my employee wasn’t respectful enough after the company messed up her paycheck by Alison Green on October 19, 2021 A reader writes: I’m not comfortable with one of my new staff members and how overconfident she is. Her work is great and she needed very little training but she’s got very big britches. “Jane” has only been with us for two months. Just today she asked for a meeting with me and our payroll […] Read the full article →
how to manage an employee who rambles by Alison Green on October 18, 2021 A reader writes: I have an employee who has a serious problem going into far too much detail in nearly every work conversation. The other people in the meeting can’t even get a word in to interrupt her. I’ve tried giving her feedback about listening more, asking questions instead of talking, and writing outlines of […] Read the full article →
my employees keep contacting me when I’m off work by Alison Green on October 13, 2021 A reader writes: I manage a staff of 18 who work varying shift times. When I’m out of the office, whether that’s due to vacation, illness, or just regular days off, my staff constantly contacts me. It’s mostly questions about things that could easily be handled by someone else in the building, management or not. […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps changing her appearance during the work day by Alison Green on October 11, 2021 A reader writes: I am hoping to get some advice on a situation I am having with one of my employees. Michelle has worked here for almost a year. This is her first job after college and her second job ever. There are no issues with the quality of her work. But Michelle makes drastic […] Read the full article →
my employee vents to me about her job and personal life and wants constant reassurance by Alison Green on October 5, 2021 A reader writes: I am a small business owner, managing a team of three people in addition to performing my primary job. I spend most of my day driving and working with clients while my team supports me from our office or remotely from home. All roles are client-facing and we help people who are […] Read the full article →
I’m constantly anxious that one of my employees will quit by Alison Green on October 4, 2021 A reader writes: I manage a small team. We pay generous salaries, overtime, on-call pay, and very nice year-end bonuses. I’d like to think I am good manager – I invest in my team’s growth, I communicate expectations clearly, and I offer genuine appreciation for good work. When something goes wrong – as it always […] Read the full article →
my employees are getting married and having a baby — can I insist they tell the rest of the team? by Alison Green on September 29, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a large local government agency. We have about 400 employees in our department, and I manage a team of 25 people. I recently found out that two of my employees, Mark and Ashley, are (1) married to each other and (2) expecting a baby. I had known they were […] Read the full article →
my employee wants flexible hours in a job that doesn’t allow it by Alison Green on September 29, 2021 A reader writes: I manage an employee who is a hard worker and great with our patrons. She is also a single mom, so I worked with her to create a customized schedule that would accommodate her parental responsibilities. However, she has interpreted my initial flexibility as flex scheduling and now she comes and goes […] Read the full article →
my employee relocated and didn’t tell me by Alison Green on September 27, 2021 A reader writes: I run an online business and we have not worked in office since March 2020. Like many Covid-remote workers, we saw some living situations shift: moving in with family, caring for parents, working in remote locations. That worked very well for us and I’m grateful. Our current return-to-work date is before the […] Read the full article →
how do I manage a great employee who finishes everything ahead of schedule? by Alison Green on September 23, 2021 A reader writes: I have an employee who is extremely efficient. He finishes tasks in about half the time of his predecessors. I give him additional work, but he still ends up with significant downtime. I’m inclined to ask him to search for efficiency ideas but success in that will lead to more downtime. Any […] Read the full article →