my employee is overly budget-conscious and freaks out when we spend money by Alison Green on July 16, 2019 A reader writes: I have a low-level employee who has always volunteered in nonprofits and worked in academia, and I’d love some tips on helping him change his budget awareness. He is very used to saving every penny of the organization’s money, at the expense of significant amounts of time, which makes sense if the […] Read the full article →
how can I tell if I’m a good manager? by Alison Green on July 11, 2019 A reader writes: In the last few months, I’ve gone from being an individual contributor to now managing a team of several employees. While I absolutely love my new role and feel alive doing what I do, I’m not oblivious to the fact I’m still very new at managing people and have lots of room […] Read the full article →
how much socializing at work is too much? by Alison Green on July 2, 2019 A reader writes: I am a low level manager at an office of 35 employees and we’re fairly autonomous in managing our workload. We have flex time, people work different hours, and as long as your work is done in a timely and quality way, then management usually leaves you to your own devices. We’re […] Read the full article →
my employee asked me to stop giving him feedback by Alison Green on July 1, 2019 A reader asks: I’m a relatively new manager and trying to do my best to tailor my style for each of my team members. This week I asked my team members what they’d like to me to do differently in our one-on-ones. I got some great feedback from most of my folks, but one has […] Read the full article →
I run a business and I feel exhausted and exploited by employees by Alison Green on July 1, 2019 A reader writes: I currently lead a manufacturing business that I co-founded. Because a previous related business failed in the recession, we have been in the trenches, at the coal face, behind the plough — whatever metaphor you prefer — for over a decade now. The current venture turned its first profit recently, but all […] Read the full article →
what should I say to an employee who’s requesting too much time off? by Alison Green on June 26, 2019 A reader writes: I have a question about an employee who is requesting a lot of time off. This employee is considered auxiliary (works less than 20 hours per week), and her shifts are working evenings and weekends in healthcare. She typically works a regular schedule of Friday, Saturday, Sunday and a mix of evening […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps commenting on my looks by Alison Green on June 26, 2019 A reader writes: How can I best discipline/provide feedback to an employee of mine about his frequent inappropriate comments about my body/attractiveness? I’m worried about inadvertently devolving into “you think I’m hot” territory or drawing even more attention to my body, which makes me very, very uncomfortable. Some recent comments/actions include: * “You’re bringing sexy […] Read the full article →
how do I tell an employee he doesn’t have what it takes to do the job he wants? by Alison Green on June 25, 2019 A reader writes: I’m in a tricky spot with a long-time employee of mine, “Bob,” and I need advice on how to deliver a potentially devastating piece of feedback: “You just don’t have what it takes to succeed in this role.” Back story: Bob is interested in growing from his current position (let’s say teapot […] Read the full article →
how much should I tell a team whose boss is on a performance plan? by Alison Green on June 20, 2019 A reader writes: Six months ago, I was promoted to lead a group of three assistant managers who each lead around 20 people. “Howard,” one of the assistant managers, had been hired two months before by my predecessor, but it was immediately obvious to me that his work was not up to par. I did […] Read the full article →
how much should I hand-hold a disorganized employee? by Alison Green on June 10, 2019 A reader writes: I am a new manager struggling with how the handle one of my direct reports who is struggling a bit himself. He is a smart guy but super disorganized. For example, he is in charge of ensuring all internal audits in our company have been set up, executed, etc We discuss this […] Read the full article →