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This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: I’ve got a question regarding how much “mistake tolerance” is expected in the workplace. Just to give you some background, I’m a (tech) team lead, which, in my case, means my daily […]

• I feel betrayed when employees quit
• I sent my boss a long, angry email ... but I turned out to be wrong
• was it unprofessional to say I was angry?

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: I’ve recently started managing a team of several employees. While I love the work, I’m not oblivious to the fact I’m still very new at managing people and have lots of room to develop. I once heard a speaker say that bad bosses are typically clueless about how they are perceived by […]

• advice for new managers
• is it a bad idea to work for a first-time manager?
• my terrible intern is a VIP's son and can't be fired

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2015. Is it real? Is it fake? I honestly don’t know. I normally don’t print letters that I think are likely fake, although the update made me less sure. Ultimately I don’t think it matters (as […]

• should you create a fake workload to test how much pressure an employee can take?
• can bad employees and bad managers change?
• a creepy customer complained my employees aren't friendly enough

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My coworker whispers a daily affirmation to me I work in a fairly open plan corporate setting. A new colleague joined another team about a month ago, and passes […]

• coworker whispers a daily affirmation to me, do I have to tell people I met with about my strep throat, and more
• coworker is always late because she stops for coffee, my boss told me to change my ringtone, and more
• my coworker keeps whispering sexually explicit things in the office bathroom

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2019. A reader writes: I’ve worked at a medium sized tech company as a software engineer for the past two years now. Our city has an ordinance requiring all businesses to compost and recycle. I fully […]

• can I threaten legal action to get a better job offer?
• my intern asked if my pregnancy was planned, cold-emailing companies about job openings, and more
• you should be giving your interns mock interviews

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: I’m the owner of a company. Our team is mighty, but tiny — only 10 people, three of whom are in leadership/senior positions. One employee firmly believes that since we spend most of our time at work, coworkers should function more like family than like, well, coworkers. We try to find ways […]

• coworker is throwing a tantrum over having to interview for a promotion, inviting coworkers to your wedding, and more
• a coworker prayed for my fiancé's death so we didn't invite her to our wedding ... and now there is drama
• my boss and my employee won't stop asking me to spend the night at their houses

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2020. A reader writes: I am part of the HR department at my workplace, and we hired “Andre” a few months ago as a part of our student group. He’s only 18, but he’s been a […]

• my boss flirts with (and sometimes sleeps with) our vendors -- and tells me all about it
• my coworkers think I'm flirting with them
• what’s up with the term “work wife”?

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. People only ask me about the ducks I work with I’m in the lower-middle level of food service establishment with a couple hundred employees. Last year, I started a […]

• coworkers only ask me about ducks, adult facts in a work presentation, and more
• my awful coworker is also my roommate
• my boss collected money for flowers for me ... and then kept it for herself

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: I have an ongoing concern that has a lot to do with mental health but also has to do with work. I am seeing a therapist regularly to deal with the mental […]

• my co-host at a workshop will be someone who didn't pay me for my work
• my employee gave me an "it's her or me" ultimatum
• I delay writing back to people and then never do it -- can I fix this?

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: Due to renovations, I’m temporarily sharing an office with another employee. We work different jobs, but are technically peers. He is, frankly, driving me crazy. Every question that comes across his mind, he gets up and asks me. Most of these are surprisingly basic questions. Some questions are work-related. Some are random, […]

• my coworker constantly asks me for personal favors
• my employee pressures coworkers for rides everywhere
• can I apply for a temporarily remote job and then insist on remaining remote?

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: My dad started dating this woman (Jill) about two years ago, after he and my stepmom amicably divorced. As this was going on, I graduated from grad school, ended my student internship, […]

• my brother broke up with our coworker, it’s causing drama, and I want to intervene
• my employee is way too helpful and accommodating
• my coworker drops F-bombs all day long

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for a few days. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My colleague is allergic to me because of my cats I’m a brand new manager in a public services environment. I have two cats, who are not particularly hairy, […]

• are people judging me for looking scruffy at work?
• can I show armpit hair at work?
• what happens if I get hired at a dog-friendly company when I'm allergic to dogs?

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts.

• all of my 2022 and 2023 book recommendations
• all of my book recommendations from 2015-2021
• the cats of AAM

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to take your questions to […]

• my coworker is setting toilet paper on fire in the bathroom
• what should a salary negotiation sound like?
• need help finding a job? start here

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off this week. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My coworker’s food restrictions mean that I’ll be the one restricted My company is based mainly in two cities. Every so often, we all meet up in one city or another […]

• coworker's food restrictions are restricting me, someone told my boss I'm job hunting, and more
• when should employers disclose food or fragrance restrictions to job candidates?
• my team excludes me from lunches because of my dietary restrictions

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off this week, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2019. A reader writes: My coworker, Lenora, is the oldest person in our office. She is generally friendly, cheerful, and a hard worker. However, despite her genuinely sweet nature, she is about to drive us all up the […]

• an overly cheerful executive keeps ordering me to feel great
• our disruptively cheerful new coworker treats us like toddlers
• my coworker interrupts my work to ask why I look so serious

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

My mom, who I have written about here before, died peacefully yesterday. Diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer two years ago, she’s been struggling with abdominal pain since June, and it had worsened in the last few weeks. She was ready to go, and was relieved that she was able to use legalized Medical Aid […]

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off this week. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. Should I temporarily live in my boss’s spare bedroom? I’m in a bit of a housing bind, and dealing with some pretty serious anxiety to boot. I mentioned my anxiety issues […]

• my boss pet-sat my animals and nearly killed them
• what's the etiquette for people in the background on Zoom calls?
• my coworker is living in my boss's house -- and we all work there too

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

I’m off today, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2019. A reader writes: I started a new position recently and was promoted quickly to a management position. Great, I have a long supervisory background, looking forward to helping in a wider capacity. One of my direct reports is […]

• my new boss ran his own background check on me
• can I refuse to answer questions about my personal background?
• our new coworker is obsessed with age and says we're all old

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.

LinkedIn has a new practice of sharing your personal data to train AI — unless you specifically opt out. That includes your profile, your posts, and your videos. Without announcing it, LinkedIn apparently added a new data privacy setting last week that covers this, and they turned it on for everyone. If you want to […]

• my brother-in-law shares TMI on LinkedIn
• I google my coworkers -- is that weird?
• how should I navigate social media connections during a job search?