It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss did a racist impression of a coworker I’m on a small, mostly autonomous support team in a medium-sized company. We had company-wide training yesterday. My coworker Amy couldn’t attend in person because of a winter storm/flight situation. Amy is black, and the other […] The post my boss did a racist impression of a coworker, can I have the schedule flexibility as our CEO, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: I’ve become very good friends both in and out of work with a small group of colleagues (four total). This question is about one of them, Samantha. Samantha has always been a bit dry and sarcastic in her sense of humor. Over the past several months, however, she has become increasingly, well, […] The post will my angry work friend harm my reputation? appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. How common is swearing at work? (#2 at the link) I always thought that if you answered a question for […] The post updates: swearing at work, letting difficult coworkers be wrong, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I live in a lovely touristy small city with a university. It’s a great place to live, with lots of services and things to do for its size. I have a job in my field which I still enjoy in some ways, but I’ve been […] The post ask the readers: should I leave a great city that I love to expand my job options? appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I tell people at the company we just acquired what they’re in for? A few years ago, I started at a small company which within a year of me joining was acquired by a massive international company based on the opposite coast. At the […] The post should I tell people at the company we acquired what they’re in for, interviewer didn’t ask me any questions, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

Last week, we talked about workplace romance gone either wrong or right, and here are 12 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The emergency deployments The company I worked for occasionally had to respond to statewide emergencies (think every two years). When these happened, you had to go work in a different location and […] The post the sandwich maneuver, the poison ivy, and other stories of workplace romance appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: Earlier this year, an employee of mine suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. He was excellent at his job and extremely well-liked by the rest of our department. His partner also works here. We are currently interviewing for someone to fill the now-empty role. At what point (if ever) is it appropriate to […] The post how to replace a beloved employee who died appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: I used my company credit card for personal expenses over a long period (so, definitely not accidental purchases). I assumed it was somewhat frowned upon, but thought it was fine as long as I paid it off on time on my own dime. The balance amount over the months has ranged from […] The post I’ve been using my company credit card for personal expenses appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I speak up about a management failure as I’m leaving? I’m a former teacher who resigned to take on a couple of lower key and much less stressful jobs. One of them is as an assistant at an after-school science club for pre-teens run […] The post should I speak up about a management failure, boss questioned using bereavement leave for a funeral, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: For many years, my boss has given flowers to all his assistants for Valentine’s Day. But he has the same two assistants for several years. Both are retired professionals who decided to go back to work, and both originally were married. Now one of them is a widow and he was told […] The post my boss gives flowers to his assistants, but only if they’re married appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: I’m looking for advice on how to pursue a new job discreetly, particularly when the interview process requires multiple rounds and my current workplace has very little flexibility. I’ve been with my current employer for 10 years. I started here before I even graduated from college, and I’ve grown tremendously. It’s a […] The post how do I look for a new job without my boss finding out? appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: I’m having trouble figuring out how to navigate a situation with a coworker, John. When I first started at this company a year ago, John was the one who trained me, and he was courteous and communicative throughout the process. I wound up as casual work friends with him, but over the […] The post my coworker is awful to his wife, who also works here appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker reports the smallest interactions to HR I have a new coworker, Fran, who has not been fitting in with the vibe at work. She seems to have very thin skin, and at any perceived slight, will report coworkers or leaders to HR. Just today, […] The post coworker reports small interactions to HR, protecting interns from office drama, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

I’m off sick, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2016. A reader writes: I’m currently interviewing for a new position with a company that works remotely. Over the past two weeks, I’ve had 10+ video calls with every member of the small team, along with a bunch of […] The post company wants references from “coworkers you didn’t get along with” appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader asks: Last fall, I left a beloved job and assisted them in hiring two people to replace me. One was an internal hire, the other required an outside interview process. We received over 50 applications, narrowed it down to 13 phone interviews, then seven in-person interviews, and finally made a very satisfying hiring […] The post a rejected candidate keeps demanding to know why I didn’t hire him appeared first on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for the holiday, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2020. A reader writes: I’ve worked for four years in a research laboratory and my supervisor is an associate professor. Her husband is a professor and a director of the research group (and that’s how she easily […] The post my boss asked me to reflect on my conflicts with coworkers and I don’t want to appeared first on Ask a Manager.

I’m off for the holiday. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My coworker calls me his “work wife” A couple of months ago, I joined a new team at work, in a role that is somewhat isolated from the rest of […] The post my coworker calls me his “work wife,” talking to my boss about how she treats my coworker, and more appeared first 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. Book recommendation of the week: Green Dot, by Madeleine Gray. Bored out of her mind in a job as a comment moderator, a young woman trying to figure […] The post weekend open thread – February 14-15, 2026 appeared first 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 […] The post open thread – February 13, 2026 appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. A medical tech repeatedly proselytized to me An experience I had recently with a medical provider has me wondering if what I felt to be inappropriate and unprofessional is a behavior worth raising with my doctor, who owns the practice. I live in area of […] The post my boss thinks our obnoxious coworker is funny, medical tech proselytized to me, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

A reader writes: I was offered a job last week, which was going to require a 2.5-hour move. I accepted as it’s a field I love and a company ownership I had worked for previously, just not at this location. Yesterday the job fell through because the expected job salary budget didn’t come through. At […] The post my job offer fell through after I’d already resigned (and when I was about to move) appeared first on Ask a Manager.

Over the years, we’ve had many letters about animals at work. Here are some of them. my employee doesn’t think we’re doing enough about bears at work (and the update) people only ask me about the ducks I work with (with a video in the update!) the pumpkin-eating cat my office got us turtles to […] The post animals at work appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s Valentine’s Day on Saturday so let’s talk about workplace romance. Did you spot coworkers having a secret affair without realizing how obvious they were being? Did your boss date your dad and try to get you to go to couples therapy with them? Did you spend a ton of time mediating between two employees […] The post let’s discuss workplace romance gone wrong … and right appeared first on Ask a Manager.

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our new work stations will be outside our building’s security screening I work in a government office, in a building that does full security screening of every person who comes in, with metal detectors and an x-ray machine for their bags. My department does some […] The post boss surveyed the entire staff on my work after 90 days, new desks will be in an unsecured area, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.