how big a deal is employee lateness? by Alison Green on November 6, 2019 A reader writes: I manage an exempt employee who is frequently late: 15-20 minutes late at least once a week. He has a long commute that can be unpredictable when it comes to traffic, but after a year working here I don’t consider traffic a valid excuse. When I mentioned the lateness, he said in […] Read the full article →
I’m afraid to give critical feedback after two employees threatened suicide by Alison Green on November 6, 2019 A reader writes: I am a manager and I have a lot of empathy for people, particularly those on my team. However, that empathy has taken a turn since I’ve now had employees twice threaten suicide after serious feedback conversations. In both cases I was told they were considering suicide because of the potential job […] Read the full article →
my new junior employee said he’s “disappointed” in his job by Alison Green on October 28, 2019 A reader writes: I’m a new-ish manager of a small team within a small company (16 total people). I currently have two direct reports. One of them has been with the company longer than I have, and she is professional and a joy to work with. The other is a recent hire (he’s been here […] Read the full article →
should I have told my employee I figured out she’s pregnant so I could offer her flexibility? by Alison Green on October 24, 2019 A reader writes: A friend and I are both huge AAM fans, and we’ve been in a discussion today about how I should have handled a situation, so I thought I’d go right to the source and get your opinion. I work for a very small nonprofit but we pride ourselves on being very good […] Read the full article →
my new hire went AWOL on her first day by Alison Green on October 17, 2019 A reader writes: I recently offered a job to someone who accepted and set up a start date. When the person was due to come in for her first day, about a half hour before her shift, I got an apologetic email about a medical emergency (ankle sprain), but she did not specify if she […] Read the full article →
my employee is constantly hyping himself — but his work isn’t good by Alison Green on October 15, 2019 A reader writes: I recently hired a new administrative employee in my office. His job is to answer phones, greet guests, and complete various reports and tasks I assign to him. His customer service skills are strong, but his attention to detail is very weak on the other tasks. I have given him a lot […] Read the full article →
my employee accused me of favoring her coworker by Alison Green on October 9, 2019 A reader writes: I recently expanded my team from one direct report to two. “Tammy,” my original staffer, is proficient but not great and can get confused by complicated projects. “Carrie,” the new hire, is still learning but is a superstar. She picks up on nuances of projects that Tammy misses, even though Tammy has […] Read the full article →
my employee locked me out of a work document in a fit of pettiness by Alison Green on October 9, 2019 A reader writes: I took a job a few years back to manage an area that previously did not have a manager. My employer doesn’t fire people, it just moves them around, and this area was the dumping ground for problem employees before I arrived, so I inherited some colorful personalities. One employee in particular, […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps working long hours even though I asked him to stop by Alison Green on October 2, 2019 A reader writes: One of my employees who I manage is a very hard worker, reliable, and always gets the job done. He has a great reputation in the company, and everyone goes straight to him for help with projects (something that was the case when I started, and has been working well until recently). […] Read the full article →
is it bad for managers to sound frustrated or impatient? by Alison Green on September 16, 2019 A reader writes: I am relatively new to management and I have a question about a specific incident, which raises the issue of whether a good boss should ever show impatience. One of my direct reports, Jane, does a good job. I’ve given her a lot of (genuinely well-deserved) praise in public and private, and […] Read the full article →