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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 15/08/2026

what is going on with this car?!

A comment on Ask a Manager reading: "A very low stakes question: am I obligated to scare birds away from a coworker’s car?

The birds in the area around my office are strangely fascinated by a coworker’s car. Various birds like to perch in the tree hanging over my coworker’s spot, which means his car almost always has bird poop on it. I’ve seen a number of birds (usually younger ones) walking along the top of my coworker’s car and seemingly intentionally slide down parts of it. Sometimes they start pecking at the body, which has left a number of small dents and chips on the hood and top. More than once, I’ve seen local parrots perch on the car and try to tear off the windshield wipers or the rubber bits around the windows, something I’ve never seen one do before.

On the one hand, I like watching birds. On the other hand, I know my coworker is upset by the constant damage and bird poop. The car is fairly expensive and my coworker complains about having to constantly clean and repair it. On the third hand, I don’t really care for this coworker and get a mild thrill every time I see big birds walking across the hood of his car.

Should I start trying to scare away the birds when I see them?"

Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 22/06/2026

If you're in the Bay Area, my sister and brother in law are fostering these tiny kittens and they need an adopter - is it you?! Info here (they are bonded and should be adopted as a pair): www.svpetproject.org/availablecat... www.svpetproject.org/availablecat...

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 23/04/2026

Missing my mom after coming across this old text from her about her thriving dating life

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 26/02/2026

This is how he sits in a chair

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 20/02/2026

We adopted Laurie in 2020. He hid on a shelf for 3 days but relaxed once he saw other cats in the house. It turned out he loved other cats. He was an aggressive cuddler. If he saw a cat looking cozy he immediately snuggled up with them. We lost him to lymphoma yesterday. He was full of love and joy.

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 02/12/2025

tonight for some reason he can hear my voice (he’s normally too deaf) and he’s responding like one of those videos of babies getting a cochlear implant and hearing their parent’s voice for the first time

a photo of a black and white cat hearing a voice

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 30/07/2025

just takes him down out of nowhere and runs off

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 21/07/2025

for the love of fuck no, I'm not going to rewrite my answer to cater to your unhappiness about "they" pronouns (only men send emails like this, by the way...)

Email reading: "Hello Alison,

I’m a CEO coach and a former contributing editor to the then-most widely circulated publication to the small business community in New York City, The New York Enterprise Report. I’m pretty active on LinkedIn, and frequently repost compelling, well-written articles I find online. I found your July 7th article, Should I Let an Employee Resign Rather Than Firing Them? compelling, but elected not to repost it.

Why?

Because while otherwise well-written, it is replete with the use of third-person pronouns with a first-person subject (including right in the title) whenever the employee is referred to
(curiously there is agreement whenever Mark is referred to). And being the stickler for grammar that I am, I just couldn’t let that pass.

Indeed, in the same paragraph, we see both: “this employee is facing consequences—their job didn’t work out and they’re leaving it…” (it’s one single employee; they use of “their” and “they” suggests one or more employees are now involved)…“Mark’s desire for more consequences than that, when the problem has already been solved, comes across like he wants to twist the knife just on principle…”

I’d really like to post this, Alison, and will if the third-party pronouns are changed to be second-party."

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 30/05/2025

This is pretty interesting from DoorDash - I haven't seen companies give people a way to opt out of marketing for specific holidays before (and am pretty sure they didn't do it for Mother's Day, although maybe I missed it)

Message from DoorDash saying, "We understand Father's Day holds different meaning for everyone. If you'd rather not receive any reminders or promotions, let us know. We'll take care of it.
P.S. You'll still receive order updates and other offers."

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 23/05/2025

Ask a Manager readers have a meet-cute in the wild (their office). Part 1 of 2

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 22/05/2025

whenever he comes across a litter box that has been freshly cleaned, he rolls around in it like this in joy. WHY

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 11/05/2025

Always feel smugly like Lady No-Kids today (credit: Will McPhail)

a cartoon titled The Adventures of Lady No-Kids. Drawing of a couple with a baby looking in dismay as a pantsless woman says, "Anyway, I'm gonna follow this goose for a while and see where I end up."

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 09/05/2025

literally only men send me stuff like this

"Good morning Alison! I enjoy reading your column and the comments of your readers. Your advice is almost always spot on, although your political commentary is distracting and ill-advised.

I wonder if you are concerned that you have become too much of a “niche” , a product suitable only to those who voted for Kamala Harris - quite possibly the worst presidential candidate of my lifetime: inauthentic, inarticulate, incompetent, an unqualified DEI disaster.

To paraphrase Michael Jordan, Republicans have jobs and may need professional advice at times too !

I would have responded in your comment section, but you must know that you actively discourage conservative voices, constantly reminding your readers to report all the “trolls”. Facebook and Twitter , among others, have abandoned left-wing censorship policies of free speech. Perhaps you should consider that too.

Best wishes!"

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 02/03/2025

I have baked my first challah! Braid is slightly wonky but am very pleased

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 28/02/2025

it turns out that in the ensuing 12 years, her views have gotten even weirder

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Ask a Manager @askamanager.org · 24/02/2025

you know how in offices there’s that one person who if you accidentally make eye contact with them during the day, they take it as an invitation to come over and interrupt your work to socialize, so you try not to make accidental eye contact with them? he is that for me