Ask a Manager

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My interviewer mocked my speech impediment I recently had a job interview that was extremely unpleasant. I won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say, there were so many red flags that the conference room was practically shrouded in a crimson miasma. I’m […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m biased toward midwestern candidates At the east coast company I work at, I’m frequently on hiring committees for competitive positions that typically include a wide range of candidates from all over the U.S. I recently noticed a concerning pattern in the candidates that I […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I work remotely across the country if I’ve been having health problems? I am a primarily in-office knowledge worker who gets Fridays to WFH. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been having heart-related health issues that rest seems to help. I’ve asked for […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Getting called a Nazi at work I work for local government in a region that is currently experiencing a drought. Part of my job involves working with people who break drought restrictions, with engagement ranging from education and outreach to levying fines or outright limiting […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My daughter has lost two jobs in one year My 44-year-old daughter has been fired from two different employment agencies in the last 12 months. The first time, the company did not give a reason. The second time, the company said budget cuts were the […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. A manager thanked my husband for letting me work with them A department I work with organized a social dinner at a restaurant after work one evening. People brought their families and so I brought my husband. A manager I work with came by, so […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I suspect my colleague was drinking before our morning meeting I held a meeting late morning on Friday with my colleague, “Janet.” During our meeting, her behavior seemed fine, if even a little more level than her normal frenetic energy. During the meeting, we pulled […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. An employee we fired keeps making “inspirational” posts about it on LinkedIn About four months ago, I had to fire an employee due to performance issues. She was a generally nice person, but unfortunately fell short of expectations so we had to let her go. […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker took a video call from the bathroom I was on a call with a vendor recently with about three people from each organization. Most people had their cameras off, and after the meeting topics were covered, I began to ask some follow-up questions […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m frustrated with my daughter’s new job Our daughter is struggling. Her job has asked her not to come in for the rest of the month as they are “giving her time to work on herself.” She is a new employee of a brand new […]