285
votes
Accepted
Should I talk to my team lead about unintentional sexism within the team?
I was wondering if this is a safe topic of conversation in a one to
one meeting with my team lead.
This behavior is an acceptable topic, jumping to conclusion as to the cause isn't. I would come ...
- 34.7k
283
votes
Accepted
Asking for help in IT in a senior position while keeping credibility
Asking for help when you don't know something isn't weak - no one person can know all the details of each technology they will encounter. And assuming that it's not happening with every aspect of the ...
- 107k
278
votes
Accepted
Should I reveal productivity tricks to peers, or keep them to myself in order to be more productive than the others?
If you reveal it publicly (that is, everyone knows you have trained your peers) not only will you be more productive, but your whole team will be, and management will know why. By advancing the ...
- 148k
271
votes
Accepted
How to handle a senior developer diva who seems unaware that his skills are obsolete?
The founder responded that they are overreacting, and that he has an absolute trust in the skills of the new lead, based on his CV and the interview, which is exactly why he assigned to this person ...
- 43.3k
257
votes
Accepted
How to politely write 'I work best when working alone' in a CV
Generally you want to avoid expressing out and out preferences for this sort of thing in a CV but instead make obvious that the company will get the best results by giving you what you want, you're on ...
- 107k
239
votes
Team being on standby on weekends?
Your CEO noticed on Monday that something went wrong. So apparently he or she thought it was fine for themselves not to be on standby.
Fact is: Being on standby is something that people will want ...
- 168k
237
votes
Can layoffs have a "positive" effect for a business due to the remaining employees thinking "If I don't work harder, I may be the next"?
the remaining ones will work hard in fear that if I don't work harder I may be the next
Much more likely that the remaining ones will think "better jump, before I get pushed".
And, the best of them ...
233
votes
How can I get employees to respect the leave policy?
There already is a policy in place that says staff should inform at least 24 hours in advance - which no one seems to care about, clearly.
Because it is completely out of touch with reality. You ...
- 137k
208
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 ...
- 159k
199
votes
Accepted
How to deal with an intern's lack of basic skills?
First step is to apologize to the intern.
It's likely both of you are frustrated with how the time has been going. If the intern has had a year of college, it means they are basically a high school ...
- 111k
190
votes
Accepted
Approach sick days in feedback meeting
He follows all the company policies for sick days, so from the HR
perspective there is no problem.
Then there's no problem that needs resolving.
Should I approach his sick days in the feedback ...
- 46.9k
167
votes
Accepted
How do I tell my PM the priorities must change now?
Here's the secret: Stop working above your role.
You're a developer. The assignment of resources and negotiations outside your department is NOT your role. It is your manager's, and he is ...
- 63.2k
166
votes
How to justify getting additional team member when the current team is doing well?
Question: How to properly justify a team increase given that we don't have an output issue? (we are delivering in an acceptable manner already)
Stop working overtime and see if your team can still ...
- 78.1k
161
votes
Accepted
How do I give feedback when I know more about the topic than the presenter?
As a speaker, I never want to be nitpicked or corrected. I can sometimes handle it when it's important and relevant for this audience. Usually, it isn't. Usually, I've decided to simplify things ...
- 148k
159
votes
Accepted
Should I inform my future product owner that there is a good chance that a team member will leave the company soon?
Would you want a co-worker to alert management if they suspected you were leaving?
The problem here is that you could really damage someone's career by precipitating his termination before he finds ...
- 22.4k
157
votes
Muslim colleague is uncomfortable with 1:1 meeting and work culture — to what degree should I accommodate?
To what extent should I accomodate her requests?
To the extent that you accommodate any request that you could extend to all your other team members as well.
If it is no problem to offer a solution ...
- 137k
156
votes
Fair treatment for employees always late due to public transport
I myself rely on public transport to get to work. I've taken several steps to mitigate the issues, hopefully they will help.
Talked to my boss about the situation and worked with him to find a ...
- 1,704
156
votes
Accepted
How should I tell a colleague I don't think he's qualified for a lead role?
How can I tell him that based on skills I don't see him as an
appropriate candidate for the position in question without ruining our
team spirit?
You don't. You wish him good luck and that's it. It'...
- 1,484
148
votes
Accepted
I've been asked to resign and leave, what to do and how do I tell my team?
Based on your comment, you are located in the United States.
If I were you, I would not resign. I would continue doing my job and give the best performance I could (Edit: Exactly for getting ...
- 8,763
148
votes
Accepted
How acceptable is it to openly compare team member performances
It's not.
If I'm evaluating your performance then Bob and Alice have no bearing on the review. Now truthfully I'm human and I may think of comparisons to each other (and to other people I've worked ...
- 8,363
145
votes
Accepted
When is it acceptable to share personal information I have about a coworker who disappeared?
You should not share this with people because A) you can't be sure it's her and B) you can't be sure if she wants you to share this with the company.
What you can do, is contact her over this service ...
- 35.7k
144
votes
Team members' and manager's behaviour is indifferent after I announce my intention to leave in 8 months
It is just corporate life, not you
A colleague of mine returned from a 4-week vacation yesterday. In that time, our boss left for a new company. Maybe 3 minutes was spent catching the colleague up on ...
- 47.7k
134
votes
Hired for too high a level position
I was in this exact situation several years ago - I took it as a challenge. It made me work harder and I learnt so much from the process, and from the people who were supposedly junior to me.
Being a ...
- 6,003
133
votes
Accepted
Is a public "shoutouts" channel a good or bad idea?
I used to work for a very large US based company that used to pride itself in having a very large number of Engineers. It would constantly boast about the large numbers and how technically excellent ...
- 1,123
127
votes
Accepted
How do I evaluate a manager I have a negative opinion of?
Given the situation and the (likely) motivation behind the Director asking each of your team, I think I'd advise the following:
Be factual, truthful, and CAREFUL.
Consideration #1:
You are all being ...
- 24.8k
127
votes
Accepted
How to politely stop a colleague's rude remarks about the way I sip alcohol?
What was said to you was completely inappropriate and unprofessional. It doesn't matter if it was "for fun" or not, it shouldn't have been said.
In my opinion, you would have been well ...
- 106k
124
votes
Accepted
How can I deal with a coworker who doesn't particularly care about code quality?
Should I raise this with my team lead?
No. The most junior member who has only a couple of years experience should not be complaining to team leads about the code quality of the most senior member.
...
- 380k
122
votes
Accepted
Limited number of places at award ceremony for team - how do I choose who to take along?
First of all, objectively present the situation to your team:
Guys, we have been nominated for an innovation award, however only 6 of us, myself included, can attend this event.
Next, tell them ...
- 49.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible