Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Gross webcam behavior My team is having daily video catch-ups, but one colleague (senior to me but not my boss) constantly picks at his face throughout the meeting. On one unfortunately memorable occasion, not realizing the rest of the team were already on the call, […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. We have to send three updates a day while working from home Like so many others, I am now working from home until further notice. Work from home was previously heavily discouraged and typically only allowed during snow days. On top of this, we have […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss keeps calling my predecessor for help I started a great job in September. The person who used to have my job (Jill) got promoted to a different position in the company, but then left for another company. Jill used to be the assistant […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I promote an employee who has a history of problems with coworkers? I am a general manager of two quick service restaurant locations of a small local chain. Running two locations has left me stretched very thin. Last September, I lost my assistant general […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I tell my new boss my coworker got obnoxiously drunk at a work event? Do I have a responsibility to let my boss know that a coworker was behaving inappropriately at a work function that she herself was not present at? I just joined […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee lied about being exposed to coronavirus One of my employees lied about being exposed to COVID-19. She called in to work saying she had gone back to her hometown over the weekend to visit family and was exposed while she was there. There […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworkers clip their nails at their desks I’m in an office where lots of people like to clip their nails at their desk. Sometimes you hear just one or two clips, which I could let go, but other times it’s a full set. And […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee expects us all to attend her destination wedding I’m the owner of a company based in the Northeast. Our team is mighty, but tiny — only ten people, three of whom are in leadership/senior positions. One of our employees firmly believes that since we […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My office plays religious music throughout the building I work for a very large, non-religious company in a technical role. In the building where I work, we can’t have headphones, so they play XM radio stations through speakers that are in every hallway and most […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My brother wants me to tutor his granddaughter for free Last year I started my own private tutoring service for children. I picked up several children and worked well with them. It became a very good side business for me. My main work is as […]