Ask a Manager

An employee who lied to get a reference, avoiding hugs, and lots more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN say no to your boss -- as long as you do it the right way. Alison walks you through how to do it, what to say, and what not to say. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there a way to get a micromanaging boss to back off? Maybe. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hazards of having access to your boss's email, touchy-feely coworkers, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The power dynamics in job interviews can make job seekers overly deferential. Don't do it! Today we talk about nailing your tone in an interview. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coworkers who tell you way more than you want to hear, references you didn't offer, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being around negative people who complain all the time can be exhausting, especially when they're a coworker and you're trapped in the office with them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Addressing problematic gossip from coworkers, negotiating salary when you get a written offer, a boss who freaks out when you're a few minutes late, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a good manager is hard, and managers often don’t get a lot of guidance. Our guest is a new-ish manager who wants to make sure she’s doing a good job. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why should you have to be social with coworkers, managing two employees when one is much stronger than the other, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alison talks with awkwardness expert Melissa Dahl about the things that make us cringe. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you're getting stuck with all the menial work, a rambling boss, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting a new job can be nerve-wracking and awkward. Here's everything you need to know about being the new person. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions about office holiday parties and gift-giving, and stories of times that office holiday celebrations went terribly wrong. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions about office holiday parties and gift-giving, and stories of times that office holiday celebrations went terribly wrong. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will you ever find a job you like, what to do when you're asked to report on your boss, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The principles that you use when you’re hiring adults don’t always work when you’re talking to teenagers. Alison talks with a summer camp owner who hires lots of teens about how interviewing teens is a whole different world. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recovering from a mistake as the boss, letting an employee change their mind about quitting, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you're stuck in a difficult situation at work and you don't have the power to change it, how do you hold on to your sanity?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you have to be a self-interested jerk to succeed at work, what you're supposed to talk about in one-on-ones, and more Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jolie Kerr, of Ask a Clean Person, joins us to talk about cleaning at work: How much clutter in your office is too much? Why is the office microwave so gross? And much more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dealing with a coworker who can do whatever she wants, leaving a career you love, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're a manager and your team is working way too much -- how can you get their overwork under control? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A boss who uses an offensive slur, juggling job offers, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special Halloween episode, where we talk about Halloween in the office – and hear from callers who have had spooky experiences at work. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How to stop a boss from burning out, an employee who goes over your head, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your new job turns out to be different from what you thought you’d be doing, is there any saving the situation? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dealing with the office non-flusher, personality tests in hiring, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your boss is horrible to you -- but only you -- is there any way to fix it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What to do if you're overworked, weird comments on weight loss, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting your tone right makes a huge difference in how you come across to people. Today’s guest is worried that her tone at work sounds too confrontational and is making people feel defensive. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's this? We're moving to two episodes a week. In this one, Alison tackles a bonanza of questions, including dealing with a coworker who can't do her job, an excessive apologizer, and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all had annoying coworkers before -- and today's guest worries she might be the culprit! We investigate. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not having enough work to do can be incredibly boring and can make the work day really drag. Today’s guest finds herself chronically underworked. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What can you do if you have a boss who yells? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you handle negative feedback poorly – get defensive, upset, or shut down? It can be hard to change your reaction, even if you want to. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of us struggle with worries that we’re not good enough at our jobs – and when things go wrong, it can feel like proof of that. Plus, if you struggle with confidence, sometimes that can bleed into the way you deal with coworkers too. Here's how to handle it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part of being professional is keeping your emotions in check – but that doesn’t mean that you magically stop having them. Our guest is worried she has a habit of emotional outbursts at work and wants to try to stop them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bedbugs at work, invasive interview questions, and bosses who can't stop emailing from vacations. Suzanne Lucas of Evil HR Lady joins us to help advise. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the market for a mom? This week's guest has an assistant who can't stop mothering her colleagues Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're exhausted and overwhelmed at work, how can you tell if it's fixable or not? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your boss only praises you and never gives you any constructive criticism, that's not as nice as it might sound at first. Here's how to get useful feedback. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you’re getting direction from two different people, and they’re not always telling you the same thing? And what if one of those people just happens to be your dad? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If your intern rambles on and on, is there a kind way to rein her in? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're friends with the office slacker, are you obligated to intervene? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're the boss, people will pay a ton of attention to your tone. Here's how to get it right. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What should you do when your coworker is angry, disruptive, and a little scary, and your employer isn't acting? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It can be awkward when a coworker you’ve become friends with wants a more intense friendship than you do. Our guest this week has a coworker who’s a little too clingy for her. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's guest wants to show off at work, and is trying to figure out why and how to keep it under control.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tone really matters when you're raising something awkward or tricky. This episode has a bunch of examples of how to get your tone right. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.