Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is liquor inappropriate at a work event that offers beer and wine? This is a silly, low-stakes question, but I’m curious. I work very closely with another coworker and we frequently plan events for a specific network of professionals. My coworker absolutely refuses to offer […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can my wife report her creepy coworker to HR? My wife is in a concerning situation at work. A coworker who started out as a friend began crossing the line, making it clear he was looking for more. The comments he made were more “creepy” […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My team was told to do less work I’ve had an interesting three months at work. During this period, my team of three was pulled aside while one service desk team member was out. We were asked in that meeting to work LESS diligently so […]

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My employee isn’t as productive on her WFH days I work in a university on a small team of just me and one other, Claire. Claire is in her mid-30s and has been in her role for over 10 years, initially full-time and now three […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I think a company leader is faking his work history A coworker and I discovered that a member of our company’s C-suite is very likely misrepresenting his work history. We both noticed that his executive bio, which is provided to press, doesn’t align with his […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is my girlfriend’s boss crossing a line? My girlfriend is a manager at a psychiatric office, but I feel that her male boss crosses the line in conversations — for example, giving her his opinion on periods and how she shouldn’t have one and telling […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker’s retirement email took credit for our full product line I received an email from a coworker who is retiring next month. The worker, let’s call him Carl, announced his upcoming retirement and then bragged for a long paragraph about his integral design accomplishments for […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss won’t stop complaining about my maternity leave I’m four months pregnant and I had to (chose to) tell my boss when I was eight weeks due to my nausea and sickness. When I told him, his first reaction was, “How much maternity leave […]

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 […]