my frustrated employee is unlikely to advance by Alison Green on October 28, 2020 A reader writes: I have a direct report, Jill, who has been on my team for a few years now. When I started out as manager for the team, we had an initial one-on-one partially to get a sense of where she saw her career going. (We had worked in the same department before, but […] Read the full article →
how do I change my attitude toward my needy, frustrating employee? by Alison Green on October 27, 2020 A reader writes: I have a staff member who I’m just over, and I really need to change my attitude. In general she’s good at her job, but she’s just so needy. I’ve worked to address some of that, like not walking around the office talking with everyone and keeping them from work, how to […] Read the full article →
what should I expect from my staff at this point in the pandemic? by Alison Green on October 27, 2020 A reader writes: I am a middle manager at a library. I and all my staff members are required to report to work in person and have been doing so since the beginning of the summer. The public can’t come into our building but we deliver via curbside pickup. When we first got back, I […] Read the full article →
as a manager, do I need to hide my stress from my team? by Alison Green on October 21, 2020 A reader writes: I work a fairly high-stress management position. It’s the kind of job that comes with frequent six-day weeks, not a huge paycheck, a lot of customer interface, and the responsibility of a regularly shifting staff of seasonal employees. I’m concerned about how I comport myself as a manager. I don’t have much […] Read the full article →
how can I encourage complaints from my employees? by Alison Green on October 15, 2020 A reader writes: I’m relatively new to management. I’ve been in my role for about a year and a half. Prior to this, I haven’t had direct reports for over 20 years, and even then it was only for a year. All of my other friends who have been people managers say the worst part […] Read the full article →
what’s the ideal personality type for a manager? by Alison Green on October 15, 2020 A reader writes: I consistently test one specific personality type on the Myers-Briggs personality test (it’s INTJ). I am great at planning and developing long-term, big idea strategies for my organization, but I really struggle making personal connections with staff. It kills me when hourly staff show up five minutes late for work, which I […] Read the full article →
my employee has been sulking since her job changed by Alison Green on September 30, 2020 A reader asks: I’m managing an employee, Lucy, who was recently moved to a different position on our team. Her old position was eliminated because it had evolved to require skills she didn’t have, and so she moved to this job. Initially, Lucy said she was a “team player” and ready to do whatever may […] Read the full article →
how to fire a difficult, long-time employee by Alison Green on September 28, 2020 A reader writes: I work in a small office in a declining industry. Our salespeople have seen reduced commissions because they are based on sales, and the owners have taken pay cuts to avoid layoffs and cutting employee’s salaries. One of our designers has been in the job since the company’s inception (20+ years) and […] Read the full article →
my employee resigned but now isn’t leaving by Alison Green on September 23, 2020 A reader writes: I recently took over as manager for a small team. One of the employees on the team, Jane, announced that she was leaving and had a new job lined up. Jane’s replacement was hired but before she could start, there were some problems with Jane’s new job. This is no fault of […] Read the full article →
my employee’s clothes accentuate her chest — how do I talk to her about it? by Alison Green on September 23, 2020 A reader writes: I am a fairly new manager and I recently got a new, young subordinate. We work in a nonprofit and the dress code is very relaxed. We often only wear t-shirts and jeans, and even shorts won’t raise eyebrows if it’s very hot. However, I have come across an issue with the […] Read the full article →