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Ask a Manager

@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
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  • Followers80.8K
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askamanager.org/2026/11/the-…
the sullied gym equipment, the arsey comments, and other times emails were misdirected at work

the sullied gym equipment, the arsey comments, and other times emails were misdirected at work

Last month we talked about times misdirected emails caused drama at work, and here are 12 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The sullied gym equipment My colleague worked somewhere that had a gym,...

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my employee fired someone whose mother had just died

my employee fired someone whose mother had just died

A reader writes: I have a manager who works for me, Ezra. He has an employee, Fred, who has been having performance issues and has been verbally reprimanded as well as had his performance issues...

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how do I talk to my employee about the problems with her work when no one else will?

how do I talk to my employee about the problems with her work when no one else will?

A reader writes: I manage a junior team member, Delilah, who is not meeting expectations. There are issues with judgement, attention to detail, responsiveness to feedback, and more. I’ve managed her...

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customer jokes that I’m incompetent, work meeting in a bar, and more

customer jokes that I’m incompetent, work meeting in a bar, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Customer jokes that I’m incompetent At my job I deal with the general public, and I have a particular customer who is normally very playful and...

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I don't want an in-person meeting to tell me I didn't get a promotion

I don't want an in-person meeting to tell me I didn't get a promotion

A reader writes: I have just had an interview for an internal position, which is a promotion in the team I currently work at. The interview didn’t go particularly well and I have made my peace with...

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my employees are harassing a disabled coworker

my employees are harassing a disabled coworker

A reader asks: I manage a small digital marketing firm. The owner is usually in the background doing the “big stuff” like networking and bringing in sponsors or big clients, I do almost all the...

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I was bullied and pushed out of the business I helped create

A reader writes: After being very successful in my field, including working for one of the most successful CEOs in the world, I got pregnant with my first child. We moved two hours from our city, and...

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I don’t want to work from my coworker’s house, boss's fingernails are too long, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I don’t want to work from my coworker’s house I work for a major city government. I work remotely but do go into the office a few times a year for...

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weekend open thread - October 31 - November 1, 2026

weekend open thread - October 31 - November 1, 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 week:...

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askamanager.org/2026/10/prev…
previously on Ask a Manager...

previously on Ask a Manager...

A look back at what we were talking about around this time in previous years: One year ago… will people think I named my baby after my employee? my parents called my abusive boss to complain I’m...

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open thread - October 30, 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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I can't give my team the excellent ratings they deserve, boss read 6 pages of complaints to me, and...

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I’m a federal manager being told I can’t give my team the excellent ratings they deserve I am a federal supervisor who, so far, has decided to...

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could my spouse be a reference in the future?

A reader writes: I’ve been unemployed for more than six months after a layoff, and I’m extremely discouraged. My industry is being cannibalized by AI, and my ambivalence about our robot overlords is...

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curses, hexes, and haunted offices: a Halloween round-up

In honor of Halloween, here’s a round-up of letters about magic, curses, and other supernatural matters at work. curses and magic an employee is putting magic curses on her coworkers my coworker put...

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has anything spooky happened to you at work?

Did you ever work somewhere haunted? Feel the ghost of your predecessor marooned in your office? Encounter an evil spirit lurking in the coffee maker? It’s almost Halloween, so let’s hear all your...

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coworker says hi to everyone but me, can an interviewer ask about your belief in ghosts, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker says hi to everyone but me I work at a bank in a small lending department. One of the lenders, Vivek, has had a reputation in our...

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accessibility changes on Ask a Manager

I’ve been working on making Ask a Manager more accessible, and I want to tell you about some changes I’ve made (and a new tool you can use if it’s helpful to you). First, Dan Hoover at MakeWPCompli...

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the music ban, the end to the chili cook-off, and other rules that exist because one person ruined...

the music ban, the end to the chili cook-off, and other rules that exist because one person ruined...

Last month we talked about workplace rules that exist because one person ruined it for everyone. Here are 15 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The vodka In one of the courts where I regularly...

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my coworker goes overboard with grisly Halloween decorations

my coworker goes overboard with grisly Halloween decorations

A reader writes: People in our office go bonkers over Halloween. The woman in the cubicle next to mine must have emptied out her storage area of Halloween decorations. Now there are gross bloody...

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a student tried to lead our networking group in prayer

a student tried to lead our networking group in prayer

A reader writes: I am on the board of the local chapter of my professional organization and on track to be president in the next two years. I was part of a core group of people that revitalized the...

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