207
votes
Non-technical project manager, how to repair poor relationship with subordinates?
With all due respect, I don't believe that the entirety of the problem sits with the staff.
You wrote:
The employees are young and impressionable.
and
"Most of them are not college graduates ...
- 160k
204
votes
Accepted
I reported the illegal activity of my boss to his boss. My boss found out. Now I am being punished. What should I do?
You've witnessed something illegal. By law, you are most likely required to report it to a federal agency, not your supervisor's boss. In other words, having told the boss, you haven't actually done ...
- 49.6k
179
votes
I'm in charge of equipment buying but no one's ever happy with what I choose. How to fix this?
Amazon should allow for returns. Box them up and send them back.
Before you order new, ask your boss for specific requirements, or ask your teammates for suggestions of what they'd like, then ...
- 10.9k
167
votes
How to deal with complaints about you - if you warned against the risk?
After that I repeated my estimation of the situation again per email.
This was ignored.
Now the client complained about me that I seem to appear to meetings unprepared and they need to tell me things ...
- 12.7k
144
votes
How to deal with complaints about you - if you warned against the risk?
First, you should stop working 14 hours a day: it might be sustainable for a few days (and I insist on the 'might', and I'm kinda confident it can't be applied to everybody), but a project is not a ...
- 2,143
113
votes
Accepted
Having to constantly redo everything because I don't know how to do it
What do I do if I feel unqualified for the job but can't quit and
won't get fired easily even though it's taking me a long time to do
things and I end up having to do everything over and over ...
- 382k
109
votes
Accepted
How to deal with IT help desk that does not acknowledge requests for help?
As always, document everything. If you can get other employees to collaborate, do so. Ask your manager if he can do the same with other managers and have them escalate.
What you need to do is make a ...
- 160k
98
votes
I'm in charge of equipment buying but no one's ever happy with what I choose. How to fix this?
The biggest problem is you don't realize what you did wrong, and people are miffed about your obliviousness.
Keyboards and mice are personal. Tournament gamers bring their own keyboards and mice. ...
97
votes
Has my employer breached my confidentiality?
You've learned one of the most important lessons in the corporate world:
HR is not your friend
One of the main purposes of an HR department is to protect the company from its employees, not the ...
- 43.2k
82
votes
Accepted
How can a cybersecurity team mitigate internal customer complaints that real time user training is too intrusive?
If folks have a better idea for a way to give employees the necessary training and help them catch the occasional mistake, that would be great. But all that has really changed is that they are being ...
- 67.3k
80
votes
I'm in charge of equipment buying but no one's ever happy with what I choose. How to fix this?
It may be too late this time, but the expenditure per employee is small in terms of their happiness and productivity, so a do-over is probably of net benefit to the business.
Perhaps a reasonable ...
- 4,647
79
votes
I reported the illegal activity of my boss to his boss. My boss found out. Now I am being punished. What should I do?
Something to think about: do you have any reason to believe the boss isn't also doing illegal things?
That's the reason that these answers are not paranoid, and you really really need to talk to a ...
- 30.1k
74
votes
Accepted
Should I complain to my manager about a chronic complainer?
No, her behavior is normal and expected
The company recently switched to a new core system, and there are a lot of problems to fix.
Normally, I would be opposed to employees who complain a lot ...
- 1,789
64
votes
How can a cybersecurity team mitigate internal customer complaints that real time user training is too intrusive?
I'd be looking at the systemic reasons why your developers are having to use P2P sites or disreputable code libraries!
The problem with this kind of pestering is that people eventually tune out, if ...
- 11.5k
60
votes
How to deal with IT help desk that does not acknowledge requests for help?
I have observed this HelpDesk behaviour from a system that was automatically closing tickets as soon as they were filed. (The hardest thing to detect is a fault in the "report a problem" form.) By "...
- 560
57
votes
Accepted
Manager not completing forms required for my partner to sit for exams
Keep a paper trail, documentation is your friend
That being said, your partner should request that it be done immediately, and stress the potential impact it can have on their career. They should do ...
- 6,447
57
votes
I'm in charge of equipment buying but no one's ever happy with what I choose. How to fix this?
Why are you purchasing new equipment? If the users don't have a problem with their current equipment, and prefer it over the alternative you have provided, then you seem to be creating a problem that ...
- 715
55
votes
I reported the illegal activity of my boss to his boss. My boss found out. Now I am being punished. What should I do?
Given that you are in Pennsylvania, this situation may be covered by the Pennsylvania Whistleblowers Act, which says in part:
“No employer may discharge, threaten or otherwise discriminate or ...
- 713
55
votes
Having to constantly redo everything because I don't know how to do it
This is a classic problem of communication gap, which creates a difference between the actual and expected outcome, causing things to be done over and over again. Don't worry, it happens with almost ...
- 72.9k
53
votes
Non-technical project manager, how to repair poor relationship with subordinates?
The first thing you need to do is sit down and have a long look at whether you are a good fit for this organization. From your writing, you seem to be more of a control type project manager and you ...
- 142k
41
votes
How to deal with complaints about you - if you warned against the risk?
To answer your question, you cannot be an asshole however you react. You just react to asshole behaviour.
they estimated it for 2h using the term "if you are thinking pragmatically" - instead of ...
- 15.3k
39
votes
Non-technical project manager, how to repair poor relationship with subordinates?
What can I say to my employers?
If you have these incidences of insubordination documented, then present your proof.
Why are they allowing employees to go over my head?
This is typical for an ...
- 2,635
34
votes
Manager not completing forms required for my partner to sit for exams
Escalate the issue to more senior management
Ultimately your supervisor sets your priorities. This is true not only for your partner, but for her manager as well. (For the sake of brevity, let's ...
- 7,848
32
votes
How can a cybersecurity team mitigate internal customer complaints that real time user training is too intrusive?
I think a lot of the issues people have with systems like this is that the focus is completely backwards. Most people see IT departments as focused on identifying and protecting against external ...
- 7,273
28
votes
I reported the illegal activity of my boss to his boss. My boss found out. Now I am being punished. What should I do?
Get out ASAP, you are marked. Get out and get out now. Document everything they do, everything you do, and see a lawyer as soon as possible. They are aware that their illegal activities have been ...
- 160k
25
votes
I reported the illegal activity of my boss to his boss. My boss found out. Now I am being punished. What should I do?
Firstly, the accepted answer is wrong about whistleblowing.
Spotting illegal things and reporting it within the company is more than reasonable as it allows the company to attempt to resolve the ...
- 3,683
24
votes
I'm in charge of equipment buying but no one's ever happy with what I choose. How to fix this?
Most people have gone back to their old keyboard and mouse and my boss won't approve returning them, he just says "you need to fix this".
Issue is fixed. Most people have returned to using their old ...
- 1,057
23
votes
I'm in charge of equipment buying but no one's ever happy with what I choose. How to fix this?
Here's an anecdote a friend told me. It was the 80's and in the company's multistory building, they were installing computers, which required coaxial cable to be run everywhere, which in turn ...
- 2,403
21
votes
Co-worker complained to management about me then expects me to greet her and have chit chat. I refused
You owe your co-workers courtesy and cooperation if you want to keep your job. You are massively overreacting. Get over it. Or at least don't let your behavior confirm their complaints about your ...
- 67.3k
20
votes
How to deal with complaints about you - if you warned against the risk?
What you're describing is a classic case of shooting the messenger.
You told those people something they didn't want hear, they dismissed you, and they're now holding you "accountable" for the ...
- 22.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible