Category: Your Office Coach
Q: “For the past five years, I have suffered from depression. During that time, I have been on and off medication. However, I have never told my employer about this problem. During my recent performance review, I received a ‘needs improvement’ rating for the first time, which was very upsetting. Do you think I should tell my manager about my depression?”
Q:Â “My boyfriend, ‘Doug,’ was recently promoted, but he’s having a lot of problems. He is now supervising his former boss, who is unhappy about being demoted. On top of that, the assistant manager applied for the job and resents the fact that Doug was selected. Their negative attitudes have spread to other employees, who are becoming insubordinate. Doug is expected to clean up this department, which is a complete mess. However, he has no management experience, and these toxic people seem to feel they can run all over him. He is feeling really stressed out. Do you have any advice?”
Q: “Are applicants required to tell a potential future employer that they were terminated from their previous job? If so, how should this be done?”
Q: “I recently learned that my manager may be planning to replace me. A fellow member called to inquire about an opening here after he saw an ad on the association website. I told him that I wasn’t aware of any vacancies, but when I looked up the ad, I essentially found my own job description under a different title. I can’t believe my boss thought I wouldn’t find out about this. Should I talk to him? Or should I just apply for my own job?” —Betrayed
Q: “I am 28 years old and currently serving in the US Army. In the shop where I work, we have a lot of younger guys. They act so childish that it’s embarrassing to call them soldiers. They think everything is a joke and have no clue when to back off. Being deployed away from my wife and family is tough enough without having to deal with these immature, smart-mouthed kids. I mentioned this to our sergeant, but he just brushed me off. What can I do?” Grown-up Soldier
Question: “Our new director wants to be ‘more available by being less available.’ He says we must make an appointment to meet with him, then he will come to our office at the scheduled time. His explanation is that managing our time will increase everyone’s productivity. Now I’m afraid that when I have a question or problem, I won’t be able to get an answer. What do you think about this?”
Q: “I share an office with a very nosy woman. ‘Tricia’ constantly monitors my activities and asks what I’m doing. My job involves spending time on the Internet, so she probably thinks I’m Web surfing. Tricia seems jealous of my friendship with other co-workers and frequently inquires about their personal business. Although I love my job, I’m becoming paranoid about my office mate. What should I do?” – Tricia’s Target
Q: “After joining this company six weeks ago, I quickly learned that my new boss is a tyrant. ‘Doug’ constantly makes insulting and demeaning remarks, to the point that I am almost in tears every day. I am considering sending the vice president an email with the truth about Doug, but I’m afraid this might backfire. What do you think?”
Q: “’Paula’, one of our team members, talks so loudly that we can hear every word of her phone conversations and discussions with other co-workers. The constant sound of her voice is both distracting and annoying. I personally believe this is just Paula’s pathetic attempt to show us how busy and important she is. Everyone walks on eggshells around Paula, including our team leader, because she is very defensive and can be downright mean if someone rubs her the wrong way. To make it worse, Paula is good friends with the human resources manager, so no one is willing to complain about her. What can we do about this?”
Q: “In an effort to attract new customers, the small shop where I work recently created a Facebook page. During weekly staff meetings, our manager has the whole team brainstorm Facebook ideas, then authorizes me to make the changes. Before I post an update, I always talk with her to be sure I have it right. Recently though, a co-worker informed me that our manager feels I’m not keeping her up to date regarding the information on Facebook. Apparently, she doesn’t remember our discussions. Should I start sending her a confirming email after every conversation?”