Authenticity is a huge buzzword in today’s workplace. Leaders are encouraged to be more authentic by being more vulnerable and transparent. Employees want to be able to bring their full true selves to work. But what does it really mean to be authentic? According to Webster's, Authenticity is about “being true to one’s own spirit or character.” But does that mean that we are the exact same person in every situation? How much authenticity is too much? What if being authentic feels risky? In this episode, Mary and Chris tackle what it means to be true to yourself at work.  Sunshine and Lollipops in Your Dreams is frustrated by their phony, two-faced boss. The boss is a jerk to his employees. But when the boss’ boss is around, the phony jerk turns into sudden sweetness and light. Is there any way they can “out” the inauthentic boss?Who am I to Judge loves his job at a religious charitable organization. The problem? He’s afraid to let his co-workers know that he is gay. How can he be authentic when he is hiding a major aspect of who he is?  He feels like a fraud. How can he reconcile working there and still being true to himself?Free to Me in Denver fears she can’t be her authentic self when she returns to the physical office. Not only is she the only woman in a team of male engineers, but she also is the only Asian American. Working from home was comfortable since she didn’t have to think about these differences—so how does she bring her full self to work when she worries she will be judged for being different? 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...Episode is LivePublished: Sep. 21, 2022 @12AM EditAdd a TranscriptGet episode better indexed by search engines.Add Chapter MarkersListeners can tap through & see what's coming up.Create a Visual SoundbiteBest way to share to social media for engagement.Share Episode On FacebookTwitterLinkedInMore OptionsEmail Link to Episode CopyDirect Link to MP3CopyDownload MP3Embed this ONE EpisodeView Episode Stats

Let’s be honest—sometimes other people are just a pain in the a**. In this week’s show, Mary and Chris address a myriad of listeners’ challenges in navigating difficult colleagues and situations. Feeling Like a Highschooler in Scottsdale is being iced out by her colleagues. They treat her like an outcast. Is there any way she can turn this situation around? Should she tell her supervisor? Confront the mean girls? Or just call it a day?Happy to See You in Hoboken is trying to convince her colleagues that hiring for culture fit is just as important as hiring for skills. How does she make her case and change their minds?Serenity Now in Santa Ana has a business partner (who is also her husband) who barrages her all day long with texts. How can she get him to stop or at least organize them into a semblance of a to-do list? 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...

Tell Me More…Listeners write in to learn more about topics such as self-promotion, managing up, and the merits of a four-day work week. Bewildered in Boulder disagreed with our recommendation to include a professional headshot-type photo in one’s LinkedIn profile. She thinks that including a photo just opens one up to wants to bias and judgment. Mary and Chris stand by their recommendation—and more importantly, they explain their reasoning... Two Heads Are NOT Better than One in Omaha has two bosses who are opposites. How does one navigate managing up to two different bosses? Can they just ignore the one that they dislike? Or does she just need to suck it up?Fingers Crossed in Philly is hoping that the “four-day” work week takes hold here in America. Is this a pipe dream or is he just smoking the pipe? Chris and Mary discuss the pros and cons of the four-day workweek and the likelihood of it becoming the norm in American businesses…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...

Setting BoundariesWhat does it mean to set boundaries in our professional and/or personal lives? Are boundaries rules for others or rules for you? How do you even begin to know what your boundaries are? In this spirited discussion, Chris and Mary help listeners learn how to determine and set boundaries. Even in difficult situations….Making it Happen in Michigan is starting a new job—how does she begin to set boundaries with her new boss and team? Working for a Workaholic in Washington has a boss that is, well, a workaholic. How does he keep his career on the upswing without burning out? His friends tell him to set his boundaries, but he doesn’t even know where to start…Sort of Hating My Husband in Hawaii is challenged by her business partner husband who never turns work off. How does she set work boundaries while maintaining happy marital relations?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...

The ability to engage in “healthy” conflict at work is essential for promoting and encouraging diverse viewpoints. But how much conflict is too much? And what if your team doesn’t ever disagree with each other? Is that just as bad? In this episode, Chris De Santis and Mary Abbajay tackle listeners' questions about how to disagree without being disagreeable… Put a Lid on It in New Hampshire has an employee who likes to argue about everything with everyone. His constant contentiousness and criticisms are driving his boss and his coworkers crazy. What can be done? How should his manager approach this situation? Spine Free Zone in Manhattan has the opposite problem. She finds herself leading a team of “yes-men” and it is driving her crazy. She wants her team to engage in more healthy debate—so how does she get them to see the value of sharing different viewpoints?  Six to One Odds in Kansas City is one of six partners in a law firm. She has been tasked to lead the firm in its ESG efforts. The problem? She is the sole black woman in a sea of white male partners who are resisting all her ideas. How can she get them to stop arguing with her and start supporting her?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...

Research repeatedly shows that having friends at work can boost employee engagement, productivity, and happiness. In a recent study, most people say having a best friend at work makes work more enjoyable. We see coworkers nearly every day, collaborate with them on important projects, maybe even share inside jokes about our boss—but do we consider these people friends? Should we? In this episode, Mary & Chris answer listeners’ questions about navigating workplace friendships.Alone But Not Lonely in Louisiana wonders why she needs to have work friends. She’d much rather stay in her remote cocoon rather than mingle with people in the office. Are there benefits to making friends at work? What Would Chandler Do…has just been promoted. He is now the boss of his friends. The problem? He wants to keep his friendships intact and doesn’t know how to navigate being their manager and their friend. Out of the Closet and into the Frying Pan has a crush on a same sex coworker. Should she make a move? She doesn’t know her coworker’s sexual orientation or if this coworker knows hers. How should she proceed? Or should she? 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...

Are you using common words and phrases that are now considered socially inappropriate? Culturally appropriated or insensitive? Derogatory? Overly gendered? Non-inclusive? Or just annoying and overused? If so, you are not alone. In this episode, Mary and Chris explore words and phrases that are now deemed problematic.We’d love to tell you what they are, but we don’t want to get in trouble with the language police, so you’ll have to listen to learn what is acceptable and what isn’t in today’s enlightened and more inclusive world. Don’t say that we didn’t warn you. And just for the record, we’ll miss some of these expressions! 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... Check out the University of Washington’s Guide to Inclusive Language: https://itconnect.uw.edu/work/inclusive-language-guide/

Advice is cheap. And sometimes bad. In this episode, Mary and Chris try to help listeners sort through good advice and bad advice. And one listener writes back to take us to task about our advice! Damned if You Do in Dubuque took advice from a mentor that backfired. The problem? The male advice giver didn’t consider how his advice to his female protege would play into a gender-biased workplace. While his advice may have worked well for a man, for a woman, not so much.Their Way or The Highway writes back to tell us that we gave bad advice. And by we, he means Chris. So, what does he do now? And how much can Mary gloat that he wishes had taken her advice instead of Chris'?Taking a Pass on Passion in Lincoln is a recent college graduate who wants to know if the advice to just “follow your passion” is good career advice. Mary and Chris call bulls**t. Can we please stop telling young people that all they need to do to succeed is “do what you love, and the money will follow”? 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...

This week’s show is all about recognition, praise, and appreciation. Or rather, when recognition and praise go astray. Have you ever given a gift that was misinterpreted? Or have a piece of praise misfire? Tune in to learn strategies to align your recognition strategies to those being recognized!Yay For Me in Detroit wants to know if it is okay to nominate oneself for an award? Or should she just hope that someone else does it for her....Treats Not the Trick in Topeka gave an employee a gift that backfired. Instead of being appreciated, the recipient was offended by the gift. Deeply offended. How should they manage the situation? Do they buy a new gift or just let it go.Sneers of Service in Raleigh thinks giving awards for years of service is just about the stupidest thing ever. How does he get his company to find a better way to recognize good work?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...

How honest are you? While you might like to think you’re an honest person, statistically speaking we are all liars. Researchers estimate the average person lies a minimum of once to twice per day. But when do those little “white lies” become problematic? In this week’s episode, Chris and Mary explore listeners’ concerns about lying, cheating, and stealing at work!Mum’s the Word in Maryland suspects that one of their employees is handing in fake expense receipts. The problem? The employee in question happens to be the granddaughter of the owner. Yikes! Thinking Fast to Go Slow is a data entry contractor who has decided to work more slowly in order to make more money. Should he bring others into his scheme? Or is he about to get hoisted by his own petard…Been There, Done That in Tampa is a marketing consultant who wonders if he can plagiarize his own work—in other words, can he provide the same strategies to multiple clients in the same industry? Is this cheating?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...