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You can find posts from 2025 below, or find earlier years here: 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2025 April March February January April 2025can I ask interviewers whether they use employee surveillance tech?we have a new “sagas” tag for letters with multiple updateswhat’s the strangest first impression you’ve seen a new hire make?should I quit my job and open a bookstore, coworker was disciplined for sharing info everyone already knew, and moremy new manager is upset I didn’t tell her I was pregnant when I interviewedI received a job offer — and it was a scamshould I report an old mentor who was inappropriate with me?my boss says my salary research is wrong because our benefits are so great, calling out sick for flight anxiety, and moreI’m working for my parents’ company — and my colleagues are being jerksshould I interview candidates who show up without an appointment?I manage two employees who don’t get along and it’s getting out of controlboss leads terrible meetings, old manager is undermining our new manager, and moremy coworker’s constant babbling is drowning me in info, and my boss won’t helphow to say “that’s not OK” at workmy incompetent boss can’t handle that I won’t be his friendmy promotion was canceled because of budget, a problematic coworker wants to join an allies group, and moreweekend open thread – April 19-20, 2025open thread – April 18, 2025getting out of a fancy work lunch due to allergies, photo of a coworker doing a Nazi salute, and morehow can I make our vacation policy as fair as possible?a real-life salary negotiation (with emails!)what niche job boards do you use to find job openings?I still have to work if I don’t attend team-building, boss has hired my replacement but I’m not ready to leave, and moreupdate: I manage a terrible slob — how can I convince her upset coworker that I’m handling it?how should I respond to networkers seeking help I can’t offer?our Gen Z employees want to be coddled and are struggling with the realities of workmy boss is my boyfriend and won’t give me a day off, coworker asked my employee to hide info from me, and moremy coworker makes absolutely everything about herselfmy company only lets parents work from homework trainers are pushing us to share race, religion, sexuality, and gender identitycoworker is making our friend break-up really weird, LinkedIn sob stories, and moreI have to give an employee feedback, but I’m not allowed to share specific examplesshould I hire back a bully?can I ask my boss not to scream at me with her door open?boss won’t stop wearing perfume that gives me headaches, my new job is doing something illegal, and moreweekend open thread – April 12-13, 2025open thread – April 11, 2025I can only rate one person on my team “exceptional,” boss asks for weekly constructive criticism, and morein a hiring process, when should I ask about things that are deal-breakers for me?how to deal with a rude coworkerwhat’s a secret about your field that would surprise outsiders to hear?supportive boss is leaving and I blame his partner, what does it mean to have no HR, and moreI manage a terrible slob — how can I convince her upset coworker that I’m handling it?update: my employee says I have to give her longer breaks because she’s a smokermy boss told me to stop having sex with my boyfriend or quit my jobemployer makes us leave fake reviews on Glassdoor, boss chewed me out for my husband’s behavior, and moremy team received a suspicious text — and we wonder if our boss sent it as a way to secretly gain infoemployee won’t report his hours correctlyhow much money do you make?should I check if my boss is OK when she’s late to work, coworker is using parts of my resume as their own, and morethe storage labyrinth, the tape terrorism, and other things you thought were normal early in your career but were actually very weirdcan I poach an employee from my mentor?my boss loves being told she’s beautifulboss was upset I wanted to leave when our A/C failed, when a beloved figure is laid off, and moreweekend open thread – April 5-6, 2025open thread – April 4, 2025can I suggest that my employee rethink her career, pimple patches at work, and morecan I resign but still ask for severance?update: my boss is pressuring me to work more hours … I just came back from stress leavethings your company did that you thought were normal … but were actually very weirdmarketing team refuses to do our projects, second thoughts about a new job, and morethe head of the nonprofit I volunteer for doesn’t know what a budget isI saw my employee’s X-rated chatpotential employer wants me to disclose any medical conditions, including migraines, depression, eczema, and moredrunk coworker’s aggressive behavior outside of work, a retroactive pay cut, and morewhen someone tells you you’re too sick to be at work (but you’re not)my interviewer wants a reference from my current bossmy boss’s constant self-deprecation and oversharing make me uncomfortableold boss told potential new boss my salary, people who just say “hi” in messages, and more March 2025can my resume list a different title than my real one?corporate executives are more out-of-touch than evershould I write a list of rules so a colleague treats me decently?an inappropriate song in children’s theater, coworker won’t stop insisting everything is fine, and moreweekend open thread – March 29-30, 2025open thread – March 28, 2025perks for remote employees only, my mom says I shouldn’t leave a bad Glassdoor review, and moreis it my responsibility to have a work-from-home set-up even if I don’t normally work from home?updates: my friend accused me of getting him fired, the jerk on the plane, and morehow to serve patients when you’re feeling fragile yourselfemployee isn’t clearing decisions with me, I don’t want baby gifts, and morehow to get people to answer my questions, without sounding rude or snarkyupdate: my boss never praises my workmy employee wants us to stop ordering “unhealthy snacks”coworker doesn’t want to report our boss for harassment, I accidentally let a contact think my dad is still alive, and morewere we wrong not to interview a volunteer for a paid job?are these men hitting on me, or legitimate business contacts?my coworkers won’t answer their phones, evermentee was fired for using a vulgar term, asking candidates which position in a band they’d choose, and morethe pinstripe suits, the fancy espresso machine, and other weird hills coworkers chose to die onwhen an employee doesn’t want to make a formal complaint, can I act anyway?my coworker refuses to share her calendar and says she’ll quit if she’s ordered toI found “detox” propaganda in the office kitchen, I made a huge political mistake, and moreweekend open thread – March 22-23, 2025open thread – March 21, 2025boss embarrassed me at a meeting, pre-hire drug and alcohol testing, and moreI’m a manager without enough work to do because my team handles everythingupdate: my coworkers have way more money than me … and they constantly expect me to shell out cash for meals and giftslet’s discuss the weirdest hills to die on you’ve seen at workswiping on a coworker on a dating app, bosses gave a perk to their spouses instead of to employees, and moreeveryone likes me, so why am I not in the group chat?is it bad for managers to sound frustrated?my promotion was pulled after I tried to negotiate the salaryHR changed our performance reviews, do I have to announce my pregnancy at work, and moremy employee says I have to give her longer breaks because she’s a smokercan I back out after accepting a job?my coworker isn’t willing to tell a teenager helper that he’s accidentally killing all our fishboard volunteer makes everyone’s jobs harder, can I expect a raise when I’m on a PIP, and morethe wet carpet, the pickle jars, and other stories of final F-you’s to jobs you hatedshould managers stay out of private Slack channels?my manager died, and one of my coworkers didn’t go to the funeralshould I apologize for my coworker’s behavior at a conference, professional acquaintance messaged me on a dating app, and moreweekend open thread – March 15-16, 2025open thread – March 14, 2025should people be fired for big, public mistakes; managing a former friend; and morehow do I stop caring about my job?updates: humor as the boss, the apology for snapping, and morelet’s discuss final F-you’s to jobs or bosses you hatedemployee struggling to identify accommodations to do her job, cold-calling for internships, and morewhat’s the deal with one-way recorded video interviews?updates: the star employee, HR not keeping up with the law, and moredo I need to give my rude, difficult employee more positive feedback?bad vibes from my new boss, I got in trouble for sending mail with upside down stamps, and moremy coworker’s boyfriend hangs out at our desks to flirtjob applicants are hounding me on social mediaI’m inheriting an employee who causes chaos wherever they gocoworker’s anxiety becomes my problem, complimenting a colleague’s name, and moreshould managers go to happy hour with employees?my employee is needy and gossipyI rejected a student’s advances, but his parents are mad at metalking to an employee about body odor, not having work friends when you’re the boss, and moreweekend open thread – March 8-9, 2025open thread – March 7, 2025making 2 job candidates have dinner together, manager eavesdrops on conversations, and moreare my longer hours unfair to my coworker?I’m sick of being tokenized on International Women’s Dayan open thread for federal workers (and others affected by all this)responding to a nosy coworker, is discussing a march too political for work, and morethe torn-down sign, the committed decorator, and other stories of shared work space gone awryupdate: at what point can I report my inappropriate and inflammatory coworker?my company says we can’t have a women-only eventcoworker keeps a wall of embarrassing photos of former coworkers, boss says staff absences are too high, and morea bunch of questions and answers about your resumethese are the 10 questions you should ask in your next job interviewmy fiancé was my boss’s bully in high schoolcoworker asks someone to get him food every day, new hire took the “fork in the road,” and morehow normal is it to help your partner in their job?my employee keeps telling me his “expectations” of memy team doesn’t want to work for a client whose politics they disagree withhigh school career counseling is using ChatGPT, giving 360 feedback to a clueless coworker, and moreweekend open thread – March 1-2, 2025 February 2025open thread – February 28, 2025my mom answered my phone and yelled at my boss, staff grumbling about sales team’s “perks,” and moreis it a red flag if a team has a group text?what fired federal workers can expect nowlet’s discuss shared desk horror storiesboss told me to bring my sick four-year-old to work, coworkers saw my NSFW phone screen, and morehow can I stop being frustrated with a coworker who’s making my job harder?can you fire someone for being racist?I work for a nonprofit that gets poor results for the amount of money we spendis my boss crossing lines, coworker injecting medication at their desk, and morehow risky is it to post about politics on social media?employee doesn’t eat, then gets hangry and irritableis it unreasonable for me to not plan my staff’s schedules around their dogs?people complain I’m unenthusiastic at work events, fair scheduling when kids are involved, and morewhen an interviewer wants to talk to the candidate’s wife“at our company, employees just disappear”my employee gets huffy when we play music in the officecoworker masturbates in the men’s bathroom, employee doesn’t solve problems on her own, and moreweekend open thread – February 22-23, 2025open thread – February 21, 2025my new job has so much drama it made the news, out-of-order bathroom, and morehow to answer “is there anything that would prevent you from accepting an offer?”updates: the gossipy ex-coworker, I don’t want to hire a friend, and moreask the readers: moving from nonprofit to for-profit workcan I go back to my old job, employees share an office and don’t get along, and moremy new job is making me work far more weekends than I was told when I was hiredemployee’s girlfriend visits him at work every daymy new employee feels excluded on a well-meaning but cliquey teamcoworker gives me praise I don’t deserve, employer asks if applicants are registered to vote, and morehow do I handle endless rounds of nitpicky questions from coworkers?how do I apply for a job internally without my boss knowing?did I scare off a new member of our professional organization?new coworker told me to “slow down,” suing the government, and moreupdate: anti-vax employee is pressuring a coworker not to vaccinate her babyupdate: my doctor’s office constantly leaves me on hold — how do I deal with this at work?can I use dark humor at work?canceling a women’s group because of DEI concerns, can I accept a job offer on the spot, and moreweekend open thread – February 15-16, 2025open thread – February 14, 2025boss said “someone’s parents didn’t love them” about me, how to work with a former manager I can’t stand, and morehiring manager wants to fire my mentor and replace him with mewho should tell employees about raises?how to stay professional when you’re full of rage at your jobinterview felt like an exam, HR is sending everyone Valentine’s Day candy “from” other coworkers, and morethe questionable drop-off, the kazoo lover, and other tales of carpooling for workmy employee loves his job — but is bad at itmore questions from people whose jobs are under attack by the new administrationis “hey” rude, did our coworker fake-retire, and moremy employee regularly forgets important details and entire conversationscoworker swears angrily during the daymy company announced a “biggest loser” weight loss contestmy coworker keeps raising his voice, is it true that you can’t take any time off when you’re new, and moreshould your resume list the city/state for each job?my interview with Weekend Edition about the attack on federal workersdid everyone know the real reason I was at an office party with a married couple?should you get fired for bad behavior at a football game, I’m worried my boss is laying a paper trail to fire me, and moreweekend open thread – February 8-9, 2025open thread – February 7, 2025I’m supposed to live with my boss and her husband, bad coworker is finally leaving, and morehow do you write an ad for a job that can be very unpleasant?update: my coworker screamed at me and HR hasn’t done anythinglet’s talk about carpooling for work … and how it can go wrongcan I use a wedding photo as my work avatar, I sneeze constantly, and moremore on the federal government’s “deferred resignation” offer (spoiler: it’s definitely a trap)the luxury cabin, the clueless Christmas card, and other stories of wildly out-of-touch company executivesdo job titles matter?my job wants me to hit up everyone I know for money and other helpshould we get the day after the Super Bowl off, asked out on LinkedIn, and moreis it a terrible offense to include profanity in a resume?my job offer was rescinded after I tried to negotiateis my boss being too open about menopause?our head of DEI outed me to 800 people, do clients think I’m a nepo baby, and moreupdate: I don’t want to babysit my brother in my officemy employee is in obvious pain, but won’t get medical treatmentboss says it’s unacceptable not to meet all deadlines, no matter how unreasonableI accidentally peed on a fabric chair at work, why have policies that aren’t enforced, and moreweekend open thread – February 1-2, 2025 January 2025open thread – January 31, 2025my new boss coughs all over me, my coworker sucks at managing his team, and moreshould you have a bunch of people send the hiring manager unsolicited letters of praise for you?my office is overrun with corporate buzzwordslet’s talk about out-of-touch company executivesthe first person to accept the offer gets hired, reference checker asked how much sick leave an employee used, and moredid I help my mother embezzle money?should anything in a performance evaluation ever be a surprise?questions from federal workers who are currently under attacksocializing at hybrid team meetings, job offer was pulled after a reference check, and morethe file poacher, the reluctant apology, and other stories of jerks getting their comeuppanceI talked to Vulture about Severancemy coworkers have way more money than me … and they constantly expect me to shell out cash for meals and giftstouchy-feely team-building, are job search gimmicks less popular now, and moremy “on-site” coworker is never on-siteis it OK to nap at work?do I have to share my story on a “women in industry” panel?should conjoined twins receive one salary, daily meetings with my boss, and moreweekend open thread – January 25-26, 2025open thread – January 24, 2025my partner is angry about how I handled harassment, venting to employees about managers above them, and morehere’s an example of a great cover letter from a career changerupdates: the musician with a day job, the required email greetings, and morelet’s discuss jerks getting their comeuppancewhat to do about a terrible workplace when you can’t leave, employee keeps writing in her pregnancy journal at work, and morecan I cut short a whole day of horrible, rude interviews?can I ask employees to stay late during busy times?I don’t want to babysit my brother in my officemy employees can’t move on after I yelled at them, boss found out I’ve been hiding mistakes, and morethe cheap flights, the bursting jacket, and other stories of malicious compliancemy company is a great place to work … for everyone but memy coworker accused of me of deliberately snoring to keep him awake on a work tripjob candidate’s name is a slur, exec is marketing a job as a “roommate opportunity,” and moremy coworker keeps demanding I say “please”my employer fined me $90 for being latewarning an intern about a bad manager, former colleague is running a scam, and moreweekend open thread – January 18-19, 2025open thread – January 17, 2025CEO shared family trip photos after announcing budget cuts, new hire aggressively compliments our work, and morecan I tell clients not to bring in sick kids?Ask a Manager on Blueskylet’s discuss malicious compliancecoworkers are bouncing on yoga balls on Zoom calls, paid parental leave but only for women, and moremy friend has terrible judgment, and I’ve encouraged itshould we offer severance to a belligerent, hostile employee?our CEO is demanding we return to the office but people don’t want to — and I’m a manager stuck in the middleHR person secretly helped her mom get hired, coworker is identifying herself as a psychologist when she’s not, and moreemployer wants me to write 30 essays before they’ll even consider my applicationmy employees’ juice cleanses are disrupting their worka fellow conference attendee was a jerk on the airplanepolitely avoiding sitting by a loud coworker, colleague asked me to lead a project and then went silent, and moreemployee runs to work and drips water and mud everywhere when he arrivesjunior employee sends rude emailsmy new boss told me not to take all my PTO each yearmysterious visitor won’t leave our cafe, correcting coworker’s Spanish mistake, and moreweekend open thread – January 11-12, 2025open thread – January 10, 2025how can I convince a new job to let me work from home, staff gets ready to leave before the end of their shift, and morehow to ask “did you get my gift?” without sounding like you’re fishing for a thank-youupdate: my new boss treats me like his assistant … which isn’t what I was hired fordid a haircut ever change the way you were treated at work?coworkers can’t believe I’m not wearing a coat, asking to work remotely after getting a tattoo, and moreI’m angry at my coworkers — can I refuse their apology?should employees use sick time for doctor’s appointments?I think my disastrous ex-employee is co-opting queer identityboss constantly talks about her personal finances, coworker is addicted to her phone, and moreshould I call out a vulture who takes way more than his share of food at meetings?how much time can I ask for to consider a job offer?my vegan coworker is upset about getting non-vegan gifts three years in a rowasking my wife not to attend a work dinner, coworker’s fidget rings are distracting me, and morecoworkers are angry that we got rid of their smelly, fly-ridden compost bucketmy employee is too accommodatingmy boss’s wife cheated on him in front of me, and now he’s icing me out at workour office banned couches, axe-throwing at the company holiday party, and moreweekend open thread – January 4-5, 2025open thread – January 3, 2025coworker keeps telling people she’s my boss, suspicious jewelry, and moreupdates: martial arts at work, coworker hates me, and morehow to fight for your job in a “hunger games” scenariohow should I decorate my office?coworker’s “people I need to hit” list, director sent around a photo of my messy desk, and morecoworker keeps making minor corrections to my work, CEO wants us the company logo on our butts, and more