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Missing Managers

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


I need to talk to my manager about my work and about some other issues that have come up, but every time I make an appointment, he cancels. We reschedule and reschedule, but it takes too long to get to him. What can I do?
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Our branch manager is out of the office a good part of the time. Our one support person spends a large part of her day on personal phone calls (1-4 hours), instant messaging, and long lunches (up to 2 hours). I am the one who has to cover for her, and the hard part is that we are somewhat friendly. Without being the company snitch, how can I bring these kinds of infractions to the manager's attention?
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I have been with this company for over two years, and my manager has been in my office only once. I rarely see him in the halls, and all meetings are held in his office. When we meet, he listens to me and gives me feedback and advice. I just don't like this power thing of having to meet in his office. Is there anything I can say to change this?
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My manager ignores most of my email. I send him messages three or four times, and sometimes there still is no response. He is causing my work to suffer, and I want to know how to get him to respond.
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My boss is five months behind on my annual performance evaluation. I have sent him several reminders, but none has worked. He told me he's waiting for his boss's approval. Just last week, I reminded him again via e-mail and copied his boss. Neither one replied. I want my salary increase and I want to know how I'm doing on the job. Can you give me a suggestion?
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My manager says I ask too many questions, but I feel I would rather do this than go off on a project and make a bunch of mistakes. I sense that he is becoming less and less available to me, but I am only trying to do a good job. What can I do?
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I work in the Human Resources Department of a large corporation. There are four of us, three females (myself being one) and one male. Our boss gives us many projects with unreasonable deadlines, doesn't help with the work, but takes all the credit. She just bought a new house, so she is gone a lot. We work 60+ hours every week, but our male co-worker only works around 40. The president is completely snowed by our boss, but one of the vice presidents is slowly becoming aware of the problem. If we go over our boss's head, we fear retribution. Would you please make some suggestions?
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I am a new employee with this company, and I have been given no training. When I have questions about how to do my job, my supervisor ignores me and my co-workers are too busy. I'm making mistakes already, and I don't know where to turn. Can you help?
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Whenever I need my manager's advice or approval, he keeps giving me the brush-off. His most common reply is that he will deal with the matter later, and then it's usually too late. How do I get him to take some action when I need it?
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My manager rarely has any time to meet with me. The problem is that there is another manager who works closely with him who keeps giving me assignments. These assignments have nothing to do with my job and skills, and I don't like the work. My manager has told me to do what this manager says. What should I do?
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My manager knows very little about what I do each day. He is not very accessible, and my few meetings with him are brief. I am coming up on my one-year evaluation, and I am concerned that he is going to rely on minimal information and some comments from one of the other managers who is not exactly my best friend. What can I do without sounding like I'm groveling?
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My working relationship with my manager is positive, but I have a problem with one of the other managers. He keeps criticizing me, and his comments are wrong and without any facts. He will not listen to me, and when I told my own manager about this, he said I should work it out on my own. How can I do this?
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My manager gives me very vague instructions on projects, and he is never around for the clarification. He ignores my phone calls, and if I send him an email, he responds by implying that his instructions are clear and obvious to anyone with a brain. What can I do with a manager like this?
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Two of my co-workers do not get along, and whenever our manager is out, which happens often, they start arguing. I don't want to be branded as a person who runs to the manager whenever there is a problem, but this situation is upsetting everyone in the office. What should I do?
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I just joined this company and I am ready to quit. On my first day, my office was a complete mess. The computer was filled with work and junk from the previous employee, and so was the desk. My manager is still out of town, and he left no instructions for anyone here. He called in and said he'd be back in a week and told me to "keep busy." What should I do?
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Every time I need to see my manager, she says she is busy and will get back to me later. The problem is that she never does. Once in a great while, I can catch her and meet with her on the spot. If I don't get her then, I won't hear a thing. How do you deal with a manager like this?
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I was given a very demanding assignment by my manager, and it did not go well. I take responsibility for the failure, but I must say that my manager was unresponsive to my numerous attempts to communicate with him. All he said at the end was he assumed that if I took on a project, I would get it done. What do you think of this and what should I do now?
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I am a Sales Rep for a large company, and I work with a Senior Salesperson. He divided the territory and kept the good accounts for himself while leaving the problems and leftovers for me. We both report to a Vice President who cancels every appointment I make with him. I don't want to be branded a trouble-maker, but what do I do?
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A department manager who reports to me comes in later than most, leaves promptly at 5:00, and is out of the office a lot during the day. Other employees need to meet with him, and when they cannot find him, they come to me. When I ask him where he was, he says he was out on business, and then adds that he is a professional and does not need to account for his comings and goings. How should I handle him?
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I am a researcher for a publishing company, and we work flexible hours. Most people start working at 7:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m., and the boss gets in around 9:00 a.m. Until he arrives, 5 people do absolutely nothing but gab, disturbing those who want to work. The boss is aware and does not care, but the owner is extremely frugal and would have a fit if he knew. Should we blow the whistle, which could be very risky, or let sleeping dogs lie?
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All of us work hard, but there is one person in our department who is just plain lazy. Her work is sloppy, she is late on everything, and she causes the rest of us to fall behind. Our manager says we should take care of this ourselves, but we have met with her, and she has made no effort to improve. What should we do now?
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We are a small company, and I have a co-worker who is always late, frequently uses her cell phone and ipod when the owners are not here, and does not want to do special projects. We report to the same owners, and since she does not finish work on time, I end up doing all the reports. The owners are not aware of what she has been doing, and she is a relative of one of the owner’s close friends. Should I tell the owners what is going on?
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Whenever we meet with our manager to talk about questions or problems on the job, his reaction is always the same. He says, “Deal with it,” and then goes back to whatever he was doing. We end up making mistakes and then getting reprimanded. What are we supposed to do?
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