Archives Looking for past posts? You can find posts from 2022 below, or find earlier years here: 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2022 January February March April May May 2022 someone tampered with an employee’s smelly shoes and now there are hurt feelings workers are being forced to put up with truly awful behavior from the public my boss removed me from a work trip because I’m a woman manager came to work with Covid, can I have stickers on my wheelchair, and more weekend open thread – May 21-22, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – May 20-21, 2022 I’m drowning in work, mentioning my dad in a job application, and more who’s in charge of making sure a scheduled meeting happens? where are you now? (a call for updates) strangely dramatic responses to mundane office changes religious decor in a shared work space, yoga pants at a team-building event, and more can I ask a company to speed up their hiring process? my employee keeps falling asleep in meetings our boss is demanding a gift with an accounting of names and how much each person contributed can I ethically hire when the company is a mess, employers that want a reference from your current boss, and more how do I spot red flags in a job interview if I have no work experience? my coworkers were fired … am I next? my wife says my relationship with my coworker is inappropriate rejected on a video call, meetings on Juneteenth, and more update: I’m a member of The Satanic Temple and got outed at work my employee can’t accept that his work is bad is it unfair to give my best employee more work than everyone else? explaining why I’m not donating blood, boss flies first class but put me in coach, and more weekend open thread – May 14-15, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – May 13-14, 2022 is it OK to expense drinks with a coworker, my ex-boss blew up when I accepted a different job, and more my coworker treats me like I’m their boss Ask a Manager in the media confess your moments of unprofessionalism here my coworker guilt-trips me when I won’t help, high-earning colleagues joke about my pay, and more my manager yells at her boss through my office wall updates: asking for more money to stay, the disorganized project manager, and more my employer gives extra perks to thin people do I have to wear concealer, should I edit the job posting when applying, and more my boss won’t stop texting me — and I’m in a hospital bed my employee is bad at taking feedback I apply for remote jobs … and then it turns out they’re not remote evaluations penalize my highest performer, getting rid of company swag, and more is my melodramatic, credit-hogging boss a deal-breaker? a parent called me to ask about their adult kid’s work travel my male coworkers are insisting on taking “period leave” should I tell my coworker she’ll never get promoted, are two-week vacations excessive, and more weekend open thread – May 6-8, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – May 6-7, 2022 flowery goodbye emails, very fast interview invitations, and more an acquaintance blabbed when I sent him a confidential email … and now I might become his boss updates: the filmed pregnancy announcement, the dress code, and more what kind of leave policy should a small business offer? team sleepover, firing abusive clients, and more can I push back on my company’s Mother’s Day activities? should I hire family members for my new business? my rock star employee needs time off for health … and her coworkers are complaining I’m on a “positivity” committee, job applicants whose voicemail doesn’t work, and more jobs that require a time-consuming exercise before you can even apply my coworker is a Zoom pest I’m a member of The Satanic Temple and got outed at work job candidates keep ghosting us, coworkers sharing a house, and more can I ask for a raise if I wouldn’t leave over salary? is my employee lying about needing sick time? I gave notice to our daycare provider and she freaked out my coworker reeks of weed, I asked for help and got put on a PIP, and more April 2022 weekend open thread – April 30-May 1, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – April 29-30, 2022 manager asks if she can call us on our days off, exhausted by comments on my hair and clothes, and more was my interviewer in the wrong … or was I? update: employee doesn’t want to use a name for themselves is rudeness and hostility on the rise in your profession? I saw my manager’s rude texts about my resignation, a dramatic haircut at lunch, and more my family member says it’s bad to withdraw from a hiring process even if I know I don’t want the job what’s the best time to send rejection letters? interesting jobs: interview with an ombuds I don’t want my new boss to come to my extracurricular event, coworker uses the n-word, and more a coworker who I referred to a job is demanding I share my referral bonus with him I found out my employee is job-hunting the CEO is obsessed with me and wants me to be his emotional support new boss monitors our LinkedIn profiles, I prepared for a video interview and didn’t need to, and more I’m not productive every single minute of every day Administrative Professionals Day is weird how should we respond to complaints about a non-binary guest in the bathrooms? making a friend at work, people ask why I’m still wearing a mask, and more weekend open thread – April 23-24, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – April 22-23, 2022 employee is too focused on typos, can I put my cat’s TikTok account on my resume, and more my professor wants us to walk into local businesses and ask if we can do a free project for them updates: my coworker won’t take corrections, the swollen face, and more I know my colleagues with kids are struggling … but it’s causing more work for me my employer is pushing a sketchy healthcare app, high-pressure interviewer, and more my boss called a mysterious meeting with me and I’m afraid I’m going to be fired my employee is missing too much work, but always has reasons I got in trouble for talking to my coworker about how much money I make my boss wants to check in with my doctor, employer wants to hear our worst lockdown moments, and more clients hire me to edit their books and then get angry about my feedback how can I find a job in another state without moving there first? should you turn on an out-of-office message when you’re away for a few hours? religious whataboutism, coworker’s side job is causing problems, and more here’s a template to make writing cover letters easier how do I get away from clingy networkers at events? I walked in on a coworker making out with our married colleague — do I say something? my coworker went through my trash, using bereavement leave for a vacation, and more weekend open thread – April 16-17, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – April 15-16, 2022 should I have to hire my replacement, I don’t want my boss to represent me at a meeting, and more how to ask my company to pay me more if they want me to stay updates: pumping during a training, boss annoyed by flexible schedule, and more how do you learn what types of jobs exist? did I spread gossip about my boss, company-branded clothing doesn’t fit me, and more my company called my coworker’s resignation “a horrific decision” the dog-riding child, the overheard therapy session, and other Zoom meeting mishaps how long will it take to change the culture at my new job? company singled out a wheelchair user to get us back to the office, work friend shared a private conversation with our boss, and more my coworker keeps asking what my clothes cost in front of other colleagues how do I tell an employee that I’m not promoting him? my employee wastes a huge amount of everyone’s time with “helpful” suggestions and questioning embarrassing bathroom incident, coworker won’t go to trainings, and more are personal calls OK at work? what if it’s an argument? my employee’s work is bad … but he gets a ton of public praise employee doesn’t want to use a name for themselves my company has a “Men’s Forum,” employee responds to feedback by saying her former boss loved her, and more weekend open thread – April 9-10, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – April 8-9, 2022 can I tell my friend the interview questions in advance, finding out if an employer drug tests, and more can I set a limit on how many interviews I’ll do with a company? updates: the horrible team lead, the bait and switch job offer, and more the flosser, the disrobers, and other Zoom mishaps: share your stories CEO says he’s being bullied, getting a job offer at an inconvenient time, and more when your boss has to correct your behavior, does it impact their impression of you forever? what consequences can managers enforce instead of firing someone? my employee shouted “F*** you!” at a coworker — but he was provoked coworker is pregnant with my boss’s baby, rejection email insulted me, and more when does an employer burn a bridge with an employee? my boss wants me to do her dirty work how much money do you make? promotion was announced on April Fool’s Day, fired employee’s LinkedIn says she still works for us, and more my coworker keeps bringing me “problems” that aren’t problems … and they’re definitely not HER problems my employee complains about her coworker but doesn’t want me to step in my boss makes me sign personal contracts for every rule he implements older coworker makes divisive comments about age, language tensions, and more weekend open thread – April 2-3, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – April 1-2, 2022 how do I get coworkers to stop printing things for me, old job still lists me as an employee, and more March 2022 do I have to tell my boss where I’m going when I quit? update: is it weird to incorporate martial arts at my job? my ambitious, driven self is gone – and I don’t feel like working anymore new employee refuses to learn technology, pigeon poop drama, and more are remote workers more likely to be laid off? the axe thrower, the carpet glue, and other astounding first impressions made by new employees my office contacts me CONSTANTLY while I’m on vacation I’m managing the mom of the ex-friend who catfished me, and more my boss won’t stop hassling me about my smoking and my weight my employee bothers her coworker with constant questions employee said she was leaving and has been replaced, but now doesn’t know when she is going to leave my boss started using Yiddish after she found out I’m Jewish, sleepwear for work travel, and more should I withdraw from an interview process to force an offer? returning to the office to “collaborate” isn’t always working my ex-boss wants me to pay a phone bill for months I didn’t work there community member asks to hear from male employees instead of me, saying “that’s above my pay grade,” and more weekend open thread – March 26-27, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – March 25-26, 2022 my boss accused me of writing a negative review, no big raise without switching jobs, and more what’s the deal with business cards? update: freelance agency keeps paying me late, but they give me a lot of work what’s the most astounding first impression you’ve seen a new hire make? exec cries with delight every day, no one reads my how-to guides, and more my new boss ran his own background check on me when an employee is too sick to call in sick I’m dating my boss — can I fix his conflict with another employee? can I work a gig job at lunch, coworker uses slurs, and more is it a mistake to turn down an interview because you’re not enthusiastic about the job? I don’t want to be the go-to person for everything at work how do I write a peer review for my horrible coworker? my boss is lying about having a PhD, companies that say you can’t ask coworkers to wear a mask, and more the quiet floor, the ghost cat, and other stories from college RAs my new employee argues even when he’s wrong my boss is angry that I couldn’t work while I was sick with Covid friend tried to steal my job, lactation room is now a “mask relief” room, and more weekend open thread – March 19-20, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – March 18-19, 2022 my company’s hiring managers are obsessed with thank-you notes, is a “hard stop” rude, and more people think I’m returning to my old job … but I’m definitely not update: how soon is too soon to leave a panic job? if you were an RA in college, now is your time to spill asking an exec to stop using the only gender-neutral bathroom, new manager loves ice-breakers, and more my older male colleague gives me condescending, unsolicited advice update: my coworker says I bullied her … should I tell her boss she needs more of a backbone? my coworkers keep dropping balls — is some of this normal in the workplace? bringing in muffins after a mistake at work, my coworker talked to HR about my mental health, and more can I ask my coworkers to keep masking around me and not come to work sick? employee only does well after I warn her about her work job candidate was distracted by her baby throughout our interview I might become my roommate’s boss, calling a regular lunch date an “appointment,” and more the plum liquor, the free lunches, and other times people used their power for good I get angry when employees make mistakes we gave an expensive goodbye gift and the person didn’t leave my boss jokes about firing people, my awful ex-coworker works at the company I’m interviewing with, and more weekend open thread – March 12-13, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – March 11-12, 2022 my friend has never had a job, company wants me to cheat the recruiter, and more what’s the definition of “professional hours”? updates: the prank falls, the entitled coworker, and more let’s talk about people “misusing” their power for good I’m left out of work events, interviewer thought I was drunk, and more my company fired a bad employee, then un-fired him the same day my employee keeps fake quitting my coworker sent a classist, racist email company-wide after a janitor won our Christmas contest food restrictions at a lunch interview, X-rated background noise on phone calls, and more obnoxiously pushy recruiter wouldn’t let me decline a job interview, then snarked me when I turned down the job should I tell my boss I’m job-searching? I don’t like my super popular coworker … and she complained to my boss about it people keep asking me to do admin work, coworkers don’t wash their hands, and more the fake crossing guard, the controversial coat rack, and other abuses of tiny amounts of power what are my obligations to a client when a project drags on? my coworker gets upset when I say “thank you” and takes offense to routine work stuff … and my boss won’t manage her drinking and overnight visits to the boss, sounding approachable when you’re stressed, and more weekend open thread – March 5-6, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – March 4-5, 2022 using martial arts at work, I saw my job posted online, and more making a remote employee pay for their own travel to visit the office updates: the ominous recruiter, the clueless intern, and more what’s the smallest amount of power you’ve seen someone abuse? I’d rather work than attend a family funeral, client constantly cancels, and more is my manager the problem … or am I? my employee takes out her stress on coworkers my employee seemed really frustrated in a meeting where she didn’t realize she was on camera office romance drama, my contact ghosted my friend, and more can you frame time off to care for a baby as a “sabbatical”? my employees took offense to my social media post 3 of my employees are having a conflict … and I can’t tell who’s right or wrong packing up your office before you quit, boss is abusive when people resign, and more February 2022 new hire keeps kneeling in front of me what to say in response to “I’m sorry” from employees how do I ask for monthly time off to deal with my period? asking an employee to IM instead of calling, bad writing in hiring emails, and more weekend open thread – February 26-27, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – February 25-26, 2022 our boss’s lack of self-esteem drives us crazy, interviewing when you can be very picky, and more when recruiters ask, “how did the interview go?” update: the mom quitting her job because of Covid my wife’s complaints about work are overwhelming me I took a promotion without knowing the salary, coworker uses Comic Sans, and more I can’t get my boss to give me feedback or solve problems my team keeps coming to work hungover how do I get my chatty coworkers to stop saying wildly inappropriate things? stopping comments on weight loss before they start, angry rejected candidate, and more changing pronouns at work: a success story was I wrong to quit my job? my new boss is changing the team culture I loved should I let my neighbor hire me, should I remove my mask in an interview, and more our new phones have fewer speed dial buttons and everyone is freaking out my boss gets angry when I won’t share my food with her I learned off-putting info about a job candidate, our CEO keeps replying-all to BCCs, and more weekend open thread – February 19-20, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – February 18-19, 2022 job offered me half the salary I was expecting, vastly over-paying a student, and more can I tell sick coworkers to go home? can you really ever get past being a procrastinator? updates: the missed promotion, the religious mission, and more pressured to donate blood, interviewee flubbed a softball question, and more why is this interview question stumping our candidates? I interviewed a candidate who didn’t know what was on his resume my boss is coming back after going AWOL for 2 years employer sent out a fried chicken recipe for Black History Month, quitting at a bad time, and more our new team lead is horrible and keeps sharing private details about us with our colleagues update: my coworker’s son is interning for us … and it’s not going well my coworker passes me messages “from the CEO” … that I think are really from her forced to celebrate the boss’s birthday, snow day favoritism, and more your coworkers with kids are not OK my employee is having an affair with a client’s spouse I’m 35 and my job wants me to live in a college dorm for 6 months I always have to cover for my sick coworker, director thinks I’m an intern, and more weekend open thread – February 12-13, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – February 11-12, 2022 an unreasonable tattoo policy, I went to a college run by a religion I no longer follow, and more how can I hire people when my company won’t negotiate on salary or remote work? update: my best employee quit on the spot because I wouldn’t let her go to her college graduation Covid has made my job a slog — when should I give up on it? warning a hothead personal trainer, taking six months off to hike, and more should I get IV fluids for a hangover at work? my employee is always distracted by her phone my team demands aggressive positivity … and I have a medical condition that leaves me exhausted too unattractive to get a job, old boss expects me to keep working for her, and more is networking overrated? can you end a job interview early if it’s not a good fit? my coworker says I bullied her … should I tell her boss she needs more of a backbone? should you refinance your student loans? boss might be lying about being vaccinated, a terrible resume typo, and more how to tell an employee he needs to figure some things out himself my employee spends too much time justifying everything she says my lovely but bumbling boss is driving me crazy naked saunas with colleagues, avoiding eating lunch with a boss, and more weekend open thread – February 5-6, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – February 4-5, 2022 new hire with a criminal record, backing out of a job offer, and more what should I do if I need more time to think of an answer to an interview question? how can I get time off work for therapy? working parents with little kids: how can your coworkers help you? we have to assess our spiritual strengths, a nail-clipping coworker, and more my interviewer asked if I “needed” the job here’s a huge discount on the Ask a Manager job-searching bible do I have any recourse when an employer ghosts me? can I bring my own furniture to a new job, an ominous recruiter, and more update: my new office has a no-humor policy my shy employee wants to use email for everything my office isn’t acknowledging my adopted baby coworker watches adult material in our shared office, what to say when an interviewer warns of long hours, and more January 2022 what’s the point of making me work from the office to “collaborate” if no one else is here? my employee quit smoking and has become cranky at work the new hire who showed up is not the same person we interviewed the tyrant and the coffeemaker, a clothes-obsessed coworker, and more weekend open thread – January 29-30, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 28-29, 2022 shower thoughts, managing without a private office, and more a medical issue means I have to keep saying no … but I don’t want to over-share updates: director is so bad that everyone is leaving, and more it feels impossible to be a working mom with little kids a great job working for someone I can’t stand, coworker is on reality TV, and more my employee keeps working long hours even after we’ve told her to stop my employee is angry that I’m using the baby name she wanted employers need to hire more people with disabilities … here’s how do I have to wear makeup to look professional, my boss wants “fun” but pointless perks, and more my boss made me fire my boyfriend … and then hired her cousin my new job isn’t what I was promised — can I quit? my boss wants me to be positive and upbeat all the time … we work in disaster relief being an environmentalist at a fossil fuel company, boss wants us to work from his house, and more our motivational speaker got drunk and went off the rails why aren’t the companies “desperate” for workers doing the one thing that would attract them? my coworker told me he’s hiding a terminal illness recovering from angry outbursts at work, surgery right after starting a new job, and more weekend open thread – January 22-23, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 21-22, 2022 part-time admin got a full-time job, what to say when your boss is laid off, and more don’t trust the answers to “how would you describe your management style?” updates: employee got pulled over during a Zoom meeting, and more how can I advocate for workers’ rights when I’m the customer? men with bare chests at work, charging late fees when freelancing, and more our new-grad employees see less glamorous work as beneath them about medical practices that can’t pay enough to keep their employees… my coworkers told my boss I talk about my baby too much is an “intro meeting” the same as an interview, dress codes when you’re non-binary, and more is it ethical for a recruiter to require you to agree to a salary up-front and not discuss the offer with your current job? my employee apologizes for mistakes she didn’t make calling out racism, supporting a Black manager, and other questions with Michelle Silverthorn I was told I could bring my dog to work but now I can’t, companies that don’t check references, and more how can I stop softening the message in tough conversations with my staff? update: I hate my boss’s mandatory Zoom happy hours fired for forwarding resumes to myself, boss wants me to buy everyone expensive coffee, and more weekend open thread – January 15-16, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 14-15, 2022 I was kicked out of a work lunch because I couldn’t eat, attracting employees when we can’t pay more, and more how to respond to unclear “let me know when you have some time” requests update: can I ask for a raise after covering for remote coworkers for over a year? my coworker tried to film her pregnancy announcement and now there is chaos my longtime job doesn’t know I have 9 kids, long walks to the bathroom, and more how long should you wait if someone is late to a virtual meeting? my employee is too cavalier about mistakes my new coworker keeps staring at my breasts my boss wants me to deep-clean the office, company is going to ruin my credit, and more is it OK to look very different from your online photos? my boss is unreachable when I need him how do I balance my labor shortage sympathy with annoyance at the inconvenience it causes? is it weird for my employees to see me naked at a spa, traveling for a job at my expense, and more is our intern just clueless and inexperienced — or a con artist? my employee wants constant praise and support I got in trouble for wearing the same dress every day my slacker coworkers make more work for me, constant trainings disrupt my job, and more weekend open thread – January 8-9, 2022 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 7-8, 2022 can I tell interviewers my hobby is drinking, going from scruffy to polished at work, and more was our workshop facilitator too controlling? updates: I used to drink on the job with my new boss, the pushy mother-in-law, and more are employers really so eager to hire right now? wedding invite from employee’s daughter, coworker is being a jerk about our new boss, and more my office says we can keep working from home if we take 5% pay cuts I can’t get the info I need from an employee who’s on leave my office Secret Santa gave me a gift from a pornstar board member shares too much on social media, was I dressed too casually for a Zoom call, and more I’ve accidentally convinced my coworkers that I’m homeless – but I’m not! is my team too much of a clique? can I send a male assistant to get me tampons? our new strategy has a risqué name, my employees didn’t give me anything after their holiday bonuses, and more my favorite posts of 2021 update: my awful former boss works at the new job I’m about to start most popular posts of 2021 weekend open thread – January 1-2, 2022