How Some Mormons Run Small Businesses in Utah

Story One My friend wants to quit her job. She barely started it a few weeks ago, and she already cannot stand it. It is not the job per se that drives her to the edge of insanity. It is the people. Or I should rather say, it is the business style of the company. As soon as my friend started her new job, she began to suspect that something was not quite ordinary, not entirely professional. For a few days she could not put her finger on it, until…

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Ask Your Boss: When a Boss Doesn’t Deal With an Office Bully

“I am in a unique position. I am an onsite vendor working for a client. The job is going pretty well except for one thing:  One of the members on our small team is very difficult to work with. My client boss has taken me aside and apologized for the way this person has treated me i.e. super passive aggressive nit picky emails. My client boss said she would talk to this person. The rudeness has continued. Now my client boss has said that it is my responsibility to work…

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How to Deal With Office Assholes

Every office has assholes who spoil everything for everyone. They annoy us. They upset us. They drive everyone crazy. It takes a certain personality, a certain talent to do what the rest of us view as appalling, disrespectful or plain crazy, and get away with it. The good news is that we don’t have put up with these office assholes. The bad news is that it is not easy to confront them.

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Unsent Letters To My Employees: Four Months of Nothingness

Remember that project I assigned to you four months ago? Four. Months. Ago.

I remember the day we talked about this project very vividly. You looked very attentive, listened carefully, nodded your head as if you understood everything. You were even taking notes. I believed you. For once I put all my pre-conceived notions about you behind us, and I believed you.

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How to Ask For A Raise

I have to admit that supervising people can be a very rewarding experience. It also can be frustrating, sometimes even maddening. People come to me with different set of problems. Some like to complain about others. Some like to ask for advice or direction they need to take with a project. Some like to have a conversation about a raise, the most intimidating discussion of all. However, I believe that if this conversation is timed correctly, researched and approached properly, the subject of a raise is not intimidating. Not at…

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