August 2017

is it okay for your bra straps to show at work?

A reader writes: Last week’s question about workplace dress codes reminded me of a question I’ve been long meaning to ask. Let’s say you have a workplace that allows nice sleeveless blouses or dresses. What constitutes acceptable showing of a bra? By this, I don’t mean the actual cups themselves, but the straps. Bras are […]

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how can I get employees to find answers for themselves?

A reader writes: I’ve recently become a manager at my workplace and I oversee two people, both of whom are really great workers and I’m thrilled overall to have them. They both do one thing that really annoys me – when they don’t know how to do something, they immediately ask. I am talking fairly […]

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the ethics of firing racist protesters

A reader writes: After the Charlottesville violence, I’ve been watching discussion on one of my professional organization’s Facebook groups and would appreciate your opinion about it. People are discussing the ethics of figuring out the identities of white supremacists from news photos, and then reporting them to their employers. Apart from the “ethics” of white […]

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I hate my new employee

A reader writes: I’ve worked for the same organization for about five years. We recently hired a new person who reports directly to me. I was told I’d have some say in the hiring process, which wasn’t true – we only interviewed four people, two of whom decided not to pursue the job further, and […]

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I get angry when my coworkers make mistakes

A reader writes: I’ve got a question regarding how much “mistake tolerance” is expected in the workplace. Just to give you some background, I’m a (tech) team lead, which, in my case, means my daily job is not very different from that of other team members, except for the part that I get to make […]

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