advice about your boss

Need advice about your boss? Here are answers to all the questions you have about your manager, from how to deal with a boss who yells, to how to tell your manager you’re allergic to her perfume.

my boss keeps commenting on my acne

A reader writes: I (30F) got a new supervisor in the last six months, who is also part of the C-suite. She is very talented, knowledgeable, and friendly. She has done a lot in terms of supporting and mentoring me, and I am really appreciative of her efforts. However, one issue with her is that […]

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can I tell my boss I’m a bad fit for my job?

A reader writes: Since early 2021, I have been working as an administrative assistant in a fairly specific field (think a specialized field within a larger industry). I changed jobs in June of this year, as my previous role was only part-time and that wasn’t working out for me. There were some other culture issues […]

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can I ask my boss to coach me on professionalism?

A reader writes: I’ve recently started a new job and in, reflecting on my work experience, I’ve realized that I’m not nearly as attuned to professional norms as I would like to be. Given my background, it’s not terribly surprising. My parents are musicians, and there were large parts of my childhood that we spent […]

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how do I rebuild trust in my incompetent manager?

A reader writes: My manager was an amazing individual contributor, but a year in, it’s fairly obvious that management is not a good fit for her. She’s defensive, disorganized, thin-skinned, and quick to blame others. But I love the rest of my job, so I’ve made my peace with this trade-off and found ways to […]

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should I report my fatphobic boss or am I being too sensitive?

A reader writes: I’m dealing with a boss now turned grandboss who has no boundaries and has some unconscious fatphobia that’s impacting her perception of me, and I’m not sure if I should report it or just let it go. I started at my job at a mid-sized nonprofit that serves a very diverse client […]

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my new boss needs constant reassurance

A reader writes: I’m in a situation that’s new to me in almost 15 years in my field. I’ve been at my employer for four years, and a new manager was hired four months ago to lead my team. I used to report to the person who’s now my grandboss. My new manager, Jim, handles […]

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my boss only wants to hire attractive young women

Announcement: At 2 pm ET today, it’s part of 2 of last month’s speed round! Last month’s speed round had 700+ questions submitted, so this time I’ll be answering some of the questions I didn’t get to in round 1. Follow along live on the home page later today. A reader writes: My boss, Todd, […]

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how can I tell my boss I work better when she’s not here?

A reader writes: I’m a junior level employee in a small-ish business. I only have about a year of experience in full-time work, but worked a lot throughout college. I also have ADHD and was diagnosed almost two years ago. My job is a lot of layered tasks—some things to be done ASAP, some to […]

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my boss took away part of my job and I feel humiliated

A reader writes: Almost eight months ago, I accepted a job on the leadership team of a moderate sized company. This job was a step up in responsibility, because it would allow me to lead a larger team. I supervise three managers, who in turn supervise other junior staff. Today my boss, the CEO, informed […]

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