34November, 2015
Ask a Manager
8 things you should never tell your interviewer — even if they’re true
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NOVEMBER 23, 2015
In an ideal world, an interview is a candid discussion between candidate and interviewer of the job and whether the candidate is the right match. And indeed, candor will usually increase both side’s chances of ending up with the right fit. But there are some things that can hurt your chances if you’re honest about them with your interviewer. At U.S. News & World Report today, I talk about are eight things you should never share with your interviewer. You can read it here. interviewing
are mandatory happy hours just part of working in an office?
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NOVEMBER 17, 2015
A reader writes: I’m still pretty young (25) and, personally, don’t enjoy really corporate/professional office settings and the formalities that come with them. My career has thankfully taken me to a firm that seems to be a happy medium: still corporate and professional, but with young company culture, business casual dress for my team, and a good deal of autonomy/low amounts of micromanaging. My entire team is in their 20s and my boss is only 30, so we’re all pretty close and relate to one another on some level, even if we have different interests. workplace practices
fired employee wants to attend the holiday party, rejected for going to school full-time, and more
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NOVEMBER 18, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Fired Fired employee wants to attend the company Christmas party. Our office recently let go of an employee for numerous reasons after several warnings, for minor things such as frequent lateness, too many personal calls and emails on company time, general friction with other coworkers, to more serious things such as a very sharp decline in their work quality, cursing at other coworkers, and admitting to getting high at work. They also requested a hotel reservation, which is generously supplied free of charge for those needing one.
is a higher-paying job worth extra stress?
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NOVEMBER 10, 2015
A reader writes: I’m an executive assistant for a medium size nonprofit organization. absolutely love my job, the organization, and my boss. Like most nonprofits, the salary is on the low side. Currently I am at $40,000 a year but usually I receive a few enhancements, making my salary closer to $43,000 a year. I was contacted by a corporation for an executive assistant position at $65,000 a year. The allegations were settled privately. This would be the executive I would report to. I’m sure my husband trusts me, but I don’t know if I could trust my new boss. salary
Skill based learning – How it drives an organization’s performance
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Training and learning organizations today play an active role in contributing to the bottom line of any organization by aligning their objectives to the immediate business objectives. This provides a solid ground for cost justification and encourages businesses to place training groups right where they should be, at the heart of a growing, thriving, learning culture.
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wedding gift favoritism, stinky office-mate, and more
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NOVEMBER 19, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. My company gave me a much smaller wedding gift than it gave my coworkers. work for a small but successful international company. I am the office manager, but I take care of all accounts payable/receivable, HR, and building management. Three of my coworkers, including me, have all gotten married within the last two years. On our expense reports, I have seen our company wedding gifts to each of the other two employees; both were around $300 and purchased from a registry. For my gift, I received simply a $50 gift card. My office-mate stinks.
how to negotiate a 50% increase in salary
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NOVEMBER 23, 2015
A reader writes: When I last moved jobs, I went from being a big fish in a little business to an “experienced professional” non-managerial role in a corporate environment, and I read a lot of your salary negotiation advice to prepare for what I knew would be a way more formal interview process than I’d ever done before. came out the other end with a seriously impressive jump in salary – 50% increase plus stock options. Thanks for all the great advice! ” – A bit later, I checked in with “How does that fit with the range you had in mind for this position?”
we hire people to work in a really tough location — and they keep dropping out before their start date
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NOVEMBER 19, 2015
A reader writes: I work for a contractor; our primary industry is providing professional staff at locations around the globe. One of the locations where we have staff is something like the the Wall in Westeros — it’s a far-away military installation, and it has an incredibly strong reputation as a place where you don’t want to get sent. Surprisingly, we don’t have a ton of trouble finding candidates for positions at the Wall. However, at least 70% of the people we hire to work at the Wall flake out on us before their start date! sort of way. hiring
my employer wants me to apologize for job-searching, how far back should your resume go, and more
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NOVEMBER 8, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Do I owe my employer an apology for interviewing elsewhere? I was laid off a couple of months ago and took another job to help pay the bills. have had my eyes open for another position, and went to interviews. work at night, and recently a card with a time, date, and a request for references fell out of my pocket while I was working, and it was very obvious that I was going to be interviewing. Somehow that card made its way to the general manager’s desk. His response was “Well, you should apologize to her better.” Do you?
Leaving performance reviews behind: Where to start [Guide]
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Is your company ready to move beyond the annual performance review? Where do you start? What are the keys to success? In this guide, you’ll gain an understanding of: the forces driving change, three foundations of success and take a deep dive into the skills gap many managers have that will sink your efforts before they start and how to address them.
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a hiring manager isn’t what you think, and other vocabulary lessons
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NOVEMBER 2, 2015
It’s been a while since I’ve talked about this and I see these words confused all the time, so let’s straighten out some vocabulary issues. 1. Fired vs. laid off vs. terminated. Fired: If someone is fired, they are being let go for cause. Laid off: If someone is laid off, they’re being let go for reasons other than performance — the company was restructuring or having financial problems and eliminated the job. (In other words, it’s about the job itself, not the person. Terminated: Covers all possible scenarios. But Recruiter vs. hiring manager vs. HR.
child care expenses from team-building retreat, race questions on job applications, and more
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NOVEMBER 13, 2015
It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go…. 1. Child care reimbursement for a weekend-long team-building retreat. work for a company that has a team-building retreat one weekend a year. We are at the event Friday through Sunday (so two overnights). In that time, we have two substantive meetings of about 2.5 hours each. The rest of the time is spent at spas, wineries, shopping, golfing, etc. Spouses are highly encouraged to attend, but children are not allowed. Attendance is not required per se, but it is highly encouraged and if you miss it, there better be a good reason. short answers
I got someone else’s performance review, interviewer asked for a doctor’s note, and more
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NOVEMBER 1, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Can a prospective employer ask for a doctor’s note when I don’t even work there yet? I was scheduled for an interview last Friday and missed it due to a miscarriage, which I ended up going to the hospital for. later in the evening sent an apology email and explained it was due to a minor surgical emergency. Today I received an email to reschedule the interview, but the manager is requesting that I bring the hospital discharge papers for the new interview. refuse to have them see why was the reason I missed. Is this legal? Should I quit?
employee wants halal lunch options, answering “would you rather…” interview questions, and more
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NOVEMBER 9, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Employee wants halal lunch options. work as part of a small HR team in a medium-sized start-up company — around 50 employees. We offer employees a range of free stuff, including lunch. The way lunch works is that a small amount is deducted from the salary and we provide lunch. This is cheaper than bringing in your own lunch. The options are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free – but not halal. Currently 100% of our employees participate. We have employees of various backgrounds. One of them is Jane. What should we do? Ooooh, that sucks.
Innovation Buster: How Losing Your Best Employees is Killing Innovation
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Employees at the front lines often have better ideas for innovation than others within the business, but when they walk out the door, they take those ideas with them. Want to innovate better and faster than the competition? You need to hold onto your best employees and the ideas they have. In this session we will explore how various pieces of the talent life cycle are related to retention and examine more than 20 strategies and ideas for improving retention outcomes for your business.
salary negotiation mistakes that are costing you money
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NOVEMBER 30, 2015
Salary negotiations are one of the most nerve-wracking parts of job-hunting – and because of that, people often make mistakes that end up costing them big money down the road. At U.S. News & World Report today, I talk about five salary negotiation mistakes to avoid in order to maximize how much money ends up in your paycheck. You can read it here. salary negotiation mistakes that are costing you money was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager. salary
new hire told me about punching out a neighbor, walk-in interviews, and more
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NOVEMBER 29, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. New hire told me about punching out a neighbor. I am a project manager and an associate at my firm with 10+ years experience. Last week, a recently hired, recently graduated, young staff member disclosed the following story to me (for brevity, I am paraphrasing): “I was doing laundry in my building’s common laundry room. Someone else took my clothes out of the dryer and dried their clothes on my money. waited for him and then confronted him. He said something I didn’t like so I pushed him. We fought. called the police.
my manager offered to take a pay cut, rescinding a recommendation, and more
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NOVEMBER 16, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. My manager offered to take a pay cut so the rest of us can earn more. work for a small nonprofit. It is common in our industry for there to be a big pay difference between the local manager and the rest of the staff. It is what it is, but at the same time, boards constantly bemoan how difficult it is to recruit and retain skilled staff. At a recent general voter meeting, my manager said that she would be willing to take a pay cut to give some of those funds to other staff salaries. Everyone present was surprised by this statement. Ooooh.
should employees have to train their new manager?
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NOVEMBER 9, 2015
A reader writes: What is your opinion about direct reports training a new manager? I’ve experienced this twice now, where I have taken on a management job where my direct reports (usually less than a year in their own position) were appointed to train me. When I first experienced this, I wasn’t a complete career changer, but this time around I was hired more for my managerial skills rather than my product knowledge. I’m not completely without that knowledge, but it’s different when it’s not something you have worked with directly. What do you think?
2016 Training Program Best Practices
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Can you hear the collective groan when you launch that new compliance course? Do you get complaints both public and private from trainees about the uselessness of the training courses you've launched? Is there anything that can be done about it?
interviewer stole my ideas, holiday bonus angst, and more
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NOVEMBER 17, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. The company I interviewed with stole my ideas. What do you think of a company that interviews you, asks you to list specific ways to improve things, but doesn’t hire you — yet implements your suggestions anyway? interviewed with a publication several months ago and suggested posting its covers on Instagram. Now they’re doing it. Also, they’re posting tweets in the publication, something else I suggested. suppose it’s possible that they came up with this on their own. Seems pretty crappy if they do. Some companies do.
my new coworker keeps spouting offensive political views
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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
A reader writes: I work in a busy office with people from all different backgrounds, and my team is the first port of call when people come into the building. believe we have a large responsibility to make sure the company looks professional to anyone coming into the building. My new colleague is a lovely person, a little bit too talkative, but I know how to handle that. ” Her comments are rude and prejudiced, and I find them pretty racist and unacceptable for a professional workplace. If people come into the building and hear her saying these things, it looks awful! out of the workplace.
how much do resume gaps matter?
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NOVEMBER 19, 2015
A reader writes: My husband and I are moving in December to Wisconsin (from Texas) so he can start a new job on January 4th. love my current job and am sad to leave it. However, from a financial standpoint, it seems to make the most sense for me to move with him in December, even though I don’t have a job currently lined up in Wisconsin. My question is, how important is it nowadays to not have a gap in your employment history? Will employers be understanding that I may have a month gap in employment due to the fact that I moved across the country for my husband’s job? resumes
8 signs that you’re a problem employee
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NOVEMBER 9, 2015
Being successful at work is about more than the skills you bring to the job – it’s also about your relationships with your colleagues, and especially about how your boss perceives you. You can have incredible skills in your field, but if no one wants to work with you, it’s going to make your professional life harder and harder over time. At U.S. News & World Report today, I talk about signs that you might be perceived as a problem employee who’s tough to work with – and that you could be putting your professional reputation and future options at risk. You can read it here. work habits
Ditching the formal performance review? Kineo shares 3 Elements for Success
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Is your organization thinking about moving towards a performance development culture? What are the elements to succeeding and keeping managers and employees engaged? Download “A Road Map for Change” to find out and gain insight into making the transition as smooth as possible on your journey into this brave new world.
interviewer asked what my favorite fruit is, coworkers keep talking behind closed doors, and more
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NOVEMBER 5, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Interviewer asked what my favorite fruit is. I was asked on an interview, “What is your favorite fruit?” ” What is this question supposed to tell the interviewer about you? It tells them nothing about you but it tells you loads about them: that they’re a bad interviewer who doesn’t know how to hire. 2. Interviewer said the job’s salary is $20,000 less than I’d earlier said I was looking for. applied for a job at an organization I’d be very excited to work for. What the hell is a “learning lesson”?
the 3 toughest conversations managers need to have
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NOVEMBER 5, 2015
I wrote earlier this week about the hardest conversations you may need to have in your career, and today at Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog, I talk about the four hardest conversations that managers need to have — and the best way to approach them. You can read it here. the 3 toughest conversations managers need to have was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager. good management
tickling as team-building, awkwardness about my vacation plans, and more
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NOVEMBER 3, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. We were told to tickle each other aggressively at a team-building event. I’m leaving my current workplace for a lot of reasons related to culture fit and disorganization, but I wanted to tell you about this misstep in hopes you’ll get a laugh out of it! We had a team-building event recently, which was boring but otherwise unremarkable until it came time to take the group photo. At this point, either the teambuilding leader or someone from our own leadership yelled “tickle each other AGGRESSIVELY!” What?! Be direct!
is it unprofessional not to wear a bra to work?
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NOVEMBER 3, 2015
A reader writes: I have a disability that makes me highly sensitive to touch, and I find that wearing a bra is extremely uncomfortable. (I don’t know my cup size, but I’d estimate that I’m pretty much average-sized.). I was told by a career advisor that not wearing a bra looks extremely unprofessional regardless of field, and I’m unlikely to get a job unless I can figure out some way to tolerate wearing a bra. I’m a psychology major in university, and would like a job in that field once I graduate. Is this really such a show-stopper? work habits
HR's Critical Role in Creating Productive and Meaningful Workplaces
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Today’s workplace is characterized by chaotic forces—low employee engagement and productivity levels, and declining employee well being. HR Leaders have a critical role in defining the vision and strategy to transform and create a more productive and happy workplace.
what’s the best timing for rejection letters?
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NOVEMBER 24, 2015
A reader writes: I’m a firm believer in following up with every single applicant, interviewed or not. When would you say is ideal time to send out a rejection letter? The thing with rejections is that if you send them really quickly, people often feel stung — like you couldn’t possibly have given them sufficient consideration or you thought they were such a terrible candidate that you barely needed to think about them in order to know they would suck in the job. This is really faulty thinking, though. But candidates tend to see super quick rejections as thoughtless or insulting. variety.
how to deal with an unresponsive coworker
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NOVEMBER 3, 2015
Ever worked with someone who rarely responded to requests for input or approval, even when you needed a response in order to move your own work forward? Do your requests seem to fall into a black hole? Working with unresponsive colleagues can be incredibly frustrating and can stymy your own productivity if you don’t find a way to work around them. But all is not lost! At Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I talk about five ways to deal with unresponsive colleagues and get what you need. You can read it here. advice about your coworkers
my colleagues are pressuring me to turn down a promotion
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NOVEMBER 16, 2015
A reader writes: I have been working for the past seven years in a customer service and logistics center. The first four years, I was dedicated to support three specific sales offices, until a colleague who had 50% unrelated tasks begged our manager for someone else to take these tasks. That 50% had nothing to do with customer service and logistics, but more with purchasing and inventory control. It presented quite a challenge and I was the only one in my team who volunteer to take over, which I did mostly because it brought more learning opportunities. advice about your coworkers
are you breaking these 5 rules of business calls?
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NOVEMBER 16, 2015
As the business world increasingly communicates through email, chat, and other non-phone methods, traditional phone etiquette is getting lost. In fact, some people use the phone so infrequently now that they dread the occasional call they do have to make – probably in part because no one teaches phone norms anymore. At U.S. News & World Report today, I talk about five of the most common business phone etiquette mistakes — including giving in to phone phobia, leaving cryptic voicemail messages, and more. You can read it here. are you breaking these 5 rules of business calls?
Learner motivation explained! Learn how to use an LMS to motivate your learners to upskill
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Training and development professionals often bemoan the lack of apparent initiative in their trainees. Learning professionals spend huge sums of money creating or acquiring skill aligned libraries of learning content, only to watch almost helplessly as learners refuse to engage with any training available that isn’t mandatory.
what to do when your manager won’t manage
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NOVEMBER 13, 2015
A reader writes: I work in an academic institution, and I love what I do for a living. It’s a calling, I spent a lot of time in graduate school preparing for it, and some days, I couldn’t be happier. Those are the days when my boss and most of the other people who “work” with me are not here. There are more personnel problems than I can reasonably describe, but I’ll give you the top 4: 1) My boss allows an unqualified volunteer to perform a skilled, essential function that he is profoundly unfit to perform. love the work I do, and the one employee I supervise.
my wife is modeling jeans for her boss, old owner keeps showing up, and more
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NOVEMBER 23, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. My wife is modeling jeans for her boss. My wife works for a very small company, and it is only her and her boss in the small building. will also add that his apartment is connected to the office. He takes her to lunch almost every day. Last week, I get a pic sent to me by a friend that showed the two of them drinking wine with lunch. little troubling to say the least. Yesterday they went to a convention in a neighboring town. They had some downtime, so they went to a store. And also: who’s reporting this? Who reported this to you?
how Zappos’ manager-free model is working out, is working from home contagious, and more
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NOVEMBER 17, 2015
Over at Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I take a look at several interesting work-related stories in the news right now: how Zappos’ manager-free model is working out, whether working from home is contagious, and more. You can read it here. how Zappos’ manager-free model is working out, is working from home contagious, and more was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager. workplace practices
how to explain a work backlog, company won’t reimburse expenses after I resigned, and more
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NOVEMBER 15, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Asking whether an internal candidate will be angry that I got the job. I’m currently interviewing for a job in my field, and it’s going exceptionally well. I’ve been invited to travel to their city (at their expense) for an in-person interview, and everyone I’ve spoken with seems very interested in me and enthusiastic about my candidacy. This person was completely incapable of being mature and professional about it, and I think they delighted in trying to make my life hell. just gave notice (2.5 Is that too weird?
The Performance Management Storm: Four Macro-Trends Driving the Change
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Needed: A shift from traditional performance management systems (organized as an annual review process) to newer performance development systems (organized around real-time dynamics). Download part one in a series to gain insight into why this shift must happen and why it needs to happening now
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