Cubicle Confidential

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Did you know that only 48% of Americans use all their vacation days?

You have paid time off for a reason, and taking a vacation reduces stress, improves well-being, and boosts productivity, so it’s important to capitalize on that benefit!

This week, we hear from listeners who don’t want to let their PTO go to waste. Tune in to hear Mary and Chris’ advice on how to ask your boss for some me time.

Use It Or Lose It in Atlanta hasn’t taken a vacation in seven years, so they’ve been banking their time off. Recently, their company changed their PTO policy to a “use it or lose it” system. Their existing 14 weeks of vacation time must be used within the next 24 months, or they lose it. If they want to use it all up at once, they could be gone for weeks or months at a time. They recently received a promotion, so they fear taking their PTO time now could leave a bad taste with their company. Can they fulfill their dream of sitting on the beach while staying in the company’s good graces?

Anchors Away in Charlotte received an invitation to speak at a nonwork-related conference in Oslo. The company they work for has several big plants in Germany, so they thought they could use their work budget to pay for their trip to Oslo. Is it ethically dubious to mix work with personal and what’s the downside if someone finds out about the nonwork-related conference?

In Need of A Little Me Time in Honolulu is supposed to be on vacation yet they find themselves sitting with an open laptop answering emails. They’ve been fielding questions from their boss and subordinates almost every day and, with the time differences, they’re working into the evening. While they can put aside the questions from their subordinates, they feel obligated to address their boss’ questions. How can they tell their workaholic boss that they need some me time?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

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We’re taking a little trip down memory lane to revisit one of our most popular episodes! This week, we’re traveling back in time to Season Two to relearn how to navigate generational friction at work – which is essential to succeeding in today’s multi-generational workplace!

Do generational differences have work have you perplexed? Annoyed? Confused? Do you look at other generations at work and think to yourself WTF?

Well, Chris De Santis is here to help! In honor of his newly published book Why I Find You Irritating: Navigating Generational Friction at Work, Chris and Mary answer questions from multiple generations about how to deal with each other.

“Ants in My Pants in Ann Arbor” wants to turn down a promotion to travel the world. After 4 years in the workforce, they feel they need a break. WTF?

“My Way or the Highway in Hawaii” is frustrated that their young employees don’t want to come into a physical office. Yet, they complain that they don’t feel “connected” to the firm. WTF?

“He Who Has Had It with Them in Everywhere USA” doesn’t know what to make of the focus on pronouns. After 30 years of work experience, he is having trouble making sense of this “pronoun thing.” WTF?

PPS: Mary says that Gen X is really the greatest generation ever!!!!

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We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

Are you looking to make a move within your company?

Maybe you want a new role or maybe you are trying to decide whether to change bosses.

This week, we hear from listeners interested in advancing their careers and setting themselves up for success at work. Tune in to hear Mary and Chris’ advice on mentorship, internal mobility, and moving up the corporate ladder!

Alice in Corporateland, Minnesota  is new to corporate life, and she doesn't think she is prepared for it. Both of her parents worked for themselves. While her parents are supportive, they know nothing about a big corporation. She was assigned a buddy to help show her the ropes, but her “buddy” has only been at the company for a year. Now that she figured out where the restrooms are, how can they get a promotion?

From Balance Sheets to Silk Sheets in Cincinnati  works in the accounting department of a luxury goods company. They’ve been there for three years and love the company but not their job. They would rather work in marketing. The company runs a mentoring program which could be a great opportunity to get to know someone in the marketing department but they don’t want their future mentor to think they’re trying to use them. Is there a way to go about this without potentially offending someone they might report to one day?

Mentored Or Tormentored in the Big Apple  works as an analyst at an investing firm. The best performer at the company is a hard ass with a short fuse. She has a terrible reputation as a manager but a great one in the industry. They’d like to learn more about what she does but were cautioned that she goes through analysts like nobody’s business. It’s like “The Devil Wears Prada” x10. Could this be a great opportunity or a horrible mistake?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

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Let’s go around the world in 30 minutes!

Our listeners are working across the globe, and they need our help dealing with time changes that leave them always on the clock, bridging cultural gaps, and transferring overseas.

Tune in to travel to workplaces far and wide with us in this episode!

Not Enthralled with Being On Call in Milwaukee works for a company with offices in Asia, France, and the U.S. None of the organizational leaders are based in the U.S. which means she must attend virtual meetings at all hours of the day and night. She’s not getting any sleep – and she has a newborn at home. She’s starting to feel the strain of being on the clock 24/7! What can she do to get her bosses on board with having meetings that don’t start at 4 am or 11 pm?!

Offended Not Befriended in Atlanta is a consultant for an India-based IT firm and is struggling to connect with her U.S. clients. She learned that her colleagues possess multiple misconceptions about India – some of which are offensive. Being the only woman on the team and coming from a country that adheres to the organizational hierarchy, how can she correct them without coming across as not being a so-called “team player” in the American sense?

Anchors Away in LA works in the diversity space of “Big Law” and wants to get transferred from their firm’s U.S. location to their offices in London. The firm has over 1,800 lawyers in the U.S., Canada, and various European countries with London as their main office. She’s never been outside of the U.S. and would love to take this opportunity to work overseas. Her boss is on board but said that she’ll have to make a case to the managing partner in the London office. Any tips on how she can sell herself and convince them to bring her on board?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

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What’s a dish that’s best served cold?

Yes, you guessed it! We’re talking about revenge.

This week, we hear from listeners who aren’t interested in forgiving and forgetting but want to get back at their perpetrators. Tune in to hear Mary and Chris’ advice about whether or not, revenge is a dish that should be served at all…

Here Not There in Zelienople is dealing with a revengeful colleague who is bitter that she got a better office space at the new HQ than he did. Now, this bitter colleague is making her life miserable. To make matters worse, our listener has a dotted line reporting structure to this person. The office space allocations were determined by the VP of HR who likes things the way they are. How can they respond to petty revenge tactics while still maintaining a professional relationship?

Tips On Lying in Louisville is a bartender at a neighborhood watering hole and has a regular customer who NEVER tips. It turns out another customer has a crush on the non-tipper. When the interested party expressed interest in the cheapskate, our listener told her that the guy has a drinking problem. They lied and now feel awful since knowing them both, they think the two would hit it off. Is there a way to fix this without looking like a s*%#?

Givers To Takers in Gurney works as a floor manager at a distribution center. He was up for a promotion and part of his plan was to have lunch with the boss and talk about ways they can improve the physical movement of inventory at the plant that would save both time and money. Interestingly, he didn’t get the promotion, but his boss eventually did. Guess what? Six months later his boss introduces the improvement plan as his idea. What a piece of work! How can he get even with his boss for not only robbing them of their promotion but stealing his idea?!

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

Are you afraid to give feedback? Does the idea of giving someone difficult feedback give you cold sweats?

Well, fear no more, because, in this special episode, Chris and Mary are joined by author and feedback expert Joe Hirsch! Joe shares his wisdom on how to give fearless feedback. If you want to have more caring, candid, and collaborative conversations, Joe shows us how.

Joe Hirsch, author of The Feedback Fix, helps organizations design and deliver feedback without fear. An internationally recognized expert on leadership and communication, Joe has earned accolades from Fortune 500 executives to NFL coaches for his forward-thinking approach to improving organizational culture and effectiveness. Described by Wharton professor Adam Grant as a “breath of fresh air,” Joe makes research-based practices more accessible to improve the way people work, learn, and lead. (Yes, he’s putting that shiny Ph.D. to good use.)

In The Feedback Fix, Joe presents a bold alternative to traditional feedback techniques and performance management practices. He’s shared that message as a TEDx and international keynote speaker with Fortune 500 leadership teams, members of the U.S. armed forces, and close to 10,000 others across three continents.

Joe’s work and research have been featured in Harvard Business Review, Inc., Forbes, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and other major outlets. When Joe isn’t on stage or hosting his popular podcast, I Wish They Knew, he’s probably doing something outdoors with his wife and four boys.

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Have you ever made a decision and then almost immediately regretted it? Or maybe you’ve been sold something that wasn’t quite what it seemed?

This week, we hear from listeners who are in some sticky situations that they’re looking to get out of or turn around. Tune in to hear Mary and Chris’ advice on how to make lemonade out of lemons!

The Bavarian Blues in Paramus took a job at a company because of the opportunity to work overseas. Well, the company kept their promise and they plan to send our listener to Germany for 18 months. The problem? They don’t want to go anymore. They met someone recently and want to see where it goes. Plus, they don’t want to move to a small town in Bavaria. They like the work they’re doing stateside but took the job knowing that a temporary move was part of the deal. Any thoughts on whether they can have it both ways?

Color Blind to Your True Colors in Omaha is a store manager for a popular health and fitness chain. They were recently informed by HR that an employee has complained about not being allowed to bring her authentic self to work. She feels the company uniform and how she’s being told to interact with customers doesn’t conform to how she sees herself. She’s quick to anger and shows little patience with customers or staff. If authentic means she can be an asshole, they want no part of it. How can they navigate this new terrain?

On Hold in Houston accepted a job for a “people first” company where they were told we "empower our people” to make the customer happy. Well, they’re at a call center where they can’t even get up to use the bathroom without permission. If they spend too much time trying to resolve a customer concern, the floor manager walks over and debriefs the call with them – implying they did something wrong. Lunch isn’t even an hour.  They’ve only been there three months, but it feels like a lifetime.  Is it too soon to quit? What do they tell an interviewer? And more importantly, how do they not fall for a scam like this again?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

We’re going back to the beginning and reviewing our ABC’s…

…and in this case, we mean Always Be Closing in relation to making sales.

This week, we hear from listeners who could use some extra support to close deals. Tune in to hear Mary and Chris’ top sales advice!

Beauty’s Only Skin Deep in Sacramento just started her first job at a popular beauty products chain. She’s a salesperson and the job pays minimum wage plus commission. She’s never sold stuff before and asked two other people who are good at it how to sell but they both looked at her funny – like she asked a stupid question. She thinks they might view her as competition because if she makes a sale, then they don’t. Any sales advice for beginners?

Growing A Team in Milwaukee manages a group of five lawn care salespeople. The summer season has arrived and it’s a great opportunity to sell and upsell customers. One of their salespeople, Barb, is a star. She’s the best performer and can sell anything. Two of the other employees are decent – one knows lawn care and the other knows lawn equipment. Then there’s the new one who is amazing with the technical aspects but can’t seem to close a sale. How can they turn their sales team into five Barbs – or is that even possible?

Small But Mighty in Fairfield is working on a pitch for a potentially big client. They’re a small consulting firm with only six employees, two of whom are admin. Their fear is that because they’re a small team, the client might think they aren’t big enough to take on the project. How can they make the most of their team to impress them and convince them they’re fit for the job?

We’re here to help you succeed! Send us your workplace dilemmas or career questions. Email us: [email protected] or tweet us: @cubicleconfide1. All names will be changed to protect the guilty and innocent...

Thanks for listening! Connect with us on LinkedIn!

There are some new kids on the block!

Gen Z’er’s are entering the workplace and they’re bringing their opinions, feelings, and social awareness with them.

Some of our listeners are struggling to understand and work with this younger generation. Tune in to hear Mary and Chris’ strategies to maximize the potential of these new youngsters in the workplace.

Trigger’s A Horse in Houston wants to know what the heck “being triggered” means. They had a weird experience at an employee orientation session where they explained the consequences of not storing equipment properly. Working in a manufacturing facility with robotic equipment on the line means misplaced tools can be hazardous – and result in potentially losing a limb. Well, that set this one lady off and she goes to HR claiming she was triggered by being exposed to violent scenarios. WTF – doesn’t safety trump feeling triggered?! 

Hacked Off By Her Hacking in Palo Alto works in IT at a mid-sized law firm. They just hired a new employee who has been there a month and has already found several serious flaws in the IT systems. They should be happy because she’s doing great work, but her people skills --or rather lack of this--are a problem. Frankly, no one on her team can stand her. While she may be right, she makes people feel stupid. They’d love to keep her because of her amazing contributions, but her behavior is doing serious damage to team morale. What should they do?

NoZ in LA is 23 and just started working at an accounting firm. Their new boss is a self-described “Millennial” and wants to understand what makes us Gen Z tick. They told their boss that they don’t see themselves as a category or even part of a group. She gave them an odd look and backed away. Now the boss thinks they have an attitude problem – which they don’t. How can they explain who they are without getting into what they may or may not be based on what the boss has read about Gen Z?

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