September 2018

weekend free-for-all – September 29-30, 2018

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school.) Book recommendation of the week: Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney. Two 20somethings befriend a slightly older couple, and things get messy but the banter is superb. * […]

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open thread – September 28-29, 2018

It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything work-related that you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * If you submitted […]

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do internal candidates have a better chance at the job?

A reader writes: I am currently in the running for a fantastic job at a dream company. I was approached about the job by a recruiter. The feedback from the first face-to-face interview was that I was the strongest candidate and the company decided not to proceed with any of the other external applicants and, […]

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my office contacts me all weekend long

A reader writes: I’m in the middle of the hierarchy at a very small company. Two people report to me, and I report to two people, but they trust me and I have a lot of autonomy and decision-making power. My two reports and I work a pretty standard schedule, with a few weekends and […]

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let’s talk about functional workplaces

A reader writes: I was hoping you would ask the readers to describe what their functional workplace is like and examples of how it functioned in a good way. For examples, what happened at these functioning workplaces when… A supervisor was treating people badly A coworker was causing problems Someone was under-performing Someone in leadership didn’t communicate […]

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I don’t have enough work to keep me busy

This week on the Ask a Manager podcast, I talked to a guest who has too much downtime at work. Here’s the letter: I have never had a job without significant downtime. I make myself available for new assignments and readily volunteer to take on work from stressed colleagues. The problem is that there’s just […]

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my team doesn’t ask managers to hang out with them

A reader writes: I have a small tight-knit team of eight people. The people that I’ve hired in the last two years socialize together quite a bit, which is great. The downside is they don’t invite me or the other managers; the junior members will hang out together and not invite the managers. The disappointing […]

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