Ask a Manager

Quitting your job can be surprisingly anxiety-producing. Not only are you preparing to leave a job and co-workers who have grown familiar to you, but having the actual quitting conversation with your boss can be stressful even if you are thrilled to be leaving. And if you haven’t quit many jobs before, you might not […]

A reader writes: I work in a government department of about 25 people. Due to a poorly executed reorganization and COVID19, we lost about 5 people to other jobs, retirement, or budget cuts in the past year. Obviously, it’s never optimal to lose 20% of your staff, but that could be recovered from if it […]

A reader writes: I am currently looking for a new job. I’m a person who seems to perpetually be stuck in dead-end positions in toxic environments, so I’m searching for a new position with a keen eye out for any red flags. (Your past advice, plus Glassdoor reviews, have been really helpful in discerning the […]

A reader writes: Earlier this year in January, I left an IT job at a large company to take a similar role at a smaller firm in a different industry that needed a specific skillset in which I am well experienced. I was referred by an existing employee who was a former colleague of mine. […]

A reader writes: I have been at my company in a support role for over two years. I was under the impression from the very beginning that I was on a promotion track, and I thought my boss and I were on the same page. Long story short, I endured two years of belittling, gaslighting, […]

A reader writes: I am a creative team lead at a floundering startup. This is the worst-run workplace I have ever seen. There are two people above me, our CEO Lorna and her general manager, Ignatius. Lorna is not a bad person, but she has a tendency to not tell the whole truth and to […]

A reader writes: I started a new job in my field in March. This is my first role in the industry that has the professional title linked to my certification, so it’s an important step for me in my career. A week after I started, we shut down due to Covid. I’ve been working from […]

A reader writes: Let me preface this by saying, I love my job and I adore my coworkers. My boss and I go back a while; I’ve been their right-hand man for almost a decade. I have worked hard to earn the trust and respect of the folks I work with. We’re definitely one of […]

A reader writes: For the past seven years, I’ve worked for a small marketing agency with five full-time employees and two partners who own the businesses. It looks like (fingers crossed!) I’ll be receiving an offer for a new position with a different agency soon, working on projects that I’m excited about with a substantial […]