Ask a Manager

Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. I have an awful summer intern, and I can’t fire him (first update here) Thanks so much for taking my original question! I wanted to reach out with a somewhat amusing update. I appreciated your, and the commenter’s, advice so much and I tried to be diligent […]

Remember the letter-writer whose employer made them a counteroffer but then rescinded it? Here’s the update. I wound up taking the job at LargeCorp. When I wrote you, it was the same day grandboss had revoked his commitment. The next day, when you published my letter, he told me I could stay, in a job […]

Remember the letter-writer wondering whether to mention that they were trans when interviewing (#4 at the link)? Here’s the update. Thanks for publishing my letter, Alison. Indeed, I found the advice and comments interesting and helpful. I’d like to provide an update on how things went. I interviewed for a job doing much the same […]

Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. Do I have to tell my boss where I’m going when I quit? I wrote in back in March asking if it was okay to lie about who your new employer is to your problematic boss who is known to reach out to future employers to try […]

Remember the letter-writer whose household employees kept ghosting her? Here’s the update. Hello! Things did _not_ get better, but maybe this can serve as a warning / dose of drama for your other readers? Like (I think) many parents with kids under 5 in a pandemic, we went through the winter “surge” by seeing no one […]

Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. My coworker cried and called me militant Turns out Jane was only the tip of a very dysfunctional, toxic iceberg filled with bullies and handled really badly by upper management. (Thank you to everyone who gave me advice on first post, I really appreciated the different perspectives.) […]

Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. My phone number used to belong to a sex worker Thanks so much for answering my question. I ultimately ended up changing my number, not because I was worried about a job search, but because I was tired of getting 3am calls from guys wanting friendly business. […]

Remember the letter-writer whose boss was obsessed with her and wanted her to be his emotional support? Here’s the update. I’m the EA whose CEO was obsessed with me. I’ll start by saying that I have a new, much better job that I look forward to starting in about a week and I am currently […]

Remember the letter-writer whose boss would not physically acknowledge her in social settings? Here’s the update. Thank you for answering my question! It was so helpful and validating to know that yes, this was bizarre, as well as encouraging me to broach it with my boss. Because it didn’t affect our working relationship hugely, I […]