts Return to main archives January February March April May June July August September October November December December 2023weekend open thread – December 30-31, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – December 29-30, 2023my office is obsessed with my professional athlete fiancé, did my manager give me the finger, and moreupdate: my performance evaluation is based on activities outside of workmy favorite posts of 2023update: a volunteer group I founded years ago is devouring my lifecompanies that say they have a “young vibe,” coworker assumes someone will drive him to meetings, and moreupdate: hiring externally when staff expect an internal hiremost popular posts of 2023update: coworker sent me his photography page — and it’s mostly racy portraits of womenI had a one-night fling with my new boss’s husband, coworkers say I’m too loud, and moreupdates: thermostat wars, the admin work, and morehow to write an out-of-office messageupdate: I wrote a Glassdoor review and the employer is losing their mindscoworker has her husband on video chat all day long, manager told me to stop wearing see-through blouses, and morewhat does “polished” mean in job postings, I’m not allowed to bring in food to share if I don’t bring enough for everyone, and moreweekend open thread – December 23-24, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – December 22-23, 2023manager says my raise means my coworkers won’t get raises, colleague lies about attending meetings, and moreupdates: the “mom energy,” going to a conference with a cold, and moreupdate: my new coworker is the guy who naked-manned me on a Zoom dateupdate: my employee wants more praise but he’s not doing a good jobupdate: I poured all my time into helping an employee … and I’m so discouraged by how it endedupdate: 2 temps accused me of bullyingwhat’s your company doing for the holidays this year?new employee asked me our policy on dating supervisors, boss told me “sorry isn’t good enough anymore,” and moreupdates: coworker said I can’t eat at my desk, enneagrams in hiring, and moreupdates: employee is lying and falsifying records, the out-of-tune guitar, and morethe abundant shrimp, the resentful Oreos, and other stories of holiday madness at workupdate: can I use sick time for psychedelic treatment?updates: telling an interviewer the job expectations aren’t realistic, and moreupdate: my coworker has a crush on our boss and is mad that I asked her to stop talking about himI offended people at a staff meeting, desk mate makes sex noises while she works, and moreupdates: the headphones, the snoring coworker, and moreupdate: my employee tears down other people’s work to make themselves look betterupdate: I work at Twitter … what do I do?update: I manage a gay employee … and our company is homophobicupdate: I have to train an aggressive man when I have a trauma historyI manage a habitual phone checkerupdate: my coworkers want me to turn down my raiseshould I tell my boss I’ve had a crush on him, business travel with a coworker who doesn’t want to expense anything, and moreupdates: the boss who didn’t pay, the cranky retiring coworker, and moreupdate: a “thought experiment” is causing a cold war in my officeupdate: my coworker misinterprets all my facial expressionsupdate: laser tag for team-buildingshould we hire a candidate who’s unhappy with the salary?update: my boss said she doesn’t think mothers can fully commit to their jobsthe worst boss of 2023 is…employee named his dog after his manager, coworker keeps cooking for me, and moreweekend open thread – December 16-17, 2023Friday good news … this time with updatesopen thread – December 15-16, 2023vote for the worst boss of 2023: the finalsacupuncture as a team-building activity, coworker turns down new work but isn’t doing much, and moreupdates: I’m in trouble for occasionally arriving a few minutes late, and moreupdate: I slept through an entire day of workupdate: my boss is blocking my move to a new teamparents in my office stick non-parents with all the holiday coverageoffice holiday gift-giving stories: worst gifts and weirdest giftsletting a man open a door at an interview, Icy Hot at work, and moreupdates: the awful workload, the extra sick days proposal, and moreupdate: my boss is pressuring me to be more “visible”update: I dated someone who was using me to get back at his ex-wife … who turned out to be my bossupdate: an acquaintance I recommended proselytized to all my clients (with singing)update: I want my coworker to stop giving me “psychic messages” from my dead family membershow do I tell an employee he isn’t welcome at our holiday party?update: when my boss wants me to do something I really don’t want to do, can I just … not?vote for the worst boss of 2023: round 2coworkers love talking about childbirth, my office smells like a corpse, and moreupdates: the snub, the person who didn’t take time off, and moreupdates: my bosses praise me so much that it’s embarrassing, and moreupdates: the “it’s him or me” ultimatum, the buffet food, and moreupdate: my boss is handling my resignation badlyupdate: after I hired someone, a mutual friend told me I’d made a huge mistakehow can I stop giving gifts this year if I’ve always given them previously?update: my coworker made a creepy pass at meCFO is obsessed with shooting rubber bands at people, professor turned down my request to be a reference, and moreupdates: the accommodation, the hated job, and morethe best office holiday party date story of all timeupdate: no one wants the office an employee died in four years agomy junior employee won’t stop sharing his “expertise”update: my coworkers keep asking about my assaultvote for the worst boss of 2023visible bra lines at work, boss keeps winking at me, and moreweekend open thread – December 9-10, 2023more Friday good news: an updateit’s your Friday good newsopen thread – December 8-9, 2023I accidentally ditched a peer at a conference and then cried publicly, foot-touching coworker, and moreupdates: the abusive volunteer, the heavy furniture, and moreupdates: I get angry when I’m praised for doing work I don’t like, and moreupdates: reading at work, lying about leaving, and moreall of my 2023 book recommendationsI have a crush on my employeenavigating workplace Christmas overload as a non-Christiana creepy interview invitation, a false rumor I had a physical fight with a coworker, and moreupdates: the weekend party, the demanding client, and moreupdate: is our “Diversity Day” as insensitive as I think it is?“I will confront you by Wednesday of this week”update: my coworker talks non-stop and we can’t take it anymorewhen your new hire is in jail on his first dayupdate: my coworker lied about sexual harassment because he doesn’t like our new bossour new desks don’t work if you’re wearing a skirt, coworker hogs the coffee supplies, and moreupdates: can I use an improvement plan for an employee who lies, and moreupdates: my boyfriend’s manager told me I could date someone better, and moreupdate: our boss tells lies to make us feel bad for taking time offI’m about to fire an employee … but we just hired her husbandupdate: my new coworker is putting fake mistakes in my work so she can tell our boss I’m bad at my jobex-employee has been logging into our database, can I ask my coworkers to stop praising my bully, and moreupdate: should I be worried by how pushy an employer was with a job offer over a holiday weekend?updates: the misbehaving dog, the boss sending job postings, and moreupdate: I’m unprofessional and not detail-oriented — but I still need to earn a living45 gift ideas for every type of employee on your teamupdate: my employee doesn’t think we’re doing enough about bears at workI told a coworker I was “disgusted” with her, a wet Speedo on the office door, and moreweekend open thread – December 2-3, 2023more Friday good news … this time with updatesit’s your Friday good newsopen thread – December 1-2, 2023my boss chastised me about my menstrual cramps, putting the Olympics on your resume, and more November 2023updates: my dad has been applying to jobs pretending to be me, and moreupdates: the interrupting coworker, the surprise reference, and moreupdate: how to cope when you don’t have an assigned work spaceupdate: what if an employee who gave notice won’t leave?a truly hilarious company holiday party story, told in bullet pointsupdates: everyone gives me plants, the “childless” shirt, and moreshare your funniest office holiday storiesgetting out of a party that’s not accessible, angry coworker, and moreupdates: I referred a friend to a freelancer I work with and it went badly, and moreupdates: my job makes me feel like I’m the worst kid in gym class, and moreupdates: my coworker brought 7 plus-ones, weighing food at a business lunch, and moreupdate: my office pumping room is being taken over for chair massagesupdates: someone is deleting our work emails, the weekend retreat, and moreupdate: a medical issue means I have to keep saying no … but I don’t want to over-shareupdate: my company says it’s “best practice” to do layoffs over emailmy coworker asked me to stop dressing professionally, saying where you’re going when you resign, and moreupdates: my coworker accidentally sent me an email complaining about me, and moreupdates: employee says his religion prevents him from using the correct pronouns, and moreupdate: I think my employee is being maliciously compliantan Ask a Manager Thanksgivinghow to survive your office holiday partyupdate: my company is not planning well for my retirement … what’s my responsibility?do we offer enough sick leave, I’m in HR and an employee asked me out, and moreupdates: the flower collection, the kayaking, and moreupdates: my husband doesn’t want to play my coworker’s wedding, and moremy company’s holiday party is at a steakhouse … I’m a vegetarianthe schedule for updates this yearupdate: should I cut my new business partner loose?we have to give slide presentations about ourselves, should I have a no-weekend-work policy for my team, and moreweekend open thread – November 25-26, 2023open thread – November 24-25, 2023Thanksgiving free-for-all – November 23, 2022Thanksgiving eve open threadthe Christmas bureaucrat, Secret Santa questionnaire, and other stories of holidays at workthe Christmas tantrum, the potluck tyrant, and other tales of holidays at workusing tracking software to monitor employees, leading the charge for women’s shorts, and morethe bacon monitor, the baby boom, and other stories of holidays at workmy employee is being difficult … but I think it’s the stress of illnessmy rich friend is oblivious when he talks about money … and I’m at a breaking pointI think my incompetent coworker made up her work history, my office told me to pump in the bathroom, and morethe fraudulent bread pudding, the fig fight, and other food stories from workshould I warn job candidates that we don’t give raises?my employee times her bathroom breaks to avoid the tasks she doesn’t want to dolaser tag for team-building, company insists on shipping wine to our homes, and moreweekend open thread – November 18-19, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – November 17-18, 2023coworker has temper tantrums whenever there’s noise, rigid vacation policy, and moredoes using humor risk undermining me as a manager?Ask a Manager in the mediahow do I stop bringing work stress home with me?the prize for our tree decorating contest is baby clothes, I accidentally recommended a smutty book to my boss, and morewhen are potlucks a bad idea?my employee identifies proudly as a grumpmy coworker’s white fragility is getting in the way of DEI discussions, and other questions about racemy boss is sleeping with my nemesis, I’m about to go on vacation and just used all my PTO on the flu, and moremy awful coworker’s employees want me to help themthis is how to be a good interviewermy boss wouldn’t work with me because she was upset I adopted from foster careI’m in trouble for badging in and then going back home, coworker made a pass at me, and moremy employee is passing off ChatGPT lists as his own ideasmy new hire didn’t tell me she’s pregnant — can I fire her?how can I support my Black employee who doesn’t want me to report anything, and other questions about racecoworker won’t stop talking about death, are my interview questions too hard, and moreweekend open thread – November 11-12, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – November 10-11, 2023I was fired for offending coworkers, interviewing someone with a visible squishmallow collection, and morecan I ask my manager to fire my coworker?updates: telling my boss I’m a bad fit, the offer letter, and morewhen office potlucks and catered parties go wrongcan I cut short an interview with a bad candidate, a shrieking coworker, and moreI referred a friend to a freelancer I work with and it went badlyhow to say no to things at workmy boss hasn’t talked to me since his drunken stripteaseI ignored my boss, is reneging on a job offer unethical, and moremy office canceled baby showers to protect people dealing with infertilitymy new employee keeps leaving earlymy boss insisted on calling a medium about my missing family membermy boss ignores me at social events, employer is illegally asking for salary history, and morehow do I interrupt my boss in person when I need something?how to tell an overstepping employee to stay in their laneHR says I have a moral obligation to tell everyone I’m autisticpassing along dress code feedback I disagree with, I want my employee to say “we” not “I,” and moreweekend open thread – November 4-5, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – November 3-4, 2023can my parents contact my employer if they haven’t heard from me, getting out of a snacks rota, and moreI was fired for what I think are trivial reasonshow to tell an employee there’s no room to move upwhat advice is important but you’ll never hear it from an employer?a sales rep behaving like an ass, boss keeps asking for candidates’ age, and moremy boss keeps telling me he loves memy intern thinks he’s great at things he’s terrible atdoes sharing strategies for dealing with toxic workplaces normalize bad jobs?wearing luxury clothes as a public defender, resigning while an employee is on medical leave, and more October 2023have you ever had a spooky experience at work?Halloween costumes at work: where’s the line?I had a panic attack over a Halloween decoration at workmy company hosts a dove hunt and only invites men, moving a meeting for Halloween, and morethe aggressive brownie recipe, the bad math and other times you mortified yourself in job interviewsmy office’s “kid-friendly” Halloween party was actually terrifyingmy employee was excluded from a team-building event because of their weight — how do I make this right?my wife is cheating with a coworker, employee uses my name in every sentence, and moreweekend open thread – October 28-29, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – October 27-28, 2023taking regular time off for a crafting group, a glitch stripped away hundreds of hours of PTO, and morecan I ask an interviewer about negative feedback from the last person who had the job?where are you now? (a call for updates)how do people find the career path that’s right for them?someone insulted my grieving coworker and made it look like I did it, getting a job offer after only one interview, and morethe overheard self-talk, the shoplifting, and other times you mortified yourself in job interviewsthis is how you can protect your local librarymy coworkers have all but disappeared since the pandemicemployee had drugs in her desk, I sent an embarrassing message to a group Slack, and moremy brother-in-law shares TMI on LinkedInhow should I respond to a complaint about my employee’s behavior outside of work?my employee is disrespectful of patients, refused an assignment, and told us “nice try though”interviewing people I know I’m not going to hire, going to a conference with a cold, and morethe adult bibs, the talking shrimp, and other unusual office traditionsupdate: my boss keeps commenting on my acneI worked remotely from a friend’s house — and my boss says I have to count it as vacation daysour meetings start with instructions about breathing, interviewer told me to ask all the questions, and moreweekend open thread – October 21-22, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – October 20-21, 2023I sounded like a know-it-all in front of my boss, seeking more lucrative offers when I don’t want to leave, and moredid this application process go overboard?I don’t want my long hours to make my team feel pressured to work late toobombing an interview: let’s discusscoworker is being a jerk about my bereavement leave, constantly coughing coworker, and moremy coworkers resent that my boss no longer yells at memy client refuses to pay my cancellation feemy coworkers complain I’m violating the dress code, but I’m notI don’t want to hear about all the snacks our main office gets, interviewing after scandal, and moreI had to quit a job because of aggressive nesting geesehow can I do well in video interviews?when my boss wants me to do something I really don’t want to do, can I just … not?my employee got hit on while staying with a coworker, colleagues keep joking about a team member’s height, and morescolding strangers, kids using corporate lingo, and other ways our jobs follow us hometoday is the weirdest day of the year for workersmy new manager is someone I slept with years ago … and he doesn’t know we have a childcoworker keeps calling me my manager’s “girlfriend,” double question marks, and moreweekend open thread – October 14-15, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – October 13-14, 2023new coworker invited everyone to her wedding but me, ouija board earrings, and moremy boss told me not to quit until they replace me, but that could take monthsupdates: the new job insurance problem, the awful second-in-commands, and morehow do people manage jobs with cyclical periods of really long hours?my boss unfollowed me on Instagram, I was offered an interview even though they’d already filled the job, and morework doesn’t interest me anymorewe ask job candidates, “what salary would it take to turn up happy every day?”my boss made us all attend a session with his therapistboss says we can’t celebrate birthdays, I don’t want to swap work with my coworker, and morethe weaponized allergy, fire drill Daryl, and other stories of strategic incompetenceshould I suggest my employee with mobility issues get a different job?I lied to get out of a non-compete, and now it’s coming back to haunt mea bounced check from my boss’s girlfriend, one person doesn’t like team-building but everyone else loves it, and moreour disruptively cheerful new coworker treats us like toddlersa housekeeping note … and the “surprise me” buttondid my intern frame my coworker for credit card theft?employee doesn’t check his email when he arrives, I yelled at our company cameras, and moreweekend open thread – October 7-8, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – October 6-7, 2023someone is leaving political messages on our bulletin board, intern thinks my job is to find them tasks, and moredid my positive response to negative feedback make my boss worry I missed the point?updates: I resuscitated a coworker, my boss only hires attractive women, and morelet’s discuss weaponized incompetencemy friend is dating my employee, the problem with “gentle reminders,” and morean employee I fired is spreading lies to the rest of my teammy team member has too many ideas and can’t prioritizemy patronizing coworker interrupts meetings to explain basic things to memy boss never apologizes for being late, employee announces her time off rather than requesting it, and moremy friend keeps asking me to get him a job, but he’s completely inexperienced and unqualifiedmy boss says I should always be available on my days offmy employer says we can’t stop patrons from filming uscompany says they’ll sue if you lie on your resume, boss doesn’t care about liquor laws, and moreupdate: can I ask my employee not to put papers on my desk?I manage a horrible micromanagermy co-host at a workshop will be someone who didn’t pay me for my workmy coworker is obsessing over being laid off, I’m being ignored over a misunderstanding, and more September 2023weekend open thread – September 30-October 1, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – September 29-30, 2023I didn’t get hired because I wasn’t “high energy” enough, telling a coworker to rein in their aggravation, and morehow do I ask for things and get people to actually help me (as a manager and as a volunteer)?how do you find a lawyer for workplace issues?share your tips for work travel overseasmy boss’s speeches are way too long, etiquette when you’re next to a cougher, and morean employee 2 levels down refused to meet with memy intern asked if my pregnancy was plannedshould I tell my employee she needs to give a clearer “no” to a client who’s interested in her?CEO said she “can’t stand” me in a public Slack message, can smoking keep you from getting hired, and moreI’m 25 and don’t want a full-time jobwhy don’t we do a better job of training managers?my boss is abusive and blames it on PMDDI was told I’m socializing too much with another team, two employees arrested for embezzling, and morecan I tell the office jerk not to talk to me outside of work?my client is always late paying memy employee says he’s “already thought of” every suggestion I makeI’m worried a colleague will burn herself out, coworkers are hassling me about using disposable containers, and moreweekend open thread – September 23-24, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – September 22-23, 2023manager only invited half of us to a party, telling a sick employee to find their own coverage, and moremy coworker pressures me to take his shifts at the last minute … because he knows I can’t afford to say nothe Ask a Manager book is on sale at Amazonmy husband and I share a home office — how do we make this work?our building is full of bats and sewer smells, company requires us to notify HR when we go to urgent care, and morecan I ask my boss for feedback about how I’m doing?my team keeps complaining about someone I don’t managemy coworkers are annoyed when I’m 2-3 minutes late to meetingscoworker ruined my white sweater, the person who confirms my employment dates gets it wrong, and morecan you ask to see your future workspace before accepting a job offer?how do I find a job in another city without moving there first?all the men I work with go on an annual camping trip together, and women aren’t allowedmy boss saw me sneaking out early, coworker insists he’s “crystal clear” when he’s not, and morecan I turn down business lunches as an intern?my coworker thinks I should be available 24/7 since I work from homeI want my coworker to stop giving me “psychic messages” from my dead family memberstraining an insecure coworker, our pumping room is being taken over for chair massages, and moreweekend open thread – September 16-17, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – September 15-16, 2023coworker wants me to lock up my dogs so he can come to parties at my house, explaining a medical accommodation, and morecan you negotiate a raise if your boss knows you won’t leave if you don’t get it?Ask a Manager in the mediahow can we equitably handle time off for religious holidays?husband’s coworker is horrible to me, how do I tell my boss I can’t afford to live in our town, and moremy boss wants me to check in every day while I’m on vacationmy employee demands to know where I am at all timesmy coworker lied about sexual harassment because he doesn’t like our new bosscoworker keeps sending out questionable Covid advice, a director’s out-of-tune guitar, and morecustomers are ignoring our male receptionistmy employee says she has “pregnancy brain”I saw a private text about my intern having sex on her desksaying I won’t give rides to work, coworker complains about her family non-stop, and moreshould you lie and say you have an NDA to get out of explaining a gap on your resume?how to tell my employee I made a mistake with a clientmy coworkers say I should hold back because I’m early-career … but am I?my retired predecessor wants to keep coming in, fake face tattoos, and moreweekend open thread – September 9-10, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – September 8-9, 2023my boss emailed my mom after laying me off, resigning right after being promoted, and moreis it ever bad to reply to an email too quickly?the federal government has proposed new overtime rules that could boost your paycheckwhat jobs are good for a mom who wants to lean out?is my answer to “tell me about yourself” turning off interviewers, am I bribing my coworkers, and moremy employee wants to go part-time in summers but we really need her full-timea coworker I’m helping with a project is wasting my timecan I learn to thrive under a hyper-critical boss?I’m being blamed for a coworker dropping the ball while I was out, hijacking a birthday party, and moreupdate: new hire is monitoring our calendarsI’m getting stuck with extra work because I don’t have kidsmy manager told a coworker to write an apology letter to a higher-upfired for having alcohol in my car, my boss argues with my answer to “how are you?” and moreLabor Day open threadweekend open thread – September 2-3, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – September 1-2, 2023I have $10,000 in unsubmitted business expenses, salad dressing conundrum, and more August 2023my coworker keeps asking me to find and re-send him emailsa real-life salary negotiation success storywhat weird habits have you picked up from your job?is “return to work” a way to get people to leave, asking my boss for rides to work, and morehow can I get out of doing an exit interview when I leave?my employee’s reading and writing skills aren’t good enoughmy coworker watches a daycare livestream all daya work baby shower without gifts, using sick time for psychedelic therapy, and moreis this HR process for accommodations as bananas as it feels?companies that pay you to be a fraudulent hire at a different companymy coworker brought seven plus-one’s to a work partya coworker threatened to kill me, extending a work trip to make it a vacation, and moreupdate: my employee refuses to do her job and leads me in circles about why she won’tis there a hidden message in that email from your interviewer?why won’t my company fire my notoriously terrible manager?family upset that I’m quitting with only two weeks notice, is popcorn an unforgivable temptation, and moreweekend open thread – August 26-27, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – August 25-26, 2023how to handle interrupters/ramblers at meetings, will it hurt my career to quit after taking lots of time off, and moremy coworker gets mad when I follow my boss’s instructionsupdates: the employee missing key details, the needy coworker, and moreadvice for first-generation college students adjusting to professional work environmentswe start meetings by sharing positive things from our personal lives, is it fair to make employees pay for parking, and moremy coworkers want me to turn down my raisemy employee disappeared with our data and won’t answer any messagesmy 2 dating employees are cuddling in staff meetingscan my employer fire me if I move to a different state, should I take a job working for my husband, and moreour employee retired … but now she won’t leavea pain-free guide to writing a resumeis it fair to give no notice when your boss has threatened to push resigning employees out early?cursing in an interview “to be memorable,” slow job offer when I need to move, and morethe sweet potato incident, the green lunch, and other tales of terrible work foodmy employee keeps making meaningless edits to my workmy boss keeps leaving her kid with mecoworker keeps calling me in the middle of the night, fending off easily searchable questions, and moreweekend open thread – August 19-20, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – August 18-19, 2023my employer confiscated my favorite shirt, whose job is it to address burn-out, and morethe top boss wants to meet with me and I don’t know why … is this bad?how to tell a pushy networker to back offlet’s discuss terrible food at conferences and other work eventsI found a naked sunbather on our building’s roof, unethical soda, and moreAsk a Manager speed roundupdates: intern wants me to drive him to and from work, and moremy coworker keeps saying he’s my boss … he’s notoffice only has folding chairs, how does bereavement leave work, and moreis using your PTO a “privilege”?speed round — submit your questionsshould I tell someone about my coworkers’ exclusionary behavior at a conference?do I need to disclose my past fling with a coworker, boss asked how I afforded an expensive vacation, and moreupdate: my boss from before my gender transition is now my colleaguean entry-level candidate with no experience wants an above-market salarymy coworker showed us an explicit slideshow of her baby’s birthour top two execs are secretly mother and daughter, salary offer was lower than recruiter said, and moreweekend open thread – August 12-13, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – August 11-12, 2023my husband’s boss keeps texting me, employers that keep interviewing after someone accepted their offer, and moreMortification Week: the haunting, the scone, and other stories to cringe overupdates: the exploding volunteer organization, the tax fraud boss, and morediscuss: times when you recovered from mistakes at worknew job’s insurance doesn’t cover my medication, a 6 a.m. training, and moreMortification Week: the fake accent, storm warning, and moreupdate: how transparent should we be with an employee about why we’re not promoting him?Mortification Week: the creepy playhouse, the inexplicable insult, and other stories to cringe overboss says I can’t be good at my job because I have a kid, asking to switch desks, and moreMortification Week: the cat race car driver, the terrible headline, and moreyou need to do these 10 things before you resignMortification Week: the hangover, the French onion soup, and other stories to cringe overwe’re getting no direction while our manager is sick, companies that escort fired employees out, and moreMortification Week: the accidental overture, the misplaced wink, and moreI accidentally ghosted a clientMortification Week: the terrible misunderstanding, the cat serenade, and other stories to cringe overemployee insists on working on vacation, rejecting resumes that include pronouns, and moreweekend open thread – August 5-6, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – August 4-5, 2023manager is too close to an employee, is it OK to ask if coworkers have kids, and morecan I ask my employee not to put papers on my desk?updates: the private movie screening, the group chat, and morelet’s talk about unusual office traditionscoworker’s Facebook is filled with gross imagery, custodian says we have fleas but we do not, and moreinterviewer asked what my best friend would say my worst habit ishow do I tell job applicants that their parents are hurting their chances?our anti-bullying consultant accused me of bullying himI’m making $47,000 less than my male coworker, coworker is vandalizing my car, and moreshould I give feedback to our interns who come across as TOO peppy and enthusiastic?my coworkers interrupt me no matter what I’m doingI think my employee is being maliciously compliantemployee always calls out sick after feedback, company doesn’t give much notice to come into the office, and more July 2023am I supposed to thank my boss for paying me?update: my “hybrid” team is using me as their way to not go to the office at allI’m poly — can I ask to bring both my partners to work events?coworker keeps complaining he didn’t get promoted, my boss increased our work sevenfold, and moreweekend open thread – July 29-30, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – July 28-29, 2023I saw my boss’s NSFW social media, leaving a field I’m proud of, and morehere’s a real-life example of an email asking for a raisemy employee is pregnant but hasn’t said anythingwhat are your best tips for attending professional conferences?an affair with cocaine and lies is tanking my promotion, is my email address a problem, and morehow much transparency does a manager owe employees in an internal hiring process?I’m worried my team will fall apart if I take maternity leavemy coworkers demand a response to every single email — even thank you’sdirector secretly hired her daughter’s boyfriend, dealing with a needy customer, and morehow do I recover after an employee took advantage of my trust?this is how to write a cover letter that will get you a jobthe organization I volunteer with is exploding in drama and rage-quitting — what should I do?applicant used mom as a reference, should I apologize for laughing at my coworker’s language slip, and moreupdate: a “thought experiment” is causing a cold war in my officewhat to do if your workload is too highhow do I navigate being naked around employees in a locker room?my coworker tries to drown out my music with her own, propping your foot up on your desk, and moreweekend open thread – July 22-23, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – July 21-22, 2023is my employee lying to avoid coming into the office, convention center won’t turn down the music, and moremy old job won’t stop asking me to come backcan we ask job candidates to follow our scent-free policy at interviews?how do you balance two “big” jobs in a family?conference gives the exact same speaker gift every year, someone replaced my note with a ruder note, and moremy new coworker’s annoying habits are driving me madis it OK for my employee to do needlepoint in meetings?my employee is job-searching — should I tell my manager?an abusive volunteer is holding our website hostage, boss says it’s unprofessional not to start an email with a greeting, and morehow to professionally say “I told you so”the managers who feel personally betrayed when workers quitmy boss wants to hire us out for our “unique talents and skills” that have nothing to do with our jobsshould I use our group chat when someone messes up, insisting on being called Ms. LastName, and moreis it OK to call out sick on a business trip if you’re just really tired?how can I shut down our receptionist’s nosy questions?my boss says she has the right to come by my house unannouncedemployee wants cash because she missed a group lunch, teenage worker’s mom keeps contacting us, and moreweekend open thread – July 15-16, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – July 14-15, 2023bringing a heating pad to work, telling my boss I can’t take work trips, and moreshould I tell a colleague people think she’s having an affair with a coworker?update: I don’t like my super popular coworker … and she complained to my boss about itlet’s talk about your mortifying moments at workmy finances don’t make sense now that I’m single, rude comments because I work in oil and gas, and morethe magic mushrooms, the underwear scavenger hunt, and other awful workplace ice-breakersare any office social events truly inclusive for everyone?my company won’t allow any name changes, ever, for anyoneboss uses therapy to analyze our interactions, former coworker listed me as her manager, and morehow do I deal with a painfully slow talker?I just found out I’m seriously underpaid — now what?my employee pressures coworkers for rides everywheremy assistant won’t stop talking about my cane, recovering after a serious mistake, and moreI have to train an aggressive man when I have a trauma historymy coworker quit as soon as I became his bossa “thought experiment” is causing a cold war in my officecan I ask for a raise because I stopped getting high at work, how to talk about a firing socially, and moreweekend open thread – July 8-9, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – July 7-8, 2023requiring a doctor’s release after medical leave, vaping on video calls, and morehow can I avoid getting my hopes up for a job I’ve applied for?update: my coworker sent a classist, racist email company-wide after a janitor won our Christmas contestwhat can I negotiate other than salary?my boss convinced my hotel to open my room, my manager might have a second job, and morethe deliberately terrible lunch, the vindictive daffodils, and other petty moments at workmy assistant is using my title on LinkedInmy company says it’s “best practice” to do layoffs over emailmanager waits until the last minute to assign work, refusing to work night shifts, and more4th of July open threadmy coworker has started faking a British accentmy boss is making threats about the Mafia, my new coworker is acting like my manager, and moreweekend open thread – July 1-2, 2023 June 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – June 30-July 1, 2023space heaters and thermostat wars, coworker’s sniffling is driving me mad, and moreI wrote a Glassdoor review and the employer is losing their mindsupdates: we had to share our “shadow sides” and “be more vulnerable” at a meeting, and morelet’s discuss terrible workplace ice-breakershow do I stop looking bored during meetings, should I say I’m leaving because of my horrible coworker, and moremy boss’s boss forced us to do a “grievance circle” targeting our managerhow can I avoid talking shop outside of work?an acquaintance I recommended proselytized to all my clients (with singing)employee lied about his mom dying, coworker is a magpie, and moremy new employee is the parent of my child’s bullyhow to ask for a raise (because you need to)our remote employees were excluded from our company appreciation daypeople keep asking why I wear pantyhose, career coach wants me to use someone else’s job title, and morethe faked heart attack, the very smart dog, and other (amazing) stories of pettiness at workhow can I get better at spotting talent in people different than me?update: if I quit my job when everyone else is quitting, the organization will fall apartrude instructor comments on our food choices, husband won’t wear noise-canceling headphones at home, and moreweekend open thread – June 24-25, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – June 23-23, 2023coworker is always late because she stops for coffee, my boss told me to change my ringtone, and moreupdates: unhappy with changes at work, asking to unblock a website, and moreupdate: is my job the problem — or is it me?updates: coworker prayed I’ll return to Jesus, the awful corporate jargon, and morewhat are the best jobs while you’re in school?CEO freaked out when a new hire quit, brilliant employee is horribly inappropriate, and moreupdates: stopping a nickname, taking over a deceased coworker’s office, and moreupdate: our new admin crashed the company car and lied about itmy coworker keeps asking me for personal favorsupdate: how do I avoid “mom energy” with my younger employees?managing an employee who lies, I was the only one carded at a business lunch, and moreupdates: telling recruiters I wouldn’t move to a state that discriminates, new boss says everything is “fun,” and moreupdate: my boss thinks I’m a stoner because I called out on 4/20update: how do we fire someone who refuses to talk to us?update: I resent my employee for being richer and more qualified than mecan I say I can’t come to the office because of my dog, our “unlimited” vacation is really just three weeks, and moreupdate: do I need to give up an impressive business contact who’s hitting on me?updates: the monthly hikes, the coworker with the criminal record, and morethe outraged notes littering offices everywhereupdate: my employee blows up my phone with memes and videos — even in the middle of the night — and refuses to stopemployer wants to hire my replacement but I haven’t quit, boss’s daughter watches me while I work, and moreweekend open thread – June 17-18, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – June 16-17, 2023HR said a coworker’s religion “didn’t count,” employer wants me to lie about why I’m leaving, and moreupdate: I feel no ambition whatsoever at workupdates: the blame-throwing employee, wearing a wedding ring to an interview, and moreupdates: company asked for documentation of my dietary restrictions, I’m afraid people at work will think I’m being abused, and morewhat’s the pettiest thing you’ve done at work (or seen done)?my coworker answers questions directed to me, social media post trashing a colleague, and moreupdates: I secretly moved people’s desks two inches, coworker keeps stealing our snacks, and moreupdates: employee is obsessed with cleaning, I slept through an entire day of work, and morea consultant complains about our meetings … but doesn’t want to skip themupdate: I’m about to inherit a bad employee who’s a jerk to our good employeeintern wants me to drive him to work, saying no to a weekend party in my honor, and moreupdates: fantasy football offensiveness, the extra work with no promotion, and moreupdates: the gnat-infested office, the all-staff emails about mistakes, and moremy boss won’t do anything about my slacker coworkerupdate: I’m sick of having to do my incompetent colleague’s workmy office ignored my surgery, undergrad using ChatGPT to network badly, and moreupdates: the out-of-control health committee chair, the political conversations, and moreupdate: HR won’t do anything about a coworker who’s angry about my weight losswhat subjects are off-limits for work chat?update: my boss told me I’m “not a good human” when I asked to be paid for my timecan I say anything about my boss’s affair, how long should you wait when your interviewer is late for a Zoom call, and moreweekend open thread – June 10-11, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – June 9-10, 2023coworker talks about religion all the time, HR director won’t stop asking me to go kayaking, and morecan I ask interviewers to get back to me either way?updates: the daily social calls, the trainer who wanted us to “get emotional,” and morehow do I start off on the right foot in a fully remote job?work travel to anti-choice states, how to screen out bad companies, and morethe thieving CEO, the broken lock, and other people losing their minds over free food at workemployee keeps pushing for a promotion we’ve already said we can’t give himinterview with a household manager for rich peopleis employee lying about being sick, my boss slept with my boyfriend, and moremy new coworker is the guy who naked-manned me on a Zoom dateemployee gave me a scathing letter when he resignedmy coworker is bringing his kid to work and on Zoom calls … but the rest of us are paying for child caremy first job isn’t what I signed on for, my job is overreacting to me carrying pepper spray, and morethe dried apricots, the meat embezzler, and other stories of people losing their minds over free food at workshould I hire a qualified candidate who comes with a ton of baggage?my “hybrid” team is using me as their way to not go to the office at allI’m in trouble for being a few minutes late, weighing my food at a business lunch, and moreweekend open thread – June 3-4, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – June 2-3, 2023my employee keeps venting to me about his divorce, trust-building activities that actually work, and moremy bosses praise me so much that it’s embarrassingAsk a Manager in the mediapeople lose their minds over free food: discussmy predecessor comes back every year to celebrate her success, team lead spends hours venting to us, and more May 2023should I be worried by how pushy an employer was with a job offer over a holiday weekend?update: my team excludes me from lunches because of my dietary restrictionsmy office argued for 5 months about whether I could have an ergonomic chairI’m nervous about having to write up an employee, returning heavy office furniture when resigning, and moreour employee wants constant reassurance that he’s good enoughhow to write a resignation lettermy employee’s controlling spouse won’t let her travel for workowner won’t do anything about our terrible coworker, employee never covers other people’s shifts, and moreMemorial Day open threadweekend open thread – May 27-28, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – May 26-27, 2023employee forgets half of what I ask him to do, coworker swore at me in a reply-all, and morethere’s a white noise war in my officeupdates: the shady investor, the needy boss, and morehow do I come to terms with giving up on my dream job?should I leave my job with great benefits, coworker has a quote about weapons in their email signature, and moremy job makes me feel like I’m the worst kid in gym classmy former employee is badmouthing me to my staffmy business partners won’t fire their problematic family memberscan I ask for proof that my employee tried to find coverage, boss interrupts me, and morecan I give 2 weeks notice when my employer says they “expect” 4 weeks?want a job? cool, there are 17 interviews…my coworker got drunk and punched another coworker in the parking lotI got in trouble for overstepping at work, bringing luggage to an interview, and morewhy do people insist on writing an entire message in the email subject line?is a performance improvement plan always going to end with the person being fired?my employee has to deal with men constantly getting crushes on heremployee is missing the mark with our dress code, manager keeps delaying our team off-site, and moreweekend open thread – May 20-21, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – May 19-20, 2023candidate asked for feedback after I’d hired him, a scandalous mother, and moreI asked for a raise but instead they’re doing small cost-of-living increases for everyoneupdates: the ex-boss’s affair, the deadline blamer, and morehow can I slowly roll out a different look at work?CEO is protecting a horrible employee, coworker on sick leave is playing tennis at work, and moremy manager tracks us all with Google Alertshow do I tell my friend I don’t want to hire her?I poured all my time into helping an employee … and I’m so discouraged by how it endedcoworkers who don’t say “please” or “thank you,” a racy tattoo, and morewhat can I do during a client’s bigoted rant?my boss is handling my resignation badlyis there a reasonable amount of yelling at work, or is any yelling too much?employer wants to record my interview, can I delete all my unread LinkedIn messages, and moreI resuscitated a coworker, and people won’t stop talking about itmy team won’t accept any replacement for an employee who diedshould I cut my new business partner loose?my assigned mentor is younger and less experienced, I don’t want to do a department overnight, and moreweekend open thread – May 13-14, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – May 12-13, 2023coworker is angry that I don’t want her grandson’s old baby things, no one will buy my networking shirts, and moreif you’re unhappy with a change at work, should you bring it up before you start job-searching?where are you now? (a call for updates)how to cope when you don’t have an assigned work spacecoworkers have infested the office with gnats, asking for documentation for dietary restrictions, and morehow bad is it to accept an offer and then back out for another?professionalism: a round-upI was asked to be “friendlier” when giving feedback about serious safety issueshow widespread is remote work, boss is upset that my employee didn’t say good morning, and morehow do I manage a bad employee who I can’t fire?my coworker is pushing me to hire her daughtermy coworker talks non-stop and we can’t take it anymoreoffice is too drinking-focused, can I complain about a bad interview a year ago, and moreour cleaner pressures me to stay late with her because she fears our workplace is hauntedhow do I politely end conversations at networking events?I think my employee is being abused by her partnerHR director issued an “it’s him or me” ultimatum, interviewing in the midst of dental work, and moreweekend open thread – May 6-7, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – May 5-6, 2023can I comment on personal appointments on people’s calendars, bringing a kid with mono to work, and moreshould we put off firing an employee for several months so he doesn’t violate probation?updates: coworker keeps saying I’m too muscular, work is ruining one of my closest friendships, and morehow should we handle remote work and extreme weather?inviting only women and LGBTQ+ coworkers to a movie screening, manager wants a video testimonial, and moreis it unprofessional to take a Zoom call from a treadmill?my employee cries when she’s frustratedI was rejected after a seven-minute interviewan acquaintance is lying about his credentials, I’m afraid my coworkers will out me to my mom, and moredoes it look unprofessional to have an energy drink at my desk every day?how to gracefully decline a job offerno one wants the office an employee died in four years agomy employee assumes I’ll always pay for her food, no answer to a time-off request from new job, and moreupdate: my coworkers keep asking about my assaulthow can I get our employees to arrive on time?my boss from before my gender transition is now my colleaguemy boss won’t help with my workload, interviewer made a weird sexist comment about his marriage, and more April 2023weekend open thread – April 29-30, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – April 28-29, 2023I was accused of eavesdropping, am I supposed to miss class for job interviews, and moremy company decided to close for 2 weeks last year — and charged me a chunk of this year’s PTO for itAsk a Manager in the mediawhat admin assistants really want from their coworkersshould my spouse have to be background checked for my job, one-way video interviews, and moremy boss keeps asking me to do things that aggravate our community partnersupdate: my employee wastes a huge amount of everyone’s time with “helpful” suggestions and questioning8 horror stories for Administrative Professionals’ DayHR jokes about firing people, I want to stop giving reasons for my time-off requests, and moreis it unprofessional to get a tattoo on a work trip?what are the minimum benefits an employer needs to provide?how do I avoid “mom energy” with my younger employees?interviewing with a service dog in my lap, boss thinks I’m a stoner because I called out on 4/20, and moreI desperately need breaks between my back-to-back meetingsyour coworkers are stealing from youI manage a gay employee … and our company is homophobica coworker told me I talk too much, I’m still ruminating over a job I didn’t take, and moreweekend open thread – April 22-23, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – April 21-22, 2023should I invite my team to my home for dinner, will my company expect me to work with my ex, and moreafter I hired someone, a mutual friend told me I’d made a huge mistakeupdated commenting rulescan we talk about GOOD companies for a change?should I wear my wedding ring to an interview, client demands unlimited time, and moredo I need to wear nylons to a job interview … or are bare legs OK?is it time to put my employee on a formal improvement plan?my lying coworker claimed someone said I couldn’t eat at my desktelling recruiters I won’t move to states that discriminate, AirTag etiquette, and moreis it unprofessional to have hickeys at work?should I even consider interviewing somewhere else if I’m happy with my job?coworker says she hates me and refuses to have any contact … and my boss told me to fix itcan a meh middle manager be a good CEO, stickers in a work notebook, and moreupdate: HR won’t do anything about a coworker who’s angry about my weight lossa vendor pushed religion at a work dinnera manager (not mine) told me to stop organizing lunchtime yogawhy am I anxious at work when I’m doing so well, requiring internal profile photos, and moreweekend open thread – April 15-16, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – April 14-15, 2023asking candidates about their least favorite parts of their jobs, coworker snooped through my personal files, and moreis it bad to write “see resume” in an online application system’s endless fields?updates: the bad temper, the patronizing boss, and morehow do you decide whether or not to relocate for a job?teenager’s job wants her to go on a weekend retreat, oddball interview questions, and moremy company is not planning well for my retirement … what’s my responsibility?everything you need to know about how to quit your jobmy coworkers keep asking about my assaultcan I tell employees not to bring partners on work trips, coworkers ostracizing a former friend, and morework is ruining one of my closest friendshipsmy employee isn’t doing her job … but I think she’s being abusedhow much money do you make?telling a coworker “that’s none of your business,” my team is mocking a coworker’s virginity, and morecan I refuse a reference check that’s taking too long?should managers ever push back when employees call in sick?someone or something is deleting our work emailsI feel horrible about reporting my boss’s tax fraud, limits on employee computer monitoring, and moreweekend open thread – April 8-9, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – April 7-8, 2023my employee tears down other people, why can’t I work remotely if everyone else does, and moreI can’t get out of low-level admin workupdates: I had to stay in a horrible hotel on a team-building trip, and morelet’s talk about layoffs — how to prepare and the fall-out afterwardsmy car was nearly stolen from work twice, mentioning my kids in my cover letter, and moreupdate: my mentor falsely accused someone of sexism on my behalf without my knowledgemy new employee fell asleep in a meetingmy coworker is having serious memory issuesemployer lied when rejecting me, should I apply for a job in my partner’s small company, and morea new manager says it’s a problem that our employee cries in meetings, at her desk, and during team lunchesI had a great interview — why haven’t I heard anything back?hiring a manager with strong religious beliefs about women submitting to menintrusive medical questions at work, do I seem too busy, and morethe Tupperware lawn party, the parking commandment, and other stories of passive-aggressive notes at workmy intern is refusing assignments because of her politicsafter I resigned, my employer accessed my personal email to find out details about my new jobmy boss wants to be at the hospital for my coworker’s surgery, taking vacation time when your team is understaffed, and more March 2023weekend open thread – April 1-2, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – March 31-April 1, 2023quitting right after a party, mentioning nude modeling at work, and moreshould our raises be late just because our performance reviews are late?update: should I report my fatphobic boss or am I being too sensitive?what are the best and worst pranks you’ve seen at work?interviewer asked about my religion, I get hassled for work favors when I’m off-duty, and moreemployee says his religion prevents him from using the correct pronouns for trans or non-binary coworkersupdates: my entry-level employee gave me a bunch of off-base “constructive criticism,” and moremy boss gives me “constructive feedback” multiple times every daymy boss is getting impatient with my morning sickness, coworkers expect me to be devastated I didn’t get a promotion, and more8 terrible stories of companies getting sexism awareness very, very wrongmy employee keeps challenging my expertiseI bit my coworkermy boss and her daughter want to move in with me, my interviewer laughed at me, and moremy manager said I need more confidence — what does that mean?my employee keeps flipping from great to terriblemy boss is annoyed that I stayed out late drinking during a three-day work eventoffice lunch event is out of control, my friend doesn’t understand how work works, and moreweekend open thread – March 25-26, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – March 24-25, 2023HR doesn’t want me to fire an employee for lying, coworker blew up when I asked about her retirement plans, and moremy boss disapproves of our snow day policyupdates: my new boss scolded us about our private chat messages, and morelet’s talk about passive-aggressive notes at workcoworker keeps saying I’m too muscular, boss suggested I work on a sick day, and moremy intern is way too passiveshould I insist my employees get comfortable with public speaking?new manager keeps pushing hard for me to be his friendmy coworker thinks I need to calm down when I don’t, can’t give two weeks notice, and moremy company cut our pay after we met our goals and says we shouldn’t be upsetwhen should I tell an interviewer I need disability accommodations?my mentor falsely accused someone of sexism on my behalf without my knowledgefriend doesn’t believe in different dress codes for different situations, applying for a job where my landlord works, and morecan I bring a blender to work?office kitchen wars are backmy younger coworker keeps making ageist comments to mewe’re being unknowingly videotaped at meetings, should you always be job-searching, and moreweekend open thread – March 18-19, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – March 17-18, 2023how can a teenager get a job when her family travels full-time, new coworker gave herself a better title, and morehow to request time off for a last-minute interviewupdates: asking for a raise when your company doesn’t do raises, crawling at work, and morelet’s discuss egregiously clueless “celebrations” at workinterviewer was bothered that I didn’t ask any questions, boss is on personal calls all day long, and morethe baked cheese thief, the missing pot pie, and other stories of office kitchen dramadoes it look bad to send emails late at night?can an intern refuse to do menial office tasks?managers on a rampage about cell phones, new hire said I should have told him about my maternity leave earlier, and morethe CEO makes us rank our personal lives at team meetingshere’s a huge discount on the Ask a Manager job-searching bibleis it reasonable for our office to go so fragrance-free that we have to change every product we use at home?I got drunk at a work event, can I be friends with managers who aren’t MY manager, and moreupdate: my boss and coworkers are constantly at my househow can I hire good people to work in a dysfunctional organization?I’m a public employee and the governor pushes religion at workmy company interviewed a man for International Women’s Day, interviewing when I work in an adult business, and moreweekend open thread – March 11-12, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – March 10-11, 2023my company pays my rent and they keep forgetting, talking to your boss about the Adderall shortage, and moremy boss expects me to respond immediately no matter what I’m doingupdates: falling asleep on the job, the boss at the barbecue, and moreI’m moving from retail to an office job — how can I make it go smoothly?our meetings have a “condolence corner,” my office has a portrait of a child abuser, and moreshould I have told my coworker his outfit made it look like he was going to a job interview?managing a seriously ill employee who’s making mistakesmy dad has been applying to jobs pretending to be mecoworker plagiarized my paper, should I tell my boss we can all see he’s offline, and morewhy are employees blindsided when I fire them after warning them that I might?how to answer “tell me about yourself” in a job interviewmy boss said she doesn’t think mothers can fully commit to their jobsI’m a nepotism baby, paying based on where employees live, and moresorry for the technical difficultiesupdate: my needy boss wants me to “adopt” hershould companies offer bonuses instead of raises?my company is pressuring us to donate huge amounts of money to a coworkerboss wants us to “disagree” over LGBTQ inclusion, professional styles for men with long hair, and moreweekend open thread – March 4-5, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – March 3-4, 2023my manager and coworker are secretly dating, boss will never give “exceeds expectations” because he has “high standards,” and moreupdate: I supervise a manager who falsified an employee write-up … but I don’t think she should be firedstolen sandwiches, disgusting fridges, dish-washing drama: let’s talk about office kitchen mayheminterviewer scolded me for my outfit, job requires an oath of allegiance, and moreupdate: a DNA test revealed the CEO is my half brother … and he’s freaking outmy entry-level employee gave me a bunch of off-base criticismhow do I get out of an active-shooter drill at my office?should I tell my coworker about our colleague’s criminal record, I deeply regret joining my company’s leadership program, and more February 2023my company is cutting my overworked team’s pay as punishment for mistakesupdate: is my future manager a bigoted jerk?I resent our new hires for setting better work-life boundaries than our company normally hashairy legs at work, my office sent me a random TV, and morehere’s an example of a great cover letter … with before and after versionsmy employee can’t handle even mildly negative feedbackmy new coworker is putting fake mistakes in my work so she can tell our boss I’m bad at my jobinsensitive “Diversity Day,” how to fire someone who refuses to talk to us, and moreweekend open thread – February 25-26, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – February 24-25, 2023assistant became abusive when she wasn’t invited to a meeting, my coworkers don’t check on people who are out sick, and moremy former boss won’t leave me aloneupdate: how can I turn down training requests from my clients?how do you handle being pregnant at work?assigning women extra work to “help” them, calling out when you’re in the ER, and moreas a manager, should I not wear a “childless” shirt in my off-hours?should I be so emotionally drained by managing?I supervise a manager who falsified an employee write-up … but I don’t think she should be firedgetting out of shared intern housing, why are so many executives condescending, and moreinterviewer fake-rejected me to see if I would “fight for the job”should I tell the truth in my exit interview?my boyfriend’s manager told me I could date someone betternew CEO keeps talking about diet and exercise, coworker asks me to cover for him when he’s not really off, and morecan I compare attending college to working a full-time job in my cover letter?the people who are secretly working multiple full-time jobs from homemy needy boss wants me to “adopt” herfuture manager is a bigoted jerk, boss hasn’t paid me back, and moreweekend open thread – February 18-19, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – February 17-18, 2023how do I quit my volunteer job, explaining a wardrobe emergency, and morehow do I tell interviewers why I’m leaving my job without badmouthing my employer?updates: the “low ego” job posting, getting reimbursed for parking, and moreis your field accurately portrayed in movies and on TV?micromanaging goodbye emails, overhead lighting wars, and morethis is about my mommy employees tell me what they’re doing, rather than asking permissionI was told to stop knitting in a training class … but I knit so I can focusshould I tell my employees I might get fired, coworker is a kiss-ass, and morethe $15,000 coffee fund, the cheapskate executives, and other stories of office coffee warswhen I offered someone a job, her dad got on the phone with questionsI had to stay in a horrible hotel on a team-building tripI got yelled at after texting a hiring manager’s personal cell, interviewer asked me for something positive about Covid, and moreupdate: I got in trouble for using a mouse jiggler … despite my excellent workmy team doesn’t want managers to hang out with themif you work for a church, can they require you to give 10% of your salary back to them?people are stealing the bathroom items I bought for shared use, how much mental health support should managers provide, and moreweekend open thread – February 11-12, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – February 10-11, 2023my employees don’t want to talk in meetings, old boss is using me as a business lead, and morewhat’s up with this rude and entitled networker?my employee missed work after a night of drinkingoffice coffee wars: share your storiescoworker misinterprets all my facial expressions, team is complaining about a coworker’s award, and moreI gave two weeks notice but got told to leave immediatelymy employee has absolutely no attention to detailHR won’t do anything about a coworker who’s angry about my weight lossinterviewer asked how I prepared for the interview, boss wants me to be “emotional and raw,” and morewhy does my coworker hate me?how to answer “why are you interested in this position?”how should I respond when employees complain about financial stress?how do I reply to my coworker’s apology without saying her constant mistakes are OK, coworker calls me “mama,” and morea behind-the-scenes look at how Ask a Manager runsa very good update: how to tell a former employee he can’t visit us weeklymy boss’s horrible kids are trying to destroy us because he disinherited themI can’t afford to buy breakfast for my team, should you always ask about a gap on someone’s resume, and moreweekend open thread – February 4-5, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – February 3-4, 2023I don’t want to eat lunch with my boss, can I file a complaint about my spouse’s manager, and morewhy do hiring managers ghost me after promising they won’t?Ask a Manager in the mediaI’m unprofessional and not detail-oriented — but I still need to earn a livingI feel stuck working for my father, boss disclosed my pregnancy, and morea higher-up is pushing an unwanted volunteer on ushow can I get my employees to be more comfortable figuring things out on their own?my company won’t promote people who work from homemy mentor has a shady side business, drinks that look like beer but aren’t, and more January 2023should I stop using my office’s flex hours since my coworkers have earlier schedules?ask your behind-the-scenes questions about Ask a Managerour boss tells lies to make us feel bad for taking time offcoworker with severe dandruff, colleague is borrowing my email voice, and moremy coworker has a crush on our boss and is mad that I asked her to stop talking about himjob applicant keeps asking for another chancea DNA test revealed the CEO is my half brother … and he’s freaking outboss said Pride shirts violate the dress code, how much notice should I get for work travel, and moreweekend open thread – Jan. 28-29, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – January 27-28, 2023I’m fully remote but my boss wants me to come in once a week, how much personal printing is OK at work, and morehow do I give notice to my boss if they’re on vacation?updates: the lying director, the apology muffins, and morewhat workplace norms surprised you when you were starting out?sharing a hotel room with a coworker when I snore, should I lie about how many cats I have, and moremy last company was horrible — how do I save other people from it?do managers really want honest feedback?my boss collected money for flowers for me … and then kept it for herselfVP says people working from home haven’t developed as much, is “it’s so good to see you” suggestive, and morehow honest can I be with recruiters that money is the only reason I want to leave my current job?I’m sick of having to do my incompetent colleague’s workI resent my employee for being richer and more qualified than metrainer wants us to “get emotional” with each other, tamale theft, and moremy boss thinks I need a better reason to take vacation dayswhy are there so many abusive bosses?interview with a veterinary social workercan my employer make me wear a bra, my husband’s band doesn’t want to play my coworker’s wedding, and moreweekend open thread – Jan. 21-22, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – January 20-21, 2023my boss refuses to speak to me during my notice period, who says when I can work from home, and moreI had to deal with a sick toddler and a vomiting dog while doing a video interviewupdate: is it unprofessional to wear the same clothing item twice in a work week?how can I get used to cube life again?board member’s husband should not attend an event for children, boss calls people names, and moremy ex-boss threatened to contact my husband, his coworkers, and my father-in-law if I don’t return $48 of office supplieshow to answer when a job candidate asks, “how did I do?”getting people to use the right pronouns, finding trans-friendly workplaces, and trans-inclusive hiringI’m being used as free doggy daycare, interviewer refused to give me his last name, and morethe poodle in a stroller, the music file, and other email signatures gone wildadvice for new managersI dated someone who was using me to get back at his ex-wife … who turned out to be my bossmy employee asked a colleague to help her fake a deal, I’m constantly interrupted when I need to focus, and morecan bad employees and bad managers change?our employee is taking nude photos in our office and posting them to Facebookcompany says only moms can work at home, was I rude for turning down a carpool, and moreweekend open thread – Jan. 14-15, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – January 13-14, 2023overreaching wellness meetings, rambling coworker monopolizing trainings, and moredo I really need to send a thank-you note after being rejected for a job?how much social media use at work is too much?what’s the weirdest/most inappropriate email signature you’ve seen?is it rude to leave a coworker waiting for the elevator, I recommended a friend and it went terribly, and moreshould we give extra sick days to employees who can’t work from home?my toxic former employee is poisoning my staffmy employee blows up my phone with memes and videos — even in the middle of the night — and refuses to stopVP is pressuring everyone into choreographed dances, boss eats while on the phone, and moreI got in trouble for using a mouse jiggler … despite my excellent work10 impressive questions to ask in a job interviewmy employee doesn’t think we’re doing enough about bears at workI caught my employee in a compromising position in the parking lot, employer only gives raises for promotions months later, and moredo I still need to wear a suit to a job interview?here’s some free help preparing for job interviewswas I wrong to be put off by interviewing on Bring Your Kids to Work Day?my team planned a wine-tasting while I’m pregnant, no one is paying attention to my training, and moreweekend open thread – Jan. 6-8, 2023it’s your Friday good newsopen thread – January 6-7, 2023coworker sent me his racy photography page, do I need to give my coworkers gifts, and morecan I get my coworker to stop using awful corporate jargon?my employee doesn’t want to come to work when it snowsare more companies bringing people back to the office?my boss hates my “question authority” sticker, my temp’s eyes glaze over whenever I talk, and moremy boss said my posture is too casual for the officeI don’t have enough work for my employeescan I hold a job applicant’s proselytizing email signature against them?I caught my boss listening at my door, using a fake name for job hunting, and moremy coworker and I attend the same sex clubthis is incrediblemy boss and coworkers are constantly at my housedenying a new mom’s request for remote work, punny edits to work docs, and moreupdates: coworker signed me up for a racist organization as a joke, and moreupdates: the privacy-violating team lead, the intern annoying his coworkers, and moreupdate: should I tell a recruiter about the unprofessional CEO I interviewed with?should I organize an all-men beach weekend for my coworkers, asking for time to process things before responding, and more