how to gain respect as the new boss by Alison Green on July 31, 2014 Walking into an existing team as the new manager is tough. People are often wary of a new manager and will be scrutinizing your every word and action, as they try to figure out what to expect from you. If you’re the new boss, here are five things you can do to quickly gain the […] Read the full article →
my boss won’t accept my resignation by Alison Green on July 31, 2014 A reader writes: I work in an office at a university, and came to the decision to finish my position at the end of this contract, rather than accepting the extension that had been offered to me. I wrote a letter of resignation and arranged a meeting with my direct supervisor to give it to […] Read the full article →
am I misrepresenting my commitment to a job, calling a coworker “daddy,” and more by Alison Green on July 31, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is making hateful comments about a foreign country An employee where I work has become very radical in his views concerning a foreign country which is going through a crisis. He has family in that region. His social media is littered with hateful […] Read the full article →
following Ask a Manager on Facebook? there’s something you should know by Alison Green on July 30, 2014 A service announcement: If you follow Ask a Manager on Facebook, be aware that Facebook has changed its algorithm for the pages you follow, and you might not be seeing all (or even any) updates. What can you do about this, if you don’t want to miss any updates? Three things: 1. When you do see Ask […] Read the full article →
how do I fire the most popular person in the office? by Alison Green on July 30, 2014 A reader writes: I need to fire our office manager. It’s a mix of issues, all related to attention to detail and organization. I’ve clearly warned her and put her on a performance improvement plan, which she hasn’t passed, so I’ve got my documentation in order. The problem is that she’s the most popular person […] Read the full article →
can I keep my company truck when I leave to stick it to my company? by Alison Green on July 30, 2014 A reader writes: You will probably think that I am a total jerk for contemplating doing this, but just hear me out. First off, I do appreciate being gainfully employed but I absolutely HATE the company I work for. We were purchased by a gigantic multi-billion dollar company over a year ago, and ever they […] Read the full article →
my interviewer kept laughing at me, my managers are giving me contradictory instructions, and more by Alison Green on July 30, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My interviewer kept laughing at me I had an interview today for a part-time writing tutor position at my local community college. I met all of the qualifications and I have previous tutoring experience, so I was very excited about this opportunity. The interviewer said […] Read the full article →
update: when your boss is a raging alcoholic by Alison Green on July 29, 2014 Remember the letter-writer whose friend’s boss was a raging alcoholic — coming back from lunch drunk, driving home drunk, and generally being a menace to society and the workplace? Here’s the update. So the situation has a somewhat happy ending. The boss in question eventually got fired! It took a long time for this to happen, though. […] Read the full article →
what to do when your team is missing deadlines by Alison Green on July 29, 2014 Most teams miss a deadline now and then. But if people on your team are regularly blowing deadlines, there’s a problem that you need to address – before it causes work to blow up too. Fixing a deadline problem means first figuring out what’s causing the problem. Here are six of the most common reasons […] Read the full article →
my coworker is arguing with every decision I make — on a project that I’m leading by Alison Green on July 29, 2014 A reader writes: I work in a design field, and we work in teams of 4-5 people, which rotate on a person by person basis. I am 9 months in at a new firm, which recruited me based on a very strong recommendation from a client. I am the lead for our current project, which […] Read the full article →