It seems to me that in the company I work for, the only way to get a salary rise is to take on a management role or to bring in high levels of consultancy income.  Having a highly developed level of technical expertise that’s needed to develop and maintain our products, and respond to enquiries from customers is not valued, even though our success depends upon this expertise.  This has in my view contributed to a loss of key staff.  Is this a common thing? How might we get over this?

While I love male company, and prefer working for a male than a female, I have found myself in a middle management role where all my peers are men and my manager as well.  Sometimes I feel that they talk over me, or don’t take seriously some of the issues / concerns / topics I bring up.  How do you work with a group of men who are all very confident and outspoken – yet good guys at heart?

For our first posting we’ve taken the example of a contributor’s dilemma from a few years ago. Please let us know your thoughts, and do send in questions of your own that you’d like to hear views on.

My boss was a respected and highly successful board member, responsible for generating high levels of new business.  I enjoyed working with him enormously.  The company benefited from his input and management style.  Since joining his team, my own profile benefited directly as a consequence of the consistent growth of my boss’s responsibilities.

He was a charming extrovert and relished the prospect of entertaining clients. Clearly he thrived in this type of setting. This was in no small measure a recipe for his success. Unfortunately there was an unpleasant downside to his general bonhomie at the lunch table. Most afternoons were greeted with a disturbing change in his attitude. His manner became aggressive, almost to the point of borderline bullying.  The people most subjected to his verbal abuse were junior members of staff or those of a more introverted nature.  I had my suspicions that his afternoon mood changes were as a direct result of his consumption of a fair amount of alcohol during lunchtime sessions.

I found this type of dual behaviour upsetting. Those on the receiving end of the treatment must have felt demoralised and distressed.  It no doubt reflected poorly on the organisation and conflicted with its supposed cultures and values. Such behaviour should have been checked and not been rewarded by promotion to senior positions. As a senior team member, I had a clear responsibility to take some type of corrective action. Unfortunately I did nothing, but my inaction has played on my conscience ever since.

• Should I have expressed my concerns directly with my boss? 
• Was this a matter for HR?
• Was it appropriate for me to do anything at all? 
• What was the appropriate course of action to take especially considering that I had conflicting loyalties, not only because I liked and admired the man, but because any action on my part could have resulted in career-limiting consequences?

Although this occurred in the past, I sometimes reflect on my lack of action and wonder how I’d deal with a similar situation if it arose again. I would welcome other people’s views.