Can I withdraw my offer to take work over the holiday weekend?

I work in customer service as a chat agent, which means I take text and email conversations. This weekday, my boss was looking for volunteers and I was open and gave him the hours I could work. My boss offered to schedule me to take calls. I haven’t received calls in years and I’d rather not. How do I say no politely when my boss knows I’m available?

Is it just that you don’t like being on the front line of being attacked by people one by one over the phone, or do you prefer to annoy a lot of people at once as a chat agent when you pretend you’re only focused on me – ie , I mean an individual – when are you really frustrating too many people in your chat at the same time?

OK, OK, but am I right?

It was nice of you to volunteer to help your boss during a vacation, and if he needs you on the phone, you can say that you’d really prefer to work the chat line.

If he just needs you on the phone, well, I like to come in, roll up my sleeves, I’ll do anything to help in a moment of need kind of mentality – and I’m sure your boss would too.

I am in a new job and have a new 24 year old boss who is also new to her job. All she does is complain and nitpick about little things. Should I tell her that it’s more motivating to give positive reinforcement? Or will it make things worse?

Sorry, but that sounds a lot like the stereotypes of how some guys complain about the women in their personal lives too.

For starters, I’m not sure that the fact that this person is your “female boss” is relevant. More important would be the amount of experience a 24-year-old has in management and knowledge of how to motivate people. This is a possible legitimate cause of the behavior.

No one – boss or otherwise – can improve their skills in the workplace unless they get feedback. So find the right time and place for that discussion and explain how you motivate yourself to do your best work, rather than complaining about her style.

Gregory Giangrande has over 25 years of experience as a Chief Human Resources Executive. Listen to Greg Wed. at 9:35 on iHeartRadio 710 WOR with Len Berman and Michael Riedel. Email: GoToGreg@NYPost.com. Follow: GoToGreg.com and on Twitter: @GregGiangrande