Cubicle Confidential

In this week’s episode, Chris has culled a series of listeners’ questions into a mystery theme to see if Mary can guess the theme of the show. What do all these questions have in common? Can Mary guess the theme? Can you?

Play along with us and see if you can guess the theme before Mary does…

In this episode we hear from:

Writer’s Blocked in LA who is frustrated by his writers’ group who keep criticizing his “perfect” ideas? How dare those other writers question his genius?!

A Pretty Ugly Situation in New York is an HR recruiter for urgent care centers and is frustrated that her hiring recommendation wasn’t accepted. How dare the head doctor disregard her advice?!

Please Shut Your Piehole in Hoboken is sick and tired of this “entitled” younger generation who always seems to be asking for promotions, raises, and special treatment. How dare these whippersnappers advocate for themselves?!

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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In this episode, Chris and Mary share listeners’ thoughts and LinkedIn poll results on various workplace and career topics. Check out this episode to learn what you and other listeners think about office hookups, first impressions, networking etiquette, limp handshakes, and other topics!

Show us your love! Please give us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

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!

Workplace stress appears to be at an all-time high. 55% of Americans report being stressed throughout the day and one million Americans miss work each day because of their stress levels. Working women report higher levels of stress than men and the Millennials and Generation Z reported the highest levels of stress—and the most difficulty in managing their stress.

So, it’s no wonder that Chris and Mary receive lots of listener questions on how to manage and navigate workplace stress. In this episode we hear from:

Running on Empty in Edina who needs some tips to manage an overwhelming workload…

Time is Not on My Side in Cincinnati seeks advice on better time management…

It’s Not My Fault in Fairfield is doing the work of two people and wants to know how to defend herself when her boss complains that she takes too long to complete projects…WTF?

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!

Do you have a fear of missing out (FOMO)? Do you have career regrets? Do you feel envious when your friends succeed? In this episode, Mary and Chris answer listeners’ questions about FOMO (fear of missing out), career envy,  regret, and one hot mess for cleanup.

Rethinking My Life in Minneapolis is green with envy over a friend’s success. Her FOMO is causing her to rethink her entire life. How can she get past this to find her dream job?

Not Good at Doing Good in Dallas manages philanthropy for an investment bank. She loves being able to support so many great causes and non-profits but feels tremendous guilt for all the organizations that she can’t help. How can she get past this guilt?

S**t or Get Off the Pot in Portland has a boss that wants to do everything but won’t decide anything. She is completely disorganized and is incapable of prioritizing. In short, the boss is a hot mess. What can she do to help her boss get her s**t together?

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!

This week’s show is all about sticky situations at work. Mary and Chris try to help listeners navigate some tough “between a rock and a hard place” types of workplace dilemmas.

Help Me Say No in Nebraska has been asked to recommend a friend for a job. The problem? Our listener doesn’t think his friend is qualified for the job and doesn’t know how to handle it…

Not Your Secretary in San Antonio is an office manager at a mid-sized accounting firm where one of the senior partners keeps tasking her with his personal and administrative assistant chores. He refuses to hire an executive assistant and thinks she should be able to take on this extra role. How can she push back without losing her job?

Can’t Take My Husband Anywhere took her husband to a company event where he promptly got into a heated argument with—you guessed it—her boss. 

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!

In honor of Halloween, this show is all about scary people at work! And a little bit about Halloween….

Ghost Hunting in Georgia is plagued by a ghost boss who is never around. He assigns them projects, and then, poof! He disappears. How can she succeed with a boss that is NEVER around?

Stop the Heckling in Houston has a colleague who is a passive-aggressive heckler. Houston is sick and tired of being heckled and wants to know how to shut this guy up. 

Tired of the Bully-Sh*t in Buffalo works with a bully. He screams, he shouts, and he intimidates. In fact, they call him The Intimidator. Even the boss cowers in his presence. How can he stand up to the bully and rebalance the power dynamic?

Show us your love. Please give us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

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!

Life and death at work is life and death in life. Yet, all too often the workplace doesn’t address the reality of the human experience. This week’s episode addresses several questions that arise from the circle of life.

Silently Saddened in Oklahoma is saddened by the sudden death of one of her co-workers. Nobody at the company seems to want to talk about or acknowledge it. Is there something that she can do to honor the deceased colleague?

Paying it Forward in Eau Claire wants to donate a kidney to his boss. His colleagues tell him that would make him the biggest suck-up in the world. And beyond that, is this even a good idea?

Stark Stork Choices in Sarasota is expecting a baby! He wants to take his company-sponsored three-month paternity leave. The problem? His boss and his male co-workers are giving him sh*t about his choice. His boss says that this will impact his career trajectory and his bro colleagues are mocking him. What should he do?

Show us your love. Please give us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

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!

Travel today sucks. And sadly, so do many of our fellow travelers. In this episode, Mary and Chris share their favorite travel tips, biggest pet peeves, and also make time to answer listeners’ questions about how to have an expeditious and stress-free experience on the road.

But the big question is this: do you recline your seat when you fly?

Missing Miss Manners in Memphis wants to know how best to handle rude seatmates or other passengers who are loud, rude, or encroaching into her space. 

Down on the Farm in Nebraska has to take a long business trip—which includes two five-hour car rides--with their boss to the middle of nowhere. She is not looking forward to it and wants advice as to how to make the best of this ordeal.

Can’t Beat a Meet and Greet in Indianapolis wants to bring his team together for a team-building event. This will be the first time in two years that they will be together in person. The problem? A few of his team are balking at having to go and they want to attend virtually. Should he bring them in kicking and screaming or let them be virtual?

Show us your love. Please give us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

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!

Is Quiet Quitting a real thing? And what does it really mean? Is it a call to action or just an excuse to be a slacker? Is it media hype and should organizations be concerned? In this episode, Mary and Chris attempt to separate hype from reality.

I Call Bulls**t in Baltimore thinks “quiet quitting” is just an excuse to be a slacker. Is he right? 

Man In the Middle in Milwaukee worries that his company’s fears about quiet quitting is driving their decision to begin using digital tracking software to monitor their remote and hybrid employees. Is spying on their employees actually the best way to get (and keep) them engaged? (Answer hint: NO!)

Time to Grow Up in Galveston is frustrated with their Gen Z colleagues whose not-so-quiet-quitting means a bigger workload for them. How do they deal with a generation of workers who expect the payoffs without putting in the time? Should they set these young-uns straight? Or are they the suckers, here?  

Show us your love. Please give us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

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...

#quietquitting

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This week’s episode is all about promotions. Or, rather, when good promotions go bad. We call this “Promotion Demotion.” What if you don’t want to be promoted? Or if you do get promoted and then realize, that “yikes!” it isn’t the gravy train that you thought it would be? Or, if someone gets promoted that you don’t think deserves it. What to do? What to do?

Too Much Too Soon in Trenton got what they asked for—a promotion! And now they have cold feet. Suddenly they must manage their former peers—and nobody has taught them how to be a manager. Congratulations and condolences are in order. And some advice.

I Prefer to Stay Put in Buckhead was just handed an automatic promotion.  The problem? They don’t feel ready. They fear that this promotion is well, too much—too soon. They fear that this promotion will only set them up for failure. What should they do?

It’s Not What you Know, It’s Whom You Know is Chicago is bitter that someone with less technical expertise (than them) got promoted to manager. They are convinced that the promotion is only based on their “relationship” with the big boss. Mary & Chris talk them off the ledge.  

Show us your love. Please give us a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

 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!