Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. A coworker I barely know told me I talk too much My friend “Mark” and I work for the same large company. It’s large enough that we rarely encounter each other at work and don’t know many of each other’s colleagues. We recently had a […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Should I invite my team to my home for dinner? I’d love to know your thoughts about inviting your team over for dinner at your house. My organization went remote during the pandemic and I am one of the few that still live in our […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I wear my wedding ring to an interview? I’ve been generally unhappy with my current job and have been interviewing for other roles. Most of my interviews have been virtual or over the phone. Now that I’ve made it farther along in the process, […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Telling recruiters I wouldn’t move to a state that discriminates I’m currently job searching, trying to relocate from a mid-sized city in a purple state to somewhere like Chicago or DC, and one of the major reasons is because of the worsening political climate here […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can a meh middle manager be a good CEO? It’s common to hear of “worker bee”-like employees excelling in their duties only to flounder when promoted to management roles. However, is it possible for someone to be a meh middle manager only to shine in […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Why I am irrationally anxious at work when I’m doing so well? I feel as though this question is more appropriate coming from a 20something, but I’m well into my 40s. I work for a very large organization, and I am the only person with […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I ask candidates about their least favorite part of their job — should I not? I read the post yesterday on oddball interview questions, and I’m hoping I’m not being a jerk with my favorite question. In the last year or so, I’ve started asking […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Teenager’s job wants her to go on a weekend retreat My daughter is 15 and has her first job. Supervisor messages everyone she is planning a team-building event which will be a Friday to Sunday summer girls getaway at an AirBnB somewhere. Supervisor’s message goes […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I prohibit employees from bringing partners on work trips? My team recently wrapped up a big project that included flying to another city for a week of meetings. One of my newer staff mentioned that they were going to bring their partner on the […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker asks questions that are none of her business I have a coworker who frequently asks me questions that aren’t a big deal but aren’t any of her business either. We’re on the same team, have equal responsibilities, and report to the same manager, […]