The Real Office

Problems at work? Lucy Kellaway has the answers: ""Should I tell my boss what I think of him?""

""How can I be more political and still be myself?""

""I have to sack my friend or fire someone better.""

""I am a foreigner and my views are ignored."" These are typical conundrums faced by many of us, and just a few of the hundreds sent every week to Lucy Kellaway's popular "agony aunt" column in the "Financial Times." Whether it's a problem of working with an ex-lover, firing a litigious employee, or dealing with accusations of racism, Kellaway's advice is always simple and practical, and essential reading for those trying to cope with troublesome co-workers. Better still, there is the wisdom, rage, expertise, and folly of the managers and self-appointed experts who add their thoughts. Lucy Kellaway is the management columnist at the "Financial Times." She was Columnist of the Year in 2006, and is the author of "Sense and Nonsense in the Office" and "Martin Lukes: Who Moved My BlackBerry?."