my employees’ juice cleanses are getting in the way of their work by Alison Green on August 14, 2019 A reader writes: I manage a team of five. (For context, we are all women and on friendly terms, and some of the women have closer friendships.) One of my staff, Hester, does some variation of a week-long juice cleanse or other liquid diet about once per year, and has for the four years she […] Read the full article →
my employee is way too helpful and accommodating by Alison Green on August 12, 2019 A reader writes: I’m a department head and team leader, and I currently manage about 25 people. I’m also fairly new to management, so I’m still learning the ropes of proper management and how to handle certain issues. I’m very lucky because my whole team works well together and there are no “bad seeds.” We […] Read the full article →
my new employee lied on his resume by Alison Green on August 12, 2019 A reader writes: I joined my current company last year and was recently promoted from my former position to managing another department. One of the team members in my new department expressed an interest in the role I was vacating. In the process of interviewing him for my old position, I discovered glaring errors on […] Read the full article →
is it true that nothing in a performance review can ever be a surprise? by Alison Green on August 8, 2019 This comes up here from time to time and I thought it was worth a post of its own: the idea that nothing in a performance evaluation should ever be a surprise. It’s right in theory, but it’s not that simple. It’s absolutely true that managers should be giving employees feedback throughout the year and […] Read the full article →
my new employee ran a background check on me and asked me about what he found by Alison Green on August 7, 2019 A reader writes: I started a new position recently and was promoted quickly to a management position. Great, I have a long supervisory background, looking forward to helping in a wider capacity. One of my direct reports is a very conscientious and ambitious young man named “Scott” who I have found pleasant to work with. […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps telling me his “expectations” of me by Alison Green on August 7, 2019 A reader writes: I’m a mid-level college administrator. One of my direct reports is positioning himself to move up in a couple of years (from department member to department head). He would still report to me, but the working relationship would be a little different. I need to work closely with department heads, and it […] Read the full article →
can I ask employees to stay late during busy times? by Alison Green on August 6, 2019 A reader writes: I am curious about the “rules” of requiring extra work from employees. I own and operate a small (eight-person) business in the publishing field. The work flow is typically manageable within a 40-hour work week. However, there are peaks and valleys. Occasionally an important project comes in with an especially tight deadline. […] Read the full article →
how to criticize someone’s work without making it awkward by Alison Green on August 6, 2019 So, you’re working with someone whose work isn’t exactly what you need it to be, and you need to ask them to do it differently. Maybe you’re their manager, or maybe you’re a peer who’s overseeing the project they’re working on. Maybe the correction is relatively minor, or maybe it’s a big deal. Either way, […] Read the full article →
my assistant doesn’t know how to prioritize by Alison Green on August 5, 2019 A reader writes: My team is built up of me (a coordinator), one manager, and one director. The manager and I are both at the same level, reporting up to the director. We recently hired a part-time assistant, Jane, to help with the work. While Jane technically reports to the manager, he and I both […] Read the full article →
my employees chat too much at work by Alison Green on July 31, 2019 A reader writes: I have a couple of employees who are using their time and company resources during work to chat with each other, like sending lots of personal emails to one another during work hours. What is the best way to address this without alienating them? It seems to be ongoing throughout the day […] Read the full article →