Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights. Here is the latest dilemma – what are your thoughts?
I am on a probationary period at a small law firm, with a view to getting a training contract here if I am kept on. I enjoy the work and like dealing with the clients, but I find one of the secretaries very difficult to work with. My boss encourages me to delegate more tasks to her, but if I ask her to do something she gets very bad tempered – sighing loudly and grumbling to herself. If I ask her what the problem is, she says nothing. She seems to think she’s overworked, but I can hear her spending a lot of time texting and making personal phone calls. She also leaves early whenever our boss isn’t in.
The boss has noticed that our relationship has broken down and given us both a talking to. He seems to take the view that the problem must be “six of one, half a dozen of the other”. I honestly can’t see that I’ve done anything wrong, but I feel her attitude is damaging his perception of me and therefore my career chances. How can I tackle this?
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
