Get advice on how to deal with jerks at work Check out the book 'Jerks At Work' and other titles by Ken Lloyd Ph.D. Return to the JerksAtWork.com homepage Learn more about Ken Lloyd, Ph.D. Submit a question to Ken Lloyd, Ph.D.
 

Know It All's

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


One of our co-workers is always giving the rest of us medical advice. He'll make comments about our weight, skin, eyes and just about everything else. He gets his knowledge from the Internet and television. None of us ask for or appreciate his advice, and we are wondering about the best way to prevent it.
Read Ken's Answer

I manage a department of five people, and when one of the principals of the company came in for a visit, I answered one of his questions. No sooner had I done so when one of my employees corrected my grammar. I was shocked and annoyed, but I didn't say anything to her about it at the time. The irony is that my grammar was not incorrect. When an employee does this, should I say something?
Read Ken's Answer

One of the owner's teenage sons is going to be working here this summer, so his father had him spend a day on the job with us during his spring break. All I can say is that he was the most condescending, arrogant, know-it-all that I have ever met. Is it worth mentioning this to the owner or just forget about it?
Read Ken's Answer

Whenever I talk with our manager, he makes me feel stupid, even though my work is just fine. He uses belittling language, and his whole demeanor is condescending. We all know that he is smart, but he seems to take pride in putting the rest of us down. Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with him?
Read Ken's Answer

I have been with this company for a few weeks, and I have figured out the main problems and how to fix them. There are about 20 in all, and I would like to go over each with my manager, but I am not sure of the best way to do this. What can you suggest?
Read Ken's Answer

We have a new sales manager, and he thinks he knows everything. He has these nasty little suggestions for just about everything we do, and he has poured all this additional paperwork on us. How do we deal with him?
Read Ken's Answer

I have an employee who keeps telling me how to manage, and he likes to use management vocabulary, such as by saying that I need to have more employee empowerment. Then he offers "suggestions" about priorities, assignments, and how to do my job. How do I get him to back off?
Read Ken's Answer

We work in a small professional office, and a new associate was just hired. He is bright and obviously competent, but his values and political views are diametrically opposed to mine in many important areas. The problem is that he is always ready to debate, and he has an answer for everything. I don't want to go through this every day, and I don't know how to stop it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Read Ken's Answer

Our manager told us that he heard that employees today seek recognition more than anything else at work, including money. He said we need to keep this in mind when supervising in our areas. I think this is an oversimplification, but when I said this to him, he said I was flat-out wrong. Am I?
Read Ken's Answer

I have a co-worker is very argumentative and opinionated. If I go to lunch with him, he argues about everything, whether it has to do with work or not. He gets louder until you go along with him. How do you deal with someone like this?
Read Ken's Answer

Our general manager is quick to tell the managers that we can be terminated at any time because we are at-will employees. If he is unhappy with one of our employees, he will say something like, "You should fire him. He's at-will. You can fire whoever you want." Is he right?
Read Ken's Answer

I have been through several managers under me, and I finally hired one who was doing excellent work for the past six months. However, on a recent assignment, I told her not to contact certain people because of confidential matters. I checked in with her later, and I was shocked to find she contacted these people. She said I was wrong to exclude them. What should I do?
Read Ken's Answer

I am in charge of a committee and one member gives me trouble when we have meetings. He takes over and cuts off conversations, forces the group to move to the next item on the agenda, and even puts issues up for a vote. These are my meetings and I resent this, and I have told him, but only after the meetings because I do not want to humiliate him. He occasionally apologizes, but does the same thing at the next meeting. What do you suggest?
Read Ken's Answer

There is an employee in another department who complains to my boss about my work. Everyone here thinks this employee is a know-it-all, but my boss listens to her and thinks she has good ideas. Now my boss is giving me trouble over a recent assignment. At first she said I did a good job, but now that this other employee complained about it, my boss is criticizing it. What should I do?
Read Ken's Answer

My manager is an avid reader of books and articles by one popular management guru, and he keeps sending us almost everything this guy writes. I think the guru's work is simple and useless, and I cannot read another word of it. My manager keeps asking us about it, and I fear telling him the truth. Do I just go along with this, or is there something I can do?
Read Ken's Answer

Our manager reads a great deal about management and knows a lot about it, but he applies none of it. He is inaccessible, over-controlling, and a poor listener, and he often ignores company procedures. How can we get him to use more of what he knows?
Read Ken's Answer

The company owner's wife works here in an ill-defined managerial position. She is not trained as a manager, but is a big know-it-all who tells everyone what to do. How do we deal with her?
Read Ken's Answer

One of the people I work with is constantly telling me what to do. She does not have more expertise, and she and I are at the same job level. I have told her that I don't appreciate the orders, but she persists. Is there a better way to deal with her?
Read Ken's Answer

I have an employee who does her job well and is competent technically. The problem is that she is arrogant and condescending when dealing with people, and her job requires people contact. Many employees feel put off by her. I have tried to give her feedback, but she does not improve. What do you suggest?
Read Ken's Answer

One of the people I work with fashions herself as some sort of amateur psychologist. She is constantly applying psychological labels to everything I do. Our work forces us to have frequent contact, and this is really getting in the way. What's the best way to deal with her?
Read Ken's Answer

I am a manager and have four people reporting to me. The other day, my manager said I have been taking too much time at lunch. I resent this comment, and since I am on salary, I can take as long a lunch as I want. That is my prerogative as a salaried person. What should I tell him?
Read Ken's Answer

I have an employee who handles the technical side of her job very well, but her people skills leave something to be desired. Her job requires interaction with employees from other departments, and she is often condescending, impatient, and acts like a know-it-all. I have received complaints about her, and I am not sure how to correct the problem.
Read Ken's Answer

I am on a committee with three other managers, and we are analyzing customer service systems. In order to update the vice president of operations on our progress, we agreed that one of us would write a summary that would include comments from all of us. I had some important points that conflicted with those of the individual writing the summary, so he eliminated them and then emailed it. I am furious. What should I do?
Read Ken's Answer

One of our better sales reps suggested we interview an acquaintance of his for an important sales position. Several of us met with this applicant individually, and then we all went to dinner with him. In both meetings, I found him to be loud, opinionated, and hardly listening, but everyone else thought he was great. They all said this guy is a born salesman. I have real doubts. What can I do?
Read Ken's Answer

Our company brought in an outside trainer, and during the session I thought he made a technical mistake, and not on a minor issue. When I politely asked him about it, he turned my question into a joke and got a big laugh from everyone in the room. Afterwards, I did some checking and found out I was right and the trainer was wrong on the issue. Should I say something or just forget it?
Read Ken's Answer

I manage a small department, and I attended a meeting with my manager and one of my employees. The three of us were discussing a particular problem, and I gave a summary. When I was done, my employee turned to my manager and said, “What she is trying to say is this….” She then summarized my comments. My description was fine, and I am angry over what she did. What do you think, and what should I do?
Read Ken's Answer

There is an employee in another department who enjoys giving me his advice on my work. He does not know much about the details of what I do, but that does not stop him from making useless comments. I’ve been polite and thanked him, but I’m getting annoyed and want him to stop, but I don’t know how.
Read Ken's Answer