@AskAManager

Creator of Ask a Manager – home to all your questions about lunch-stealing bosses, coworkers who won't stop hugging you, and how much you can drink at work.

 Washington, DC
askamanager.org
Joined August 2008
  • Tweets11.9K
  • Following3.9K
  • Followers80.8K
2.4KMedia
askamanager.org/2026/10/my-t…

my team thinks I'm not qualified to manage them

A reader writes: I oversee a team that does hiring/staffing. I’ve worked in this role at this company for four years, and before that led recruiting operations elsewhere. I’ve never been a recruiter,...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/the-…

the people who hate their jobs -- but feel too guilty to leave

When it’s time to resign from a job, people tend to fall into one of two camps: those who can’t wait to tell their boss they’re leaving, and those who feel tremendously guilty about quitting, as if...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/my-b…

my boss wanted me to not do my job because I was pregnant

A reader writes: I am currently on maternity leave with my third child (first at my current job). I technically had a high-risk pregnancy, but no real complications. My other pregnancies were...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/my-b…

my boss tells me “I know you know this," should an employer pay for an employee’s mistake, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss tells me “I know you know this” — but I don’t I have been in my current role for two years and under my current manager for a year. I like...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/week…

weekend open thread - October 24-25, 2026

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...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/prev…

previously on Ask a Manager...

A look back at what we were talking about around this time in previous years: One year ago… I overheard my employee tell our intern that I’m “clueless” the company owner might be having an affair...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/open…

open thread - October 23, 2026

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...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/cowo…

coworker who quit is claiming 150 hours of off-the-clock pay, my coworker keeps saying "per my last...

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker who quit on the spot is claiming 150 hours of off-the-clock pay The company I work for is vaguely in the realm of special needs...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/can-…

can I ask for another interview with the hiring manager for my own questions?

A reader writes: I’ve been out of work for several months, since my last employer, a well-known tech giant, suddenly decided my globally scoped role (almost all computer-based) could no longer be...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/wher…

where are you now? (a call for updates)

At the end of each year, I publish a slew of “where are they now” updates from people whose questions I answered here in the past. In past years we’ve had several hundred each December and it’s been...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/lets…

let's discuss times your office was weird about pregnancy

Someone recently wrote to me: A good call for stories would be, “When was your job weird about pregnancy?” My wife had a tech job in an office that was mostly 20something dudes and they were (charm...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/deal…

dealing with a negative coworker and boss, more eggs at work, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Dealing with a negative coworker when the manager is the same way This question is on behalf of my husband, who works in a small building. Recent...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/my-c…

my coworker insists on being called "Dr."

A reader writes: It is the corporate culture in our departments from the director down for colleagues to refer to each other by their first names (or if there are two people with the same first name,...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/new-…

new hire is demanding a promotion after a year

A reader writes: I hired a young employee, Frank, almost exactly a year ago in an entry-level administrative role. He didn’t have a lot of relevant experience but his enthusiasm and passion was...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/inte…

interview with a life drawing model who poses naked for artists

I recently talked with someone who works as a life drawing model about her work. Here’s our conversation. First, tell us exactly what the job entails. I am a life drawing model, which means I pose,...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/my-b…

my boss told me not to help a drunk conference attendee, a loud coworker, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss told me not to help a drunk conference attendee who was being led away by a stranger I recently joined a 150-person company in a sales...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/my-t…

my team has almost no work but my coworkers claim to be stressed out and busy (and don't want me...

A reader writes: I recently left a stressful senior role following a voluntary redundancy situation. I knew I was sick with burn-out, but I didn’t realize how sick. After a false start with a...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/shou…

should I re-hire an employee who left after five months?

A reader writes: We just had an employee leave after only five months in his position because another company he had applied to last year reached back out and offered him a much higher salary. He...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/empl…

employee's adult child constantly interrupts them at work

A reader writes: I have a barely competent employee, Lee, whose low productivity has been further harmed in the past year by the constant disruptions caused by their adult child, and I do not know...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/empl…

employee reeks of cigarettes, boss/friend degrees of separation, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee goes to clients’ homes reeking of cigarette smoke I have an employee, Susan. Susan smokes. She has tried to quit and has used vapes,...

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