my employee is vaping on video calls by Alison Green on December 12, 2024 A reader writes: I manage a team that has moved to remote work. We are now holding all of our meetings through virtual interfaces. Recently I have noticed one of our employees vaping during our meetings with me and during all-staff meetings. Do you think this is appropriate or should I say something? I answer […] Read the full article →
my employee never apologizes for mistakes by Alison Green on December 11, 2024 A reader writes: I manage an employee who’s in his first year out of college. He’s a great employee and has impressed people at all levels of the company and has received recognition for his good work. But there is one thing recently that has been driving me up a wall and I can’t tell […] Read the full article →
my assistant doesn’t know how to prioritize by Alison Green on December 4, 2024 A reader writes: My team recently hired a part-time assistant, Jane, to help with my work. The problem I’m running into is that Jane either doesn’t know how to prioritize or doesn’t understand that certain things need to be prioritized even if I explicitly tell her “this task needs to be completed before you do […] Read the full article →
I feel exploited by my employees by Alison Green on December 3, 2024 A reader writes: I lead a manufacturing business that I co-founded over a decade ago. It turned its first profit recently, but all this time, we as the owners have taken care of everyone by taking colossal personal debt and making incredible sacrifices, including working ourselves an average of 60 hours a week. We have […] Read the full article →
I just found out my BFF has been my employee’s therapist for years by Alison Green on November 25, 2024 A reader writes: I have been the direct supervisor of Bob since 2022, but I was also previously his supervisor in another position, I have worked with him in some capacity for almost 10 years. In many ways, he has been my closest friend at work: we work together on many projects and I often […] Read the full article →
how much socializing at work is too much? by Alison Green on November 21, 2024 A reader writes: I am a manager at an office of 35 employees and everyone is fairly autonomous in managing their workload. We’re a pretty social and casual group, so it’s no big deal for people to socialize with one another to a certain extent. However, I’ve recently noticed that there seem to be more […] Read the full article →
is my employee taking advantage of the flexibility I give her? by Alison Green on November 20, 2024 A reader asks: I’m a manager of two employees, both of whom are salaried, not hourly. One of them — who’s younger, less experienced, more eager — rarely asks to adjust her work hours or work from home, and is generally happy to do anything I ask her to do. The other is a little […] Read the full article →
my team member won’t stop talking about their Keto diet by Alison Green on November 18, 2024 A reader writes: I manage an employee, Casey, who has developed a passion for a Keto, fasting, and all things carnivore lifestyle. It is great that they have found a lifestyle that they love, but they are a bit overly passionate and it is a little overwhelming in our office. What makes it difficult is […] Read the full article →
our ex-CEO’s son can’t do his job and is overpaid by Alison Green on November 13, 2024 A reader writes: I took over a new job about eight months ago, and knowingly inherited an abundance of issues, ranging from minor (previous CEO of 20 years did not believe in pest control so there were mouse remnants everywhere) to complex (ex-CEO had hired their unqualified child, Jasper, into a role that has large […] Read the full article →
a team whose boss was AWOL for 2 years is angry and resentful now by Alison Green on November 12, 2024 A reader writes: My department had a manager, Beth, who spiraled into a drug addiction crisis post-Covid. The details of how that happened and how long it took to remove her from her position could make up several letters, but I will leave out those details as it’s not what I’m writing about now. Beth’s […] Read the full article →