What to do about an oblivious young employee abusing a lenient work environment?
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posted by nadise
on Jan 15, 2011 -
60 answers
It's kind of uncomfortable at times, being a female professional in a male-dominated work environment where most of the female employees are on the other side of the business-coin as support staff (less education and pay). Was yesterday's incident somewhat sexist or am I being an educational elitist?
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posted by lizbunny
on Dec 15, 2010 -
69 answers
Work-place drama filter: My team lead has claimed I assaulted him. I didn't do it. It's my word versus his. Help!
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 14, 2010 -
31 answers
How common is physical abuse in the workplace? I had a boss who hit me a few years ago and I was talking to a friend recently and she said the same thing happened to her. Naturally, this made me curious as I thought physical abuse was relatively rare in the workplace compared to emotional.
posted by jihaan
on Nov 23, 2010 -
41 answers
Have you ever heard the word "palaver" in actual use in English to describe a group discussion? What other English synonyms are there for a workplace group discussion?
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posted by keijo
on Nov 13, 2010 -
40 answers
If I am trapped in a meeting or group with a co-worker who likes to hear himself talk (I mean really pontificate)...how do I go zen on it all? How do I adjust my own frustration? He sometimes has an entourage/fan club which isn't my business but I get really frustrated when stuck with him. He also tends to show up in the same small group parties I have attended. Deep breathing doesn't seem to be helping. I'm thinking about a flask of whiskey.
posted by snap_dragon
on Nov 11, 2010 -
20 answers
How should I show my appreciation to my HR department for a job well done in extending my work visa? What is appropriate?
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posted by Conductor71
on Nov 5, 2010 -
12 answers
Do you have a mailing list at your place of work, for gay people to chat with other gay people on? A pride list, as it is commonly known. What are your experiences of it? Do you know anything about how it was originally set up? How does it work for you; what are the pros and cons of such a mailing list in the workplace?
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posted by Elfasi
on Oct 12, 2010 -
9 answers
100% by accident, I discovered a sex video of a coworker online. Normally, my course of action would be to forget it ever happened and never mention it to anyone. But this might be a different kind of case and I don't know what to do about it.
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posted by Seahorse, rode hard and put away wet
on Sep 21, 2010 -
81 answers
Have you ever had to "hold down the fort" at work for a long time without a supervisor, and then one day, you finally got a boss? I'm going to be that boss. Help!
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posted by juniperesque
on Aug 31, 2010 -
13 answers
Should I divulge to my boss my mentor/coworker’s complete lack of work ethic? (academic lab situation)
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posted by anonymous
on Aug 25, 2010 -
19 answers
This morning at work, I was in a one-on-one meeting with a valued (and, yes, attractive) female colleague. While we were talking, she caught me looking up her skirt (yes, it was blatant). I looked up, and realized I was busted.
At that point, she tugged her skirt down, rolled her eyes slightly, and got up and left (muttering an excuse that she had to "make a call").
I'm still really mortified that this happened. What should I do now? Should I say something to her? Apologize? Ignore the fact that this encounter ever happened? What's the least awkward way of proceeding, knowing that we'll likely be working together for a lot longer?
Men: Have you ever gotten busted this way? What did you do?
Women: Have you ever been in this position? Did you lose your respect for the peeper, or do you generally assume that most dudes are trying to peek at you whether you notice or not?
Any advice would be valued. (If it matters, I'm male, she's female, we're both straight, and are about the same age.)
posted by anonymous
on Aug 18, 2010 -
129 answers
How do I explain a belated e-mail in a professional context? And how does one write a letter of inquiry to someone who already has the job? Bean-plate overthinking inside.
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 23, 2010 -
4 answers
I'm leaving my job, but my boss is making travel plans for the future. Should I say anything about it?
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 15, 2010 -
25 answers
There is a woman I work with who, up until today, I really liked. She’s in an office in another state, but we clicked well over the phone and she’s otherwise a pretty terrific person, and I pretty much considered her a personal friend outside of the workplace. Today she forwarded to me this epically offensive, crazy racist e-mail, and I’m not sure what to do. Advice and/or resources would be appreciated.
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posted by shiu mai baby
on Jun 30, 2010 -
93 answers
How does your IT department introduce new widescale products to your large company? I'm talking workstation policies, web browsers, collaboration and office applications, intranet. If you're an end user what is your company doing well in this regard? Are you invited to test the product? Do they test the subjective user experience? Do they make it easy for you test and give feedback? What would you change? And if you're in the IT department, what works well? What doesn't? What have you done to improve things.
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posted by razzman
on Jun 29, 2010 -
9 answers
I'm a legal secretary at a Big Law Firm, and was previously assigned to two attorneys, Sam and Sarah. Because my workload was light, I accommodated each of Sarah's requests as best I could (Sam is every secretary's dream, and requests very little assistance). To my own fault, I spoiled Sarah, enabled her laziness, and now find myself stuck in a hole. I've been assigned a new attorney, Scott, who is both new to the firm and has a large docket. My workload has increased substantially - Sarah is used to getting her way, and Scott has deadlines coming out of his ears. I need advice on how to get a couple points across to Sarah and Scott.
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 23, 2010 -
23 answers
I love collaboration and teamwork and I need your job and career suggestions.
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posted by mleigh
on May 21, 2010 -
6 answers
How are you using microblogging in your company?
I am particularly interested in the experience of employees of Microsoft or other beta testers of Microsoft's
Officetalk
- Secondarily: companies that are using
other intranet microblogging platforms.
-Thirdly: companies that are using Twitter.
What are Advantages? Disadvantages? Best practices?
Thanks
Frodo the 13th
posted by frodoxiii
on May 20, 2010 -
3 answers
How do I tell my bosses that my coworkers are making it impossible to do my work because they are essentially goofing off 50% of the time without getting my coworkers in trouble?
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posted by anonymous
on May 11, 2010 -
16 answers
I share an office with a bully, and things have come to a head. How do I keep cool and not resort to hollering?
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posted by anonymous
on May 5, 2010 -
38 answers
Uncomfortable situation with coworker. Please advise. (Apologies for what is inevitably an TL;DR.)
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posted by mudpuppie
on Apr 29, 2010 -
45 answers
Three managers constantly create a triangle of drama and I'm in the middle. Fight it or move on?
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posted by stormpooper
on Apr 26, 2010 -
13 answers
The end of my graduate school internship is approaching and I'd like to give my wonderful supervisor a token of appreciation for all she's done and taught me. We've had a pretty strictly professional relationship (an excellent one, at that) and I have minimal knowledge of her personal interests. She's in her mid-30s, and is a clinical social worker. I'd like to get her something thoughtful, something she can use. Chocolates, flowers, and gift certificates are not really what I'm looking for. At the same time, I wouldn't want to give her something too personal. Oh, and I'd like to spend no more than $50. (I am a grad student, after all.)
I know you guys will have some good ideas. Thanks in advance!
posted by blackcatcuriouser
on Apr 20, 2010 -
19 answers
Am I lunching with the new office creep? Or am I just letting my dislike get in the way.
Either way how do I extricate myself from this situation?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 15, 2010 -
19 answers
Last month, I finally landed my first "real" job. However, I have no idea how to dress myself -- I need to look "smart," but not overdressed. Give a geek some fashion advice!
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posted by schmod
on Mar 23, 2010 -
34 answers
How can I get my coworkers from compulsively using air freshener, as it gives me a terrible, go-home-early migraine? Asking nicely every day for the last week has been unsuccessful.
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posted by kella
on Mar 5, 2010 -
28 answers
How do I encourage creativity and improve morale in a web team stuck in dead-end jobs?
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posted by adverb
on Jan 27, 2010 -
18 answers
What is the legality of signing a mandatory company agreement to not associate with non-management employees outside of the workplace?
posted by Brian B.
on Dec 20, 2009 -
16 answers
I suspect my employer has installed a cell phone jamming device . How do I find it if they have?
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 18, 2009 -
15 answers
Is it normal or is it the symptom of a serious cognitive / psychological disorder that I don't like teaching?
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posted by bad grammar
on Nov 12, 2009 -
18 answers
Many workplaces ban social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and so on. What are some of the reasons workplaces should allow (and even encourage) staff to use social networking sites?
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posted by Jaybo
on Oct 14, 2009 -
20 answers
My organization is interested in providing a small fleet of bicycles for employees to use for meetings, workday errands, etc. The only reason *not* to do this that comes to mind is liability—although we could provide waivers, right? One way or the other, I haven't yet found examples of other companies doing this. What do you know about it?
posted by greggish
on Oct 10, 2009 -
15 answers
I'm in a crappy work situation and I know that the ultimate solution involves leaving my job, but how can I cope with this particular situation in the meantime?
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 28, 2009 -
9 answers
What are the best strategies for my current work situation? Question relates to disability, unemployment, and illegal activities (not mine).
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 14, 2009 -
17 answers
