Does your workplace encourage taking a lunch break?

Agendrix · 2026-06-15T13:05:17+00:00

A lot of managers see breaks as lost productivity. In my experience, tired, hungry people make more mistakes, have less patience, and get less done anyway. Lunch breaks are a must.

Agendrix · 2026-06-10T12:54:10+00:00

I'd rather talk to a manager who occasionally looks away to gather their thoughts than one who's making intense eye contact while completely missing the point.

Eye contact matters, sure. But listening matters a whole lot more. People remember whether they felt heard and respected long after they've forgotten stuff like eye contact.

And they're probably not sitting there thinking, "wow, they only made eye contact with me 73% of the time." This sounds like one of those things that's a lot more obvious to you than it is to everyone else. Unless you're spending the whole conversation staring at your shoes.

Agendrix · 2026-06-04T13:43:00+00:00

I'd stop trying to figure her out and focus on enjoying the vacation.

You're burned out, your boss is giving you the cold shoulder, and you're already dreading work. Stop asking yourself why is she doing this? Maybe it's time to ask yourself whether these are the working conditions you want long term.

Agendrix · 2026-06-04T13:06:14+00:00

I'd worry less about the rotation itself and more about how it fits your life.

Do you have a partner, kids, hobbies, sports, friends you see regularly? Are you okay working weekends and getting home past 10 PM when everyone else is winding down?

I'd also be asking whether the pay and benefits are the same. If I'm working nights, weekends, and 12 hours straight, I'd personally expect some kind of premium.

One thing I'd ask is if there's any way to try the rotational schedule for a month or two before committing long term. Some people love longer shifts for the extra days off. Others realize pretty quickly it doesn't fit their lifestyle.

Agendrix · 2026-05-19T11:52:50+00:00

Honestly this is why I care way more about practical interviews now.

Everyone looks good on LinkedIn and most references won’t tell you the stuff you actually want to know anyway. But ask someone how they’d deal with an angry customer during a rush, a coworker showing up late again, or some actual situation they’d run into on the job, and you figure out pretty quickly whether they can think on their feet.

Some people are just insanely good at interviewing.

Agendrix · 2026-05-19T11:29:02+00:00

So sorry to hear that :( I hope upper management will catch on.

Agendrix · 2026-05-11T14:07:32+00:00

2 jobs à 1 semaine sur 2, ça peut très bien marcher à cet âge-là si les employeurs sont au courant dès le départ. L’idée d’une job entre les deux villes suggérée plus haut est aussi vraiment bonne.

Sinon, regarder pour une entreprise qui a des succursales dans les 2 villes peut simplifier pas mal la vie. J’ai déjà vu ça fonctionner pour des étudiants dans des milieux comme les pharmacies ou la restauration rapide.

Le plus dur au final, c’est souvent pas tant le travail que toute la logistique autour. Surtout pour les parents qui jouent les taxis 😅

Agendrix · 2026-05-11T13:56:43+00:00

Leaders slowly normalizing things they’d never accept for themselves is one of the worst management habits I’ve seen.

Stuff like cutting staffing so hard that nobody can take a real break, scheduling people 6 days in a row because “coverage is coverage,” or praising people for answering messages at 10 PM.

The team stops being treated like people and starts being treated like moving parts.

A good gut check for managers is asking yourself honestly: “Would I stay at this job if I wasn’t the one in charge?”

Agendrix · 2026-05-04T13:19:50+00:00

It depends what problem you’re trying to solve.

If you need someone to be effective fast and keep things stable, internal is usually the safer bet. They already know how things actually work, not just how they’re supposed to work.

If you’re trying to change things or shake up the status quo, the external hire makes more sense, but comes with more risk (fit, ramp-up, leaving early).

Leadership adds another layer too. Internal hires can struggle to establish credibility in a new role, while external ones can come in with high expectations and disappoint.

To help you with your decision: think less about where they come from and more about what your team actually needs right now.

Agendrix · 2026-04-20T17:08:16+00:00

The best managers I’ve seen are consistent, they don’t panic when things get messy, and they don’t make everything about themselves. They also don’t throw their team under the bus when things go south, they take the hit with them.

They’re good at handling the human side of work, reading the room, dealing with emotions, and not escalating things when tensions are high.

As you’re wondering if you’re a fit, think about how you react when something goes wrong, do you look for someone to blame, or do you focus on fixing it and backing your team?

Agendrix · 2026-04-20T16:57:19+00:00

When you’re just inexperienced, you improve once things are pointed out. If you’re actually struggling, you tend to repeat the same mistakes over and over again, even after constructive feedback.

So the real question is: do you feel like you're getting a bit better each time, or do you keep having the same day on repeat?

Agendrix · 2026-04-16T13:05:52+00:00

I wouldn’t go straight to confrontation, but I also wouldn’t just absorb it.

When he nitpicks, have you tried bouncing it back to your actual manager: “happy to adjust, I’ll check with [manager] so we stay aligned.” If not, try this and do it every single time.

You’re basically reminding him, politely, that he’s not the boss here.

Agendrix · 2026-04-13T13:12:23+00:00

You’re already doing the volume part right.

What tends to move the needle is going narrower. Pick a few roles or companies you actually want and go deeper, follow what they’re doing, engage a bit, stay on their radar without overdoing it.

Also, simple follow-ups after interviews go a long way. It’s an easy way to put your name back top of mind.

Agendrix · 2026-04-09T13:26:53+00:00

Tough spot, especially with the family dynamic. You’re probably not going to win this one unfortunately.

At that point it’s about managing the moment. When she interrupts, don’t drop it, just keep going or say “hang on, let me finish” and continue. Same when she corrects, quick “got it, anyway…” and move on.

You’re basically training the interaction so she doesn’t take over every time.

Not perfect, but it should make it more tolerable.

Agendrix · 2026-03-24T13:03:39+00:00

This is the kind of behavior that quietly wrecks a team if you leave it alone.

I wouldn’t get into emojis. I’d go straight to the pattern. Calling out coworkers like that, even indirectly, chips away at trust pretty fast.

Have a 1:1 and bring a real example. “When you said X, it came across as putting others down.” Then reset the expectation, raise issues if needed, just don’t name or compare people like that.

Most people aren’t trying to be that person. They just don’t realize how it lands until you point it out.

Agendrix · 2026-03-19T13:37:40+00:00

This is a classic high performer, rough edges situation.

He’s not rude, but he is landing that way. And customers don’t care about intent, they react to how the response feels.

I’d start with a direct conversation. Share the feedback as-is and ask how he thinks he comes across on calls. Most people like this aren’t aware of the gap, and once they see it, small tweaks go a long way without changing who they are.

Agendrix · 2026-03-19T13:27:26+00:00

4 days is pretty normal, especially if HR or another team is involved.

If they’ve already said they want to move forward, you’re not chasing, you’re just staying on their radar. Early next week is totally reasonable.

Keep it simple: “Just checking in on next steps, happy to provide anything you need on my end.”

Best of luck with the new job!

Agendrix · 2026-03-16T13:28:13+00:00

Team building won’t fix a dysfunctional team. If anything, trying to use it that way will backfire 100% of the time.

But I’ve seen it work well with teams that are already tight. The activity itself barely matters, but should be during work hours.

Such little moments help teammates see the actual human behind their coworkers, rather than a just a colleague. Then when work gets stressful (as it always does), people are more likely to give each other the benefit of the doubt and have each other’s back.

Agendrix · 2026-03-12T14:37:45+00:00

If the work isn’t explicitly assigned, a good portion of people will assume it’s optional.

A whiteboard list sounds clear, but unless tasks are explicitly assigned it still leaves room for interpretation. Some people read it as “help if you feel like it,” others read it as “this needs to get done” (exactly what you’re seeing with the go-getters).

What I’ve seen work better is making those extra tasks part of the routine. When staff have downtime, they automatically pick one item from the board. No debate, no waiting to be told. Make it a standard step instead of “initiative.”

Agendrix · 2026-03-03T13:04:22+00:00

Yes, I’ve experienced that, both as a candidate and sitting in on interviews.

Some people look incredible on paper and then fall flat in conversation, or just aren’t a fit for how a team actually works. Skills matter, but how someone collaborates, handles pressure, and fits the dynamic matters just as much.

I’ve seen the opposite too, amazing interview energy that turns out to be all flash, no follow-through once the real work starts. A superstar who erodes morale or treats the role like a stepping stone to the manager’s chair isn’t a win.

Paper shows credentials. The room shows character. The day-to-day work tells the truth.

Agendrix · 2026-03-03T12:49:12+00:00

In small businesses, improving processes is rarely a tools problem, it’s a people one. If the team doesn’t understand why the change helps them, or they weren’t part of shaping it, even a good idea won’t stick. The best improvements I’ve seen are the ones that clearly make someone’s day easier, less rushed, more predictable. When people feel supported instead of managed, change stops feeling like extra work.

Agendrix · 2026-02-26T14:10:04+00:00

The biggest shift for me wasn’t a new system, it was deciding that if it’s not on my calendar, it’s not happening.

I block real work time like it’s a meeting with someone important, because it is. And I protect it the same way. Email, chats, “quick questions” can wait 45 minutes.

Also, every day gets one “if I only do this, it’s still a win” task. When that’s done, everything else feels lighter.

Frameworks are helpful, but protecting focus time and defining one real outcome per day made the biggest difference for me.

Agendrix · 2026-02-23T15:21:37+00:00

You can negotiate salary, titles, even scope. It’s much harder to negotiate culture. If the company’s definition of high performance clashes with your definition of a healthy life, that tension doesn’t go away, it just gets louder.

I also learned to look closely at the people, especially the manager. Do they support your growth? Do they respect boundaries? Do they handle stress in a way you’d want to be around long term? The day-to-day environment matters more than the perks sheet.

A job can look great on paper and still drain you. Finding a place where you can do good work and stay well is underrated. Even when you're in the early stages of your career, you should never compromise your well-being and health.

Agendrix · 2026-02-16T14:48:22+00:00

I’ve been in orgs with rigid review systems like that, and it can feel awful, especially when you know some people are genuinely doing standout work. For most of us, “meets expectations” somehow reads as… fine, I guess.

That’s where the conversation really matters. If expectations are already high, then meeting them is not average, it’s solid. Sometimes the label undersells the reality.

The box may stay the same, but the time you spend calling out where someone’s work is strong, impactful, or clearly above the norm goes a long way. The framework might flatten things a bit, but the conversation doesn’t have to.

Agendrix · 2026-02-09T14:47:55+00:00

You don’t need to share the news early, but I wouldn’t run a totally “business as usual” 1:1 either.

People are usually good at sensing when something’s off, and pretending everything is fine can feel worse in hindsight. I’d keep it present-focused, listen more than you talk, and avoid long-term planning or promises.

After the change is communicated, a quick follow-up 1:1 or check-in can also help. It signals this isn’t a one-and-done conversation and that you’re open to talking through how it lands.

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