It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker brought in this own coffee maker and is charging people for coffee We have a colleague in our office who has bought in his own personal coffee machine from home to use at work to make coffees for himself and other colleagues in […]

When you really mess up at work, it can harm your reputation and your relationship with your managers and coworkers. We’re not taking about small mistakes here; you’re human and hopefully you a fairly reasonable manager who understands that. We’re talking about major screw-ups– the ones that affect your manager’s trust in you, impact your […]

A reader writes: You very kindly answered a previous question from me that really helped me – thank you! But today I have a dilemma about something I did, that’s divided my friends. I’m genuinely interested in the different reactions, and I promise I’m not just looking for validation, I promise, so would love a […]

A reader writes: I was curious, after years of writing this column, do you still get letters that surprise you? Do the reactions from the commenters ever surprise you? Have you ever thought that the conversation about a letter would go one way and it went completely the opposite way? What surprises you the most […]

A reader writes: Let me first say that this email might come across as whiny and/or juvenile, but I want you to know on the front end that I truly want input and help. Have you ever heard of someone who hates work? I don’t mean hates their job, their boss, or their coworkers. I […]

If you’re over the age of 30, you’ve probably heard your share of complaining and eye-rolling about millennial-aged workers: They’re entitled and expect to get great jobs without paying their dues, they don’t understand how office hierarchy works, they’re high maintenance, they’re job hoppers – the list goes on and on. And if you’re under […]

I get a lot of requests to give people feedback on their resumes, but because it’s time-consuming to do it well, I usually turn them down unless they’re friends or family. But for a short time, I’m re-opening the resume review offer that I’ve run a couple of times before. When I’ve offered this in […]

A reader writes: I’m a young (early 20s) woman, petite, and I’ve been at my current position about 8 months now. I’m generally very happy here, but I’m not sure how to deal with certain kinds of comments. For example, part of my job requires me to carry large boxes and put large shipments into […]

A reader writes: I’m planning to leave my job in 18 months to go back to school full-time. My spouse and I are also trying to get pregnant. In one scenario, we get pregnant more quickly and I’d be out on leave for my industry’s really intense season (think tax season for an accounting firm). […]