Questions tagged [conversation]
The conversation tag has no usage guidance.
49
questions
108
votes
12answers
22k views
How do I ask for a demotion?
I’m in a management role at a mid-sized company and hate it. My first three years at the company I held a “project manager” role, which I really enjoyed. Nearly two years ago I was promoted to the ...
4
votes
3answers
902 views
Is a work related Teams chat between two colleagues confidential?
Today a user asked a question in a private team (visible only for colleagues in our department) in MS Teams. This question referred to the rollout of a product. I needed some more information and ...
0
votes
4answers
1k views
Requesting a laptop for work
I've composed a message for my boss, and I will send it later today. But I would like to seek help or suggestions first.
For context:
My work as a programmer is remote. The company is based in the US,...
-4
votes
1answer
531 views
How to say "Take it or leave it"? [closed]
I am a freelancer and recently one of my clients was pinging me day and night about a particular project. He dug out EVERY little detail of the project and pinged me a lot of times whether I could ...
5
votes
2answers
590 views
What's generally the proper way to handle an overwhelming amount of work?
I'm currently working on 2-3 projects at the same time (depending on how you look at it) and my boss has recently asked me to take a look at another project. This new project may take 3-4 days, ...
1
vote
2answers
582 views
Ignoring a joke taken wrongly
Recently I was around a couple co-workers and made a joke. They took it as a joke, but took it as it having a sexual angle which I didn't mean at all. In fact, in my mind it was a huge stretch to take ...
1
vote
2answers
266 views
Send email with roundups and adjustments after negotiations?
I am not good negotiatior, I can perform badly at conversations depending of the quality of rest in the previous night (it can be poor after workouts or after some exciting events or reading) and some ...
3
votes
2answers
631 views
How to keep in touch with former colleagues
After more than ten years I started a new job last summer, so it´s been near on half a year in my new job. I absolutely love my new job and like my new colleagues.
I liked my former colleagues, too. ...
5
votes
3answers
768 views
Senior colleague doesn't respond to my emails
I have a senior colleague with a lot of insider knowledge. He has too much information to write down at one time so I make documentation as I come across issues that require his attention.
He's been ...
79
votes
14answers
21k views
I'm being blamed for not responding to an email from a client that was directly addressed to coworker
I work in development and support for one of my company's products. I'm the only support employee, but there is another person that is above me. He's not technically a support employee, but he's ...
2
votes
3answers
903 views
Email etiquette - How to deal with habitual splitters of email conversations (Outlook)
There are a couple coworkers who frequently respond to an email after other followup emails have been sent out in a thread, which fragments (splits) conversations and leads to confusion, ...
5
votes
4answers
8k views
How to counter "I don't like your tone" in a work conversation?
Situation: there is a discussion in the office about making a decision. You make a valid argument based on facts, and the other person, usually a manager, replies with:
"I don't like your tone"
or
"I ...
13
votes
5answers
2k views
How to deal with a coworker who may be depressed
Recently an intern joined me to work on a project. We are the only people working on this project. A month went by and it was going well; he was completing all the tasks in time and has the talent to ...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Should I ask about new intern behaviour? [closed]
I'm currently only going to the office 2 days a week. The rest of the time, I work remotely from home, so sometimes, I don't get some office news.
One of those days, I came in late, 9 am instead of 8 ...
39
votes
7answers
4k views
Working with people that have different views in geopolitics
Our company outsources a lot of ODM and some OEM design with companies in China (and sometimes Taiwan). The views of China's recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state is different than many Western ...
1
vote
1answer
384 views
Asked for my boss a raise, but never received feedback [closed]
I'm currently working as a trainee in a software development company. In this company there are two programs for trainees: one that pays for 20 hours/week and other that pays for 30 hours/week (...
1
vote
3answers
563 views
How to professionally and politely turn a one-way conversation into a two-way conversation?
When working in organisations with a very indoctrinated culture of bureaucracy (e.g. large organisations or government departments), it is not often to encounter people who are unable to think or ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
Team member mumbling about her team partner
Two of my team members, Alice and Tina were sent to attend a 3 week seminar. It is being held in the residing city. Both are good contributors to the team but I haven't observed any animosity between ...
2
votes
4answers
1k views
How to point out to random coworker that they use speech patterns associated with negative stereotypes
I was, like, having lunch in the company cafeteria today while working on, like, a presentation, when two coworkers (I have like no idea who they are) sat in a booth like right next to me! One of them ...
4
votes
2answers
621 views
How do I have a conversation about stress with my manager when he is the cause?
This question follows from How to deal with mixed messages during the probation period?
My situation is that my probation period has been extended. Moreover, my manager sends me mixed messages about ...
47
votes
5answers
13k views
Responding to trivial and constant affirmation in a telephonic conference
My team and I (supervisor) have to attend a telephonic conference once in a week with another team located in a different country. The agenda is usually sharing updates of each other's work and trying ...
9
votes
4answers
1k views
How do I stop my habit of gossiping in my office negatively impacting my colleagues? [closed]
I have this bad habit of gossiping around everyone. Sometimes, it feels really embarrassing as I think that gossiping and backstabbing about my colleagues, I am not only cheating them but myself too. ...
7
votes
6answers
2k views
How to present myself being a jack of all trades?
I've been facing this difficulty from long time. I have worked on various technologies and completed all projects on time before deadlines (<2% rework) every time.
My technology variety varies ...
1
vote
2answers
884 views
Convincing manager to change programming languages [duplicate]
I'm a software engineer at a small manufacturing firm writing custom software for the company to use in various areas, from the assembly line to managing documentation. We have a large number of ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
How should I handle overhearing personal conversations through an open door?
I'm working in my first job now for about seven months. Recently our office received some renovation work. Along this we got a new door to our neighbor office which will be always open now to lower ...
-4
votes
2answers
874 views
Talking about drugs in the office [closed]
During lunch time in the office kitchen, some colleagues often share how was their weekend by saying they had drinks/pints/alcohol, got drunk and had fun.
e.g. "We went to bar X and had drinks, we ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
How to tell colleague to stop talking about xy?
I'm on really good terms with my colleague, we go for lunch every day, we run our department and we communicate efficiently. However, he keeps telling me about xy all the time and I kind of am ...
-3
votes
1answer
186 views
How to make a person speak confidently and coherently in an interview? [closed]
I am a beginner video-maker for my local community foundation.
My task is to create a small (5min) video story about a very successfull young sportsman. For that I would also like to interview family ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Everyone is talking about politics in the common lunches. Any better option than leaving?
I live in a place where there's quite a lot of convulsion in terms of independency of the country. My ideas don't really care, but in the office there are both sides, and the verbal fights are close ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Dealing with a colleague that talks too much
I have been at my company as a project manager/ analyst for around a year now. I have a colleague (Bob) of the same rank (though with much more experience, having spent considerably longer than me at ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
How to quietly make sure a co-worker avoids a lunch topic, just once
I work in tech in an urban area where my close co-workers are outspokenly and vehemently liberal, and our lunch conversations generally include some sort of trump bash during some portion of the ...
0
votes
3answers
1k views
How to tell my colleague to stop using racist language at work [duplicate]
I work in a large multinational company. My colleague uses a particular word for a greeting that is very offensive. It is not appropriate language at work and is against company policy.
My colleague ...
24
votes
6answers
4k views
Casual Sexism in the office [closed]
My question is about how to approach/tackle the issue of casual sexism in the office. I say casual because usually the comments made are in "good fun" and meant as a joke, and not meant as insult. ...
1
vote
5answers
811 views
How can I best respond to "reasonable" personal questions from co-workers?
I am engaged, but we are not planning to get married for at least a couple years, for our own financial reasons which I don't feel like explaining. I work in a fairly small and close workplace where ...
0
votes
3answers
459 views
How can an experienced employee convince his manager to give team lead role & more responsibility?
I am an experienced IT professional who was leading a small team in my previous company. I joined a new company a few months back. My manager & most team members are completely new to IT, and ...
-2
votes
4answers
823 views
How to counter limited managers whose style is based on making experts talk?
In my company there is a small group of junior managers with almost zero technical background. Most have a PhD, but they mainly repeat quotes from LinkedIn and from their mentors.
This is especially ...
107
votes
8answers
27k views
Lunch with the CEO
I'm having lunch with my CEO in a couple of days. I'm an Engineer who's pretty involved in a product that the company sells, but I don't know too much about the business side of things.
My company is ...
2
votes
6answers
1k views
How to balance talking when coworkers like quiet
My company just moved and as a result we are by a group which does not like talking.
The nature of some of our work involves conversations. However, the next group of cubicles over (another ...
0
votes
1answer
198 views
Re-send information on question about progress in conversation with Japan company
During a series of interviews with Japanese company I meet the following pattern already 2 times:
The interviewer asked me to give some information either by phone or by email.
I send the required ...
1
vote
3answers
20k views
Politely push job offer?
I have two job offers that I need to respond to within 48 hours if I want the job. There is a third company that I allready had two job interviews with, but they didn't offer me a job yet. However, I ...
0
votes
1answer
347 views
is it professional to listen actively to a conversation where a two or more people talking but I know only one of them? [closed]
Today, at the breakfast there were two people having a chat. I know one person well and just joined to say hi to that person. After doing a little chatty with her I started eating my meal.
While I ...
-3
votes
3answers
2k views
Awkward conversations in elevators/lifts - how to avoid [closed]
Why is it that we sometimes feel the need to have conversations with people in the elevators/lift? I understand acknowledging people and saying hi, but it seems like in most cases (unless you are ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Under what circumstances is it acceptable to use a different (natural) language with colleagues who speak it instead of the dominant one?
I have colleagues in my workplace who are native speakers of languages other than the dominant one (English) and sometimes they use it between themselves even with respect to work matters (though not ...
9
votes
4answers
4k views
How can I tell a coworker to stop making awkward sexual jokes?
I am doing an internship with another worker of my age, early 20s, and he constantly makes non-funny sexual jokes. We are both male. How do I make him stop this unprofessional behaviour?
I don't want ...
49
votes
8answers
10k views
How can I get my colleagues to speak a language I understand?
I'm working in an office where neither French (my native language) nor English (a language I speak pretty nicely) is used as the default language. English is supposed to be used, since we are an ...
-2
votes
1answer
866 views
Building rapport via email communication [closed]
Are there guides to building email rapport? I'm asking because I'm not really good at face-to-face communication.
Maybe guidelines about the frequency in communicating to coworkers? Will that help ...
10
votes
2answers
5k views
What information is important when introducing yourself to coworkers you have never met?
Today, my manager introduced me to an employee who's visiting us from a different geographical location. The person is visiting our office for 2 weeks. I don't know anything about him and I don't have ...
24
votes
2answers
2k views
How to renege on a so called "promotion"?
I was hired 8 years ago to be the meetings manager for a small, professional association. We are a small staff and often have to do tasks that don't necessarily fall in our job description. Over time, ...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
When is it impolite to use Reply instead of Reply All? [closed]
I am looking for specific scenarios that is considered common practice or have caused problems in the past when you simply Reply to the sender rather than doing a Reply All to people that were ...