advice/perspective on jobs, work and management

Question

Is “Alumni Day” a good idea?

I’m a manager and department head for a major metropolitan school system. On Fridays, we relax our dress code like a lot of organizations, and I’m thinking an “Alumni Day” where we all wear a sweatshirt or whatever from our alma maters would be fun. Who doesn’t enjoy...

My coworker keeps threatening to quit

I’m a grade-school teacher, and one of my colleagues is always threatening to quit. “One of these days…” he keeps saying, but he never does. Instead, he complains about just about everything else, like how frustrating it is to work here, how far our...

My sales associates don’t seem very engaged

I’m a store manager for a major retail chain. The way I see it, one of my primary responsibilities is to motivate my sales associates, and in that way ensure they are at their best when interacting with our customers. For me, this means they always come across as...

What kind of manager should I say I’ll be?

Recently, a management position opened up at my company, and I decided to throw my hat in the ring. To be honest, I’m pretty happy in my current role – and I’ve managed before (briefly, at another organization) so I know what a hassle it can be. Still, the extra $$$...

I do more than everyone else

I work in retail, and one of the things I find most frustrating about my job is how little my coworkers do compared to me. I always try to stay busy, even when things are slow. I refold merchandize, tidy up the changing rooms, and do my best to keep our storage area...

My new hire is terrible, but he interviewed so well

I’m a manager at a company that develops video games. Recently, I hired someone as a senior programmer, and boy is he terrible. He looked good on paper, though. Experienced (although admittedly in more junior roles), and maybe not as much coding background as I would...

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