People Managers

Ever had to manage someone older than you? When I first stepped into a leadership role at 29, one of my direct reports was in his late 50s and had been at the company for over 20 years. He was respect… more

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how often managers are expected to “absorb” pressure from above and shield their teams from chaos. I had a week recently where I was juggling three escalations, a surp… more

In the middle of another week of back-to-back meetings and realized I barely had time to do my actual job. As a manager, I’m constantly in reactive mode. I’m proud to show up for my people, but I’ve a… more

Should performance reviews include upward feedback? I’ve always believed managers should be held accountable too, but in most places I’ve worked, reviews only go one way—top-down. I’ve had team member… more

Biggest red flags in a leadership team? We talk so much about red flags during the hiring process, but I’ve worked places where the real issues came from the top. I’ve seen leadership teams that were … more

An employee going on Garden Leave after tomorrow has asked to stay in the office until 8pm. We're in the UK and have already asked for their equipment and pass back tomorrow. We have some concerns… more

How do you feel about April Fools Day pranks in the office? I’m all for some good-natured fun, but over the years I’ve seen a few jokes go sideways—hurt feelings, confusion, or just plain awkwardness.… more

I’ve been thinking a lot about 4-day workweeks lately—especially the kind where you work 10-hour days to earn that extra day off. A few companies I know are trying it, and one of my peers swears it’s … more

How do you handle an employee who’s doing the bare minimum? Not underperforming, not breaking any rules—but clearly not going above and beyond either. I had someone on my team like this: hit every dea… more

A while back, one of my top team members went for a promotion and was told they weren’t “visible” enough. This person had exceeded their goals for 6 quarters straight, led two cross-functional project… more

I can't trust anyone in office. Even the closest people I hang out with. I feel like I am walking on egg shells. I always have to be extremely careful about the things I say as it always reaches t… more

What time do you usually clock out of work? I saw a study that said the average employee logs off around 4:39 PM—and honestly, it made me pause. I work remotely and technically could sign off earlier, but I alw… more

Would you rather manage a team of rockstars or a team of reliable, steady performers? I’ve managed both, and there are trade-offs. A team of high achievers can drive incredible results—until egos clas… more

What do you think about employees who only "act their wage" and refuse to go above and beyond? On one hand, I get it—you don’t want to do more than you’re paid to do, especially when raises and promot… more

Managing people isn’t for everyone, and I think we don’t talk enough about when it’s time to walk away. Maybe you’re burned out, maybe you miss individual contributor work, or maybe leadership just is… more

I was laid-off from UPS and have been seeking employment for 3 months now. It appears as though its almost impossible to find a job. I had 3 interviews for one position with a large company (Forbes to… more

How many meetings per day is too many? Some days, I feel like my entire job is just sitting in meetings. I try to push back on the unnecessary ones, but with leadership syncs, 1:1s, project updates, a… more

Should managers be responsible for employee retention? We always hear that “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers.” But I think that oversimplifies the issue. Sometimes people leave bec… more

Ever worked somewhere that pushed the “we’re a family” narrative? I have, and spoiler: it usually meant blurred boundaries, unpaid overtime, and a guilt trip for not putting the company first. Suddenl… more

Most debates around remote work vs. return-to-office focus on productivity, but let’s be real—at the heart of it is trust. Some companies don’t trust employees to actually work from home, and some emp… more

I want to move to a different team as there is an opening for one level up. My manager is nice but he is not approving the request to apply for Internal Job Posting.

I am one of those people who was an outstanding individual contributor but can't get comfortable with the role of manager.

Does anyone know of a good short-term training program that includes role-playing? I&#… more

Is there a particular shareable task manager that your team uses that everyone agrees on? We’ve been using Todoist and while some love it, others seem resistant and others prefer other things that see… more

Does your boss support you? I spend so much time making sure my team feels heard, supported, and set up for success… but sometimes I wonder, who’s doing that for me? Managing is a job where you're… more

I work in a team where I report to the Associate Director (he must be in early 40s). Extremely sensible,sorted and mature guy.He understands the unsaid and has always supported me. However as he is so… more

Hot Take: The best employees don’t always make the best managers.
I’ve seen it happen so many times—a top performer crushes their individual role, gets promoted into management, and suddenly, they’re s… more

Looking back, I wish someone had told me just how emotionally exhausting management can be. I expected the workload—budgets, deadlines, strategy—but I wasn’t prepared for the weight of tough conversat… more

Lately, I’ve realized how much work has taken over my life. Between managing my team, endless meetings, and putting out daily fires, I’ve canceled more social plans than I can count. Last month alone,… more

I joined this company in June'24. I got a decent hike this year(7% for half a year).He told me in the performance review that I am doing good and by the end of this year he will promote me. Howev… more

Just got offered a lateral move—same title, same pay—but the difference is the leadership. The new team is led by a senior VP with a reputation for mentoring and promoting from within. My current boss… more

I’m managing a high performer who’s been asking for more growth opportunities, but our team budget doesn’t allow for additional resources right now. I don’t want to lose them, but I’m running out of w… more

I work in a small company (under 30 employees). I manage a team and I report to the CEO.

I've been in the hospital since Tuesday and up to this point given minimal details on why I'm here and my boss has been understanding.

Now … more