It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss read my Skype conversations Help! My manager read all my Skype conversations between me and a friend at the company. For some context, I am in HR in my first job after college. I’ve been at my current company for a year now, […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is being let go for not doing his work — but that’s not what our boss told him I have a coworker, Fergus, who is being let go because he doesn’t do his job. For example, there was a big project for his […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Asking junior staff to speak for their generation Any suggestions for how to curb the need some of my colleagues have to use the “youth” in the room — be it younger staff or interns — to speak for all people of their demographic? This […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I ask my boss to stop bringing in alcohol? I work in a very small (under 10 people total, with myself and three to four others in the office on a day-to-day basis) tech start-up, and I’ve been here about a month. The manager […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My intern asked if my pregnancy was planned I’m pregnant with my first child. I’m just finishing my first trimester and have been sharing the news with my manager, reports, and coworkers. It’s gone really well — even my sometimes stodgy boss was delighted! I’m […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworkers are trashing people in another language — and don’t know I can understand them I’m in the UK, working in IT projects in a large-ish open plan office. We don’t have cubicles or anything, so it’s really easy to hear other people’s conversations. […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My business travel is full of exhausting layovers and cost-cutting I’m writing to you exhausted after my most recent bout of work travel. I’m a 27-year-old woman working at a smallish (15 people) company. I’ve been here just over two years and have worked my […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I report my daughter’s workplace affair to HR? I am a supervisor in the security department at a hospital. My 27-year-old daughter, with two young daughters of her own, also works at the hospital in a different department. She has since entered into a […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How do I explain to applicants that their parents are hurting their chances? I work on the recruitment team for a large company that staffs festivals, conventions, and sporting events. Our roles are customer service roles on a casual basis, meaning a lot of our […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My office keeps asking about my baby plans I am a recently married woman who even more recently learned I may not be able to have children. Some seemingly unrelated health stuff led to this discovery and we’re pretty much trying something for now and […]