Ask a Manager

I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My interviewer asked “how low I was willing to go” on salary I had a wonderful phone interview that lead to an in-person interview. Both went extremely well and the job is […]

I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. While I was hospitalized, my workplace contacted people I haven’t seen in years I work in a small, close-knit office and was recently hospitalized for a mental health issue. The hospitalization itself […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Misbehaving dog rampages around the office About four months ago, we were asked to return to the office after two amazing years working from home, first two days a week, then Monday through Thursday. We are a five-person design studio with three associates who own […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m starting to hate my customers I work in telephone based collections for a credit card and loan provider, but increasingly I’m getting frustrated by the attitude of the customers we deal with. I find myself uncharitably thinking that they’re lucky that we are willing […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker asks about my personal finances I work in an education-related industry that’s not known for having particularly high salaries. I’m on the younger end of my workplace, and it’s the kind of place where I might be in the same role as someone […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I don’t want to go to our holiday party At out last meeting, we were discussing what to do for our holiday party and were asked to vote. The decision hasn’t been made yet, but most of the choices were in the city that is […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker accidentally sent me an email complaining about me My colleague and I manage two teams that perform the a similar function and effectively have to job share our role to keep the business ticking along effectively. We have sizable teams and the role […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My company wants remote employees to take a pay cut At a recent managers meeting for my company, we discussed our mandatory return to office, which will start early next year. It was mentioned that people who are working remotely from places not near one […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. How can I help my teenagers figure out career goals? I have twin 10th graders, both intelligent and hard working. One has an idea of the field they want to go into and the other has no clue. I don’t know how to guide them […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker prayed that I’ll return to Jesus I work in higher ed at a university that has roughly a 40% Jewish population. I have worked in my office for a little over four years. About a year ago, I converted to Judaism. I am […]