DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am a longtime employee of a company that has offered additional work-from-home days to IT workers willing to exchange their spacious and private offices for a desk in a shared room when working on-site.
To skip the commute for an additional two days per week, I took advantage of this offer and gave up my office.
What do I say or do, if anything, in response to the inevitable feelings of resentment from employees to whom this tradeoff has not been offered? How do I best respond in a firm but polite way to comments like, “I’m not sure what your schedule is, now that you’re home” or “I’m not sure how to schedule a meeting with you”?
To avoid confusion, I’m always clear about when I’ll be working remotely and when I’ll be at the office in person.
Stories by Judith Martin
GENTLE READER: As this is your job, Miss Manners advises being businesslike. Answer the question, not the subtext: “Here is where you can find my schedule and here is how to schedule a meeting with me.”
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’ve never heard of “influencers” and don’t know the names of any of them. Who are they influencing and why should I care?
GENTLE READER: Indeed.
Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.