Managers, under siege, have their gripes, too

By Andrea Kay

Workers are fuming about bosses (yes, again). In turn, bosses and others are spouting off about people who can't present themselves well (yes, again). Here are a few of your comments and questions and my responses on some of the more infuriating things people do in the workplace.

• A worker from Ohio is terribly offended by his supervisor's tendency to speak Spanish with another manager in front of employees when the managers don't want staff to understand what they're saying.

I don't blame him. This is not only rude, but also fuels an "us and them" climate — which we certainly don't need to feed any more than it already exists. This is no different than if they began whispering to each other in the middle of the meeting.

The managers also make another mistake by assuming that no one understands them. If it bothers you enough, you need to speak up in clear, diplomatic English.

Many bosses are open to criticism, but they don't like being embarrassed or threatened. You want to show yours that what he's doing affects your work and performance. Help him see you're sharing helpful information that affects everyone.

Set up a meeting or wait for a one-on-one opportunity. Think through how you want to say this, presenting it as a request that will be best for the overall team's motivation and productivity.

• On the other hand, managers in charge of hiring continue to be annoyed by job applicants' lack of attention to detail.

"I can't tell you how many resumes I've read and been very impressed with until that one word," writes a Florida man. That one misspelled or incorrect word "shows the answer to many questions to me in a hurry ... and away the resume goes."

But another man wrote to say that a manager who "wouldn't hire someone who uses the wrong word is a fool. Ditto for those who ding candidates for a wrinkled suit, the wrong fork or rely on fluff like handwriting analysis. You and all these

HR people are poster children for the decline of Western civilization."

Fair or not, details matter. If you're going to all that trouble to write and ship off a resume, edit and proofread it several times and show it to at least two other people who will catch errors you missed. The extra effort can make all the difference.

• A woman in Fort Myers, Fla., brings up something I heard about from coast to coast — television news anchors who "read too fast, don't enunciate" and use improper grammar.

About women, she says, "I am not interested in their cleavage, which seems to be most important in their presentation." She also wants to know why they constantly brush back their hair as they speak.

Her concerns lead me to offer this advice to those looking for a job or who want to be taken seriously on the job. Refrain from doing things that bring attention to yourself or detract from the job you're supposed to be doing.

Reach Andrea Kay at andrea@andreakay.com.