Ask Your Boss: Is It Okay To Socialize A...

“Is it okay to socialize a lot with co-workers after work? What about during work hours?” Good questions! I, personally, am not a big fan of happy hours with co-workers for two reasons: When you share a drink or two, you relax, and you feel that you are more friends than co-workers. This attitude might be carried over into the work environment, and consequently may cause some trouble. Or misunderstanding. Or gossip. If I go out, I prefer to go out with my friends. When I am with my friends, I do not have to watch every single word I say, and re-play the night out in...

Ask Your Boss: When a Boss Doesn’t Deal ...

“I am in a unique position. I am an onsite vendor working for a client. The job is going pretty well except for one thing:  One of the members on our small team is very difficult to work with. My client boss has taken me aside and apologized for the way this person has treated me i.e. super passive aggressive nit picky emails. My client boss said she would talk to this person. The rudeness has continued. Now my client boss has said that it is my responsibility to work out the issues with this person. I told her that I felt very uncomfortable due to the vendor/client...

How to Deal With Office Assholes

Every office has assholes who spoil everything for everyone. They annoy us. They upset us. They drive everyone crazy. It takes a certain personality, a certain talent to do what the rest of us view as appalling, disrespectful or plain crazy, and get away with it. The good news is that we don’t have to put up with these office assholes. The bad news is that it is not easy to confront them. In my career I have dealt with a few types of office jerks. Feel free to add one of your own in the comments below. The Loud Mouth This type of office jerk has prolonged and extremely...

Ask Your Boss: Why Does A Boss Care if I...

Why does a boss care about someone being 10 mins late to work but doesn’t notice when that person works through her lunch to meet a deadline? Just from the way you formulated this question, I can see that you are frustrated with your boss. However, I see not one but two issues at hand: You are coming late to work. You do not feel appreciated. Let’s not put these two issues in one bundle. They have nothing to do with each other. I am going to tackle one issue at a time. Tardiness The reasons I, as a boss, care when someone is late ten minutes: You are constantly...