My Employee Wants to Work From Home for a Job that Requires Being On-Site
A business manager with a one‑year tenure requested full‑time remote work until their child turns three in 2028, citing lack of affordable childcare. The role requires daily on‑site tasks such as printing and immediate team coverage, making remote work impractical. Management offered hybrid schedules and a rent‑free office for a babysitter, but the employee rejected those options. The advice is to deny the full‑time remote request and ask the employee to secure childcare or consider leaving the position.
My Manager’s Erratic Behavior Is Sabotaging My Work
A senior employee reports that his manager, Sharon, behaves professionally in the office but becomes deceptive and disruptive on remote days, fabricating software failures, creating false emergencies, and avoiding video. She cancels essential status meetings, forces off‑the‑record calls, and refuses...
Can I Ask for Half an Extra Salary if I Take on Someone Else’s Job Plus Mine?
An entry‑level employee earning $35,000 proposes to take on a second role and receive half of that role’s salary, raising his total compensation to $52,500. The advice explains why most companies reject such arrangements, citing doubts about sustained capacity, coverage...
Our Exit Interviews Are Emailed to All Managers, How to Ask About AI Use in a Job Interview, and More
The article tackles four workplace dilemmas: a small firm’s practice of emailing raw exit‑interview transcripts to all managers, how job candidates can probe a prospective employer’s AI expectations, whether part‑time work counts as full‑time experience, and if the Equal Pay...
How Should I Handle an Openly Hostile Job Interviewer?
A reader recounts a past interview where the panel was openly hostile—belittling the résumé, using aggressive facial expressions, and making demeaning remarks. Despite the abuse, the candidate was offered the job, stayed briefly, and left for a better opportunity. The...
The Infiltrator, the Borrowed Research, and Other People Who Were Much Too Honest in Job Interviews
Ask a Manager compiled eleven real‑world interview anecdotes where candidates were brutally honest about their true intentions. The stories range from applicants openly stating they view the role as a stepping stone to a competitor, to a would‑be insider admitting...
Asking People to Do a One-Week Work Trial Before Offering Them the Job
A growing number of firms are requiring candidates to complete a three‑to‑five‑day paid work trial before extending an offer, arguing that on‑the‑job performance provides a clearer signal than traditional interviews. While the approach can reveal hidden strengths and cultural fit,...
I’m Terrible at Receiving Negative Feedback — and Am Spiraling From My 360 Review
A senior‑level employee received a 360‑degree review as part of a leadership development program and is struggling with the negative comments, especially from C‑suite peers. While the overall feedback is largely positive, the individual is fixated on the criticisms and...
My Coworker Carries a Hidden Recording Device Everywhere
A hidden AI‑powered recording device is being used by a colleague in a higher‑education setting, sparking privacy concerns amid anti‑DEIA legislation. The employee who learned of the device feels uncomfortable and uncertain about how to address the issue. Experts advise...
Employees Don’t Want to Participate in Our Community Outreach, Parking Issues, and More
The Ask a Manager column addressed four distinct workplace dilemmas: low employee participation in corporate community‑outreach programs, a receptionist’s hesitation to report a coworker’s call‑drop issue, a disabled staff member’s loss of accessible parking at a university, and the legal...
Our Jobs Have Wide Salary Ranges — How Can We Be Up-Front About that without Every Candidate Expecting the Top...
Salary‑transparency laws now force employers to post the full compensation band for each role, exposing a common dilemma: wide ranges can mislead candidates into assuming they’ll receive the top end or criticize low offers. Hiring managers in states like Connecticut...
My Employee Is Abrasive — Can I Ask Others to Be Patient While I Coach Her?
A university theater manager is grappling with Jane, a high‑performing staff member whose abrasive, dismissive tone is alienating students and colleagues. Despite several coaching sessions, her behavior persists, raising concerns about student retention and team morale. The manager wonders whether...
Firing Someone After Years of Underperformance, Coworker Keeps Falling Asleep, and More
The article tackles four common workplace dilemmas. It advises managers to handle long‑standing underperformance with early, transparent feedback and generous severance, framing the exit as a layoff rather than a firing. It recommends clear signage and bold communication to stop...
How Do I Interview with the Person I Would Be Replacing?
A candidate has reached the second interview round and will meet the employee who is leaving the role. The conversation could serve either as a standard evaluation interview or as an informational session to learn the job’s nuances. The article...
My Interviewer Was an AI Agent
A job seeker was forced to complete an AI‑driven screening interview after being laid off, only to encounter irrelevant questions, frequent technical glitches, and a lack of two‑way conversation. The AI interrupted responses, lost connection multiple times, and recorded the...