Problem: His Employees are Trashing Him on Slack

SHOW NOTES

For this first problem of the season, Charlie takes on toxic workplace culture.

This week’s problem is from a manager who is feeling rejected by his employees who he believes are trashing him on the company’s messaging platform.

The problem was submitted to Business Insider’s career advice column (I’m a boss, and I’m worried my team is talking about me behind my back):

“I manage a team that relies heavily on message and call apps to communicate. We have an official group chat that I mostly use to make announcements. But I recently learned that my team has another group chat that I’m not a part of. One of my team members let it slip during a weekly meeting.

I realize I’m not always the easiest person to get along with — I tend to be brutally honest, which can make people uncomfortable. But I feel left out, and I can’t shake the idea that they’re talking about me. I am happy my team gets along, and, hey, who doesn’t complain about their boss from time to time? But how can I let them know that if they have a problem, they can talk to me? And also that I wouldn’t mind being invited for beers after work every once in a while?

—Dejected manager, Beaverton, Oregon”

Charlie explores how this boss can create a more healthy office culture (something many companies are struggling with in the new post-pandemic, hybrid workforce!).