Career change & midlife reinvention

• AAsk a Manager2026-10-15✓ Read

  let’s talk about family involving themselves in someone’s job when they shouldn’t

  We’ve heard many stories here over the years of family members involving themselves in a loved one’s job when they shouldn’t — the dad who called to ensure his son’s company had “properly briefed”him on his work travel, the husband who kept calling to complain about his wife’s evaluation, the mom who showed up and demanded to speak to management about her kid being denied vacation time before he had accrued any, the job candidate’s wife who kept calling his interviewer, and on and on.

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-15✓ Read

  employee makes terrible noises about a coworker’s lotion, the Kelly Clarkson drama, and more

  It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. The Kelly Clarkson bird toy drama I’m desperate for your take on this story! TL;DR renowned pop star Kelly Clarkson visits Brooklyn toy store, tries to buy their beloved bird automaton (listed for $15,000). Kelly says they dismissed her “like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman,”

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-14✓ Read

  My husband’s job is a mess of affairs, favoritism, and blame — what can he do?

  A reader writes: My husband, Bob, is one of two supervisors over a small team that loves to gossip. His boss, Amelia, is recently divorced and having a not-so-secret affair with her boss, Craig, which is a regular topic of discussion. However, their long lunches aren’t the primary issue. The other team supervisor, Morgan, is

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-14✓ Read

  update: can I have a few drinks when I’m always somewhat on call?

  Remember the letter-writer wondering if they can have a few drinks when they’re always somewhat on call? Here’s the update. Thanks again for your great advice! Things have developed, and your advice and that of the comment section was really helpful! I know I always appreciate updates, so here’s mine! As I mentioned in the

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-14✓ Read

  my boss says I should manage my problem coworker, but I’m not her boss

  A reader writes: How do you manage someone when you’re not a manager? For the last six months, I’ve been on a small team for a project. The man we work under, George, is half-retired, works less hours, and is very busy. Against his will, he’s been made a boss again due to complicated circumstances.

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-14✓ Read

  can I stick it to my job because I’m angry about return-to-office, boss is a huge downer, and more

  It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I stick it to my job because I’m angry about return-to-office? I was working in a call center customer-facing role for five years total. I spent two years in an office and then was unexpectedly forced to work from home in 2020. There was

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-13✓ Read

  I had to fire two long-time volunteers

  A reader writes: One of the many hats I wear at my small nonprofit is volunteer coordinator. Recently, our executive director and one board member asked me to “fire” two of our volunteers, which I did, despite some hesitation. I am not sure if I handled this correctly, and would love to learn from this

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-13✓ Read

  my coworker’s stress is stressing us all out

  A reader writes: I work in government on a team of extremely competent and collaborative colleagues. We do high stress, high visibility, complicated work that is often written up in the media. Our office culture supports work-life balance and we all really believe in the work we do. I am one of our senior analysts and folks at my level are given a lot of autonomy to shape our own work; the four “seniors” work together extremely closely. We are all fully (or nearly fully) remote. One of my senior colleagues, June, is very good at her job.

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-13✓ Read

  was my mom out of line in her response to a snarky comment from an employee?

  A reader writes: This situation actually happened to my mom, but when we talked about it, I was surprised by how different our feelings were about it. My mom works as the president of an organization that is not doing well. She was specifically hired because there were a lot of issues with the organization,

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-13✓ Read

  boss is asking about my child care arrangements, people schedule meetings over my lunch break, and more

  It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss is asking about my child care arrangements, but I’m getting my job done I’m a relatively new parent working in a hybrid position. My job is primarily remote, with occasional in-person responsibilities — one day a week in the office and a small

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-12✓ Read

  My boss wants to give me his kidney — but I don’t want it

  I’m off today, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: I have a question that is on the opposite end of the spectrum from the boss who (shudder) tried to force his employees to donate an organ to his brother. I have a serious chronic

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-12✓ Read

  updates: long-winded candidates, the boss who left with no warning, and more

  Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. How should I handle job candidates who cut me off, are long-winded, or answer the wrong question? I left the tech industry a few years ago for unrelated reasons in order to go into fine art. Whenever I get a new commission client, step one is an

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-12✓ Read

  My coworker says her husband died — but he didn’t

  I’m off today, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: I have a coworker who mentions her deceased husband fairly frequently in conversation. It’s been several years since he passed away after a protracted illness. (He had lupus, and she says that they knew it

  A
• AAsk a Manager2026-10-12✓ Read

  can I ask my coworkers to stop swearing, company banned my husband and me from PDA, and more

  I’m off today. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. Can I ask my whole office to stop swearing? So, maybe I just need to adult a little, and this might seem really nit-picky, but I work in a very casual, small

  A
• CCareershifters blog2026-09-29✓ Read

  How To Make The Most Of Events As A Career Changer

  Going to an event can feel daunting even when it’s for your own industry. When you’re changing career, it’s a whole different ball game. Who do you talk to? How do you make an impression? What if you don’t know what you want? Natasha shares how to make events work for you – from what to do before you arrive, to how to approach people, what to say, and when it’s time to go home.

  C
• CCareershifters blog2026-09-22✓ Read

  3 Questions To Ask Yourself When ‘What Should I Do?’ Isn’t

  Tired of searching endlessly for ‘your thing’ and coming up empty-handed? Unable to make progress until you know what your future career should be? Sometimes a change in focus can reveal a whole host of new possibilities. Natasha shares three powerfully simple questions to get you re-inspired and able to take action on your shift.

  C

Know a source we’re missing? Tell us about it