My Question of the Day: Theo didn’t think it was possible for him to really start to have romantic feelings toward Paula, a coworker with whom he’s been working on a particularly difficult project. He has always had a very strict policy of not dating women with whom he works. Despite this policy, he finds himself thinking of what it would be like to be in a relationship with her.

Because they have had to work so closely together, Theo and Paula have gotten to know quite a bit about one another, and Theo is convinced that Paula may be “Ms. Right.” Even though Paula seems to like him very much, he can’t determine whether her feelings for him match his feelings for her. He thinks to himself that she may just see him as a good friend and colleague and nothing more.

Theo wonders if he should tell Paula how he feels and risk the friendship they’ve developed if she doesn’t feel the same way, or should he just wait for her to express more than a friendly interest.

What do you think?

My 2 Cents: If Theo feels that strongly about Paula, he should ease into trying to make his feelings known to her. Obviously, he’s feeling much differently about her than any other coworker he’s dealt with in the past, or he wouldn’t be even considering going back on his policy.

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———–

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

My Question of the Day: Two coworkers, we’ll call them Andrea Vincent and Brian Paulson, are both up for the same promotion. So far, both employees have been performing at the same outstanding caliber of productivity. Their supervisor decides to have each of them do a 5-minute presentation on the company’s future success to determine who will get the promotion. They have two weeks to prepare.

Even though Andrea and Brian are neck and neck for the same promotion, Andrea is aware that Brian and her supervisor are friends from college, and they spend a lot of time together during off hours playing golf, hiking and attending sporting events. Although Andrea hasn’t witnessed her supervisor showing favoritism to Brian, she’s concerned nonetheless.

While the employees are preparing to give their presentations, Andrea receives a startling email that was sent to her by mistake. It just so happens that the president of the company is named Andrew Vincent (no relation), and the person who was trying to email him inadvertently sent the information to Andrea.

What’s startling about the email is that the information, if included in her presentation, will give Andrea the exact boost she needs to literally guarantee her the promotion over Brian Paulson.

What should she do?

My 2 Cents: The fruits of ill-gotten gains are usually never as sweet as we’d think they would be once we’ve bitten into them.

There’s no question in my mind that Andrea’s integrity is on the line with this one.

She should not use the information.

She should report the incident to her supervisor, so that he will know that she had the opportunity to win with an unfair advantage but she chose not to. That may win her favor when it comes to the promotion.

From the scenario, it sounds like her boss is fair-minded. If he weren’t, he’d just give the promotion to his college friend and that would be that.

Integrity is what we show, even when no one is watching. However, it’s been my experience that someone is always watching; always.

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

My Question of the Day: You and a coworker are attending a conference. The company has booked a two-bedroom suite for you and your coworker to share for the week. Company policy is to reimburse you for expenses, but you must pay up front. Your coworker has a friend who is attending the conference also and who asks if s/he can bunk with you all after hearing that you have a sleeper sofa in your suite. You agree to this since your coworker’s friend has agreed to pay 1/3 of the suite cost. About a week before the conference is to begin, you receive a call from your coworker who tells you his/her friend will not be attending the conference but your coworker has told someone else s/he can take the spot on the sleeper sofa. You don’t know this person, and with a little probing you find out from your coworker that s/he doesn’t know this person that well either. Your coworker really wants you to agree to allow this other person to take his/her friends’ place because the new person is also willing to pay 1/3 of the suite expenses. What do you do?

(this question was submitted by @tclarkusa; thanks!)

My 2 Cents: This is too easy. I tell my coworker that s/he and the other person can have the suite and work out the expenses amongst themselves.

I get my own room and fill out my expense report to receive the amount the company has agreed to reimburse and write off on my personal taxes what the company will not reimburse.

I’m not sharing a room with someone I don’t know. Knowing me, I would already be reluctant to share a room with a coworker. Truth be told, I don’t know really know my coworker either.

My safety isn’t worth saving a few dollars.

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

My Question of the Day: Your supervisor has asked everyone to review a report submitted by one of your coworkers and note any needed revisions. Although you have never had any problems with this coworker, he/she has not been at all receptive to the suggestions made by others in the office and this coworker has expressed the idea that everyone is just nitpicking and “out to get me.” Not only do you find errors in the content of the report, but you also find several spelling/grammar/punctuation errors. Knowing the previous reactions and comments from this coworker, what do you do?

(this question was submitted by a tweeter who wishes to remain anonymous; thanks!)

My 2 Cents: My coworker will have to get over him/herself, because there’s no way I’m going to allow errors in a report to go uncorrected if the boss asks me, and everyone else, to proof it and make sure it’s up to par. Imagine how badly that would make me, and all the rest of my coworkers, look if the boss comes behind us and proofs the report him/herself and I, and the rest of my coworkers, haven’t done my/our jobs. We’ll look just as incompetent as the person who did the report. I refuse to look badly for anyone.

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

My Question of the Day: One of your coworkers is ordering out for lunch. He/she goes around the entire office asking others if they’d like to get in on the order, but he/she noticeably skips one particular coworker whom no one, including you, likes. Do you ask the coworker taking orders to include the left-out coworker?

(this question was submitted by @tclarkusa; thanks!)

My 2 Cents: Back when I actually had television, I remember flipping through channels and coming across a T.D. Jakes broadcast. I didn’t watch him regularly, and I think that was probably my second or third time happening across one of his broadcasts, but he said something in that short time I was watching that’s stuck with me until this day. He was talking about workplaces, and he said, and I’m paraphrasing, “Don’t go to professional places looking for personal relationships.” That just rang in my spirit, because it summed up my attitude towards work and the people with whom I work. I’m friendly with all, but I can’t say I’m friends with anyone. I come to work  to work, not to develop friendships. If I develop a friendship, that’s great. If I don’t, I’m here to do my work and get my paycheck, and all is still right with the world.

I’m saying all that to say, in professional places be professional. If you’re going to ask everyone in the office if they want to go in on a lunch order, ask everyone, even the person you think you don’t like. I mean, we really don’t know most of the people with whom we work other than what we see of them at the job. You never know. The person you dislike as a coworker could possibly be a person who you’d, under different circumstances or in a different situation, become friends with because you all happen to have much in common.

There’s never any excuse to be rude and petty. If you can’t include everyone, then don’t include anyone. Just order your lunch and let everyone else fend for themselves.

———-

Take a few moments to check out the tweets from Twitter on this subject:

———-

PROTECTED TWEETER  I would say include everybody or don’t ask anyone!why go thru the trouble of leaving out one person?very silly!

treschic67  2 exclude some one is very rude. I’d take it upon myself to ask him/her what they’d like & I’d scold the order taker

Sparty1216  Take the order and give it to the co-worker making the run!

JoshDamage  I wud include the co-worker in the order.

PROTECTED TWEETER Yes u still include the “not liked” co-worker. No need to be rude ! Could Be You One Day

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

FYI: You may edit your comment for up to 30 minutes after posting. After 30 minutes, your comment can no longer be revised.