Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss asked me to create a list of solutions to awful morale I genuinely like the work that I do. It’s an important service and I feel good about my work. But the company itself and the people I work with are incredibly disorganized, […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My mom’s advice is ruining my sister’s job prospects My younger sister has been unemployed or under-employed her entire professional life. She graduated into the Great Recession with astronomical student debt and serious medical conditions that make daily tasks difficult, even with accommodation. She’s been […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I ask for a raise right after returning from furlough? I work as a program coordinator at a large public university. I have been furloughed since May and am expecting to return the first week of July, which is also the week of my […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Contacting kids of family friends about career opportunities This morning, I got an email about a terrific and free leadership program for recent college grads hosted by a highly respected entrepreneur and author. I reached out to a longtime family friend whose son fit the […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is this mug inappropriate for work? I want to bring my favorite mug into the office—it’s a silly mug with a picture of a cat with a pentagram that says, “Puuurrraise Satan,” but my mom (she works in another branch of the same company) cautioned […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss keeps pretending to punch me in the groin My manager keeps pretending to punch me in the groin when I walk past. This happens at least once on every shift. I have asked him to stop doing it more than once, as it […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My dad says continuing to work at home makes me look less dedicated My office has been working remotely since March, but a new plan was recently introduced to optionally allow people back in office on a careful schedule. I informed my manager I wasn’t […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I want to return to the office but we’re still working from home My organization has been working from home since mid-March. Luckily, the work we do can be done remotely so we have adapted pretty well to the change. My state has gradually re-opened […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. As HR, should I stay out of private Slack channels? I’m the head of HR for my small(ish) international company. I’m a mixed-race woman and a mom. We have a variety of private Slack channels, including channels for parents, women, people of color, etc. Our […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee won’t let go of a mistake I made I’m a few months into my first management job and I’m still trying to figure out how to be seen as the manager. I’m in my early 20s and a large part of my time […]