my employee isn’t doing her job — but I think she’s in an abusive relationship by Alison Green on August 14, 2018 A reader writes: I work in a very seasonal business, one where I can really only retain one person in the off-season, as we can’t afford (nor have the work for) anyone else during that time. In the six years I’ve been here, we’ve built up a good core staff that returns most years, and […] Read the full article →
I manage an easily distracted manager, and it’s frustrating her employees by Alison Green on August 8, 2018 A reader writes: One of the departments I manage has a new manager. She’s an external hire and it’s been four months now. I’ve been getting complaints about her from employees both inside and outside of the department. They all say the same thing, that she loses focus, gets easily distracted, and goes off on […] Read the full article →
is it OK to take vacations and share clothes with your boss? by Alison Green on August 6, 2018 At Slate today, I wrote about managers who try to be BFFs with their employees … raising concerns about favoritism and objectivity, sometimes pushing for more intimacy than their employees want, and generally overstepping boundaries. There are stories about a manager who took expensive spa vacations with an employee, a boss who regularly broke into tears while […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps venting to his coworkers but won’t talk to me by Alison Green on July 30, 2018 A reader writes: I have an employee with whom I have made every attempt to keep open lines of communication, be there for him, offer assistance, be a sounding board, etc. However he repeatedly confides in a coworker when he wants to vent about something, rather than coming to me. I end up hearing about […] Read the full article →
my toxic former employee is still spreading negativity on my staff by Alison Green on July 25, 2018 A reader writes: Ten years ago, I got my dream job as the head of a community-based organization. My job consists of running the show: hiring, firing, and supervising at least 25 employees, as well as keeping fiscal affairs in order. My direct report, who acted as a sort of assistant director, was an older […] Read the full article →
will my employee be demoralized by a coworker’s promotion? by Alison Green on July 19, 2018 A reader writes: I’m newly the manager of a small group of three people. One of my first acts will be to promote someone in our group-let’s call her Sarah- who is overdue for recognition of the truly outstanding work she does for our organization. One of my other reports, Dian, currently shares the same […] Read the full article →
my employee works late every night, but it seems to be her fault by Alison Green on July 18, 2018 A reader writes: Recently I’ve encountered a tricky work issue, and I’m struggling to come up with a solution. I’m a new manager with one direct report. I’m also a recent addition to this team, which I’ve since learned has had a lot of turnover and inconsistent leadership in the past year. My direct report […] Read the full article →
my employee says her errors are just “enthusiasm” by Alison Green on July 12, 2018 A reader writes: I have a new employee who just finished grad school but is not new to work because she worked a few years between college and grad school. Some of the people we work with have been put off by her behavior. She is asking a lot of questions in meetings and making […] Read the full article →
I don’t have enough work for my employees and it’s stressing me out by Alison Green on July 11, 2018 A reader writes: I am the owner of a small business and responsible for my team of three employees. As a tour operator, our work is seasonal, with a very busy period for seven months of the year and little to do for the other five. During the quiet period, I feel a huge amount […] Read the full article →
what should your tone sound like when you’re the boss? by Alison Green on July 5, 2018 Earlier this year, I did an episode of the Ask a Manager podcast about what kind of tone to use in tricky conversations at work. That episode was one of the reasons I was excited about launching a podcast in the first place, because while I talk a lot about tone here, it’s hard to demonstrate […] Read the full article →