nose-picking interviewers, calling in sick for insomnia, and more by Alison Green on August 22, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. My boss gave my assistant a raise without discussing it with me The executive director of our organization gave my assistant a raise without discussing it with me. I am very conflicted about this because on one hand she totally and completely deserves […] Read the full article →
can I ask how many other people are being interviewed for the job? by Alison Green on August 21, 2013 A reader writes: When the interviewer opens up the floor for questions, is it appropriate to ask approximately how many other people the manager is interviewing for the position? I would not ask this in interviews for administrative/office positions since the company would presumably have received a couple hundred applications for one position. However, I’m […] Read the full article →
my boss enters my office without knocking and interrupts phone conversations by Alison Green on August 21, 2013 A reader writes: I work in a small private firm. I am not really happy with the way my manager does certain things, and I wanted to know if this is normal manager behavior or if I am overreacting. Two things: 1. I share a room with another female coworker. My manager always barges into […] Read the full article →
10 things bad managers say by Alison Green on August 21, 2013 Managers’ words carry enormous weight with the people they manage – and the wrong words can destroy employee morale and motivation. Yet bad managers go on saying the wrong things over and over again. Here are 10 of the most common phrases you’ll hear from bad managers – and why they’re wrong. 1. “You’re lucky […] Read the full article →
company took away our lunch room, high school on a resume, and more by Alison Green on August 21, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. Our boss took away our lunch room I work at a legal services company in California. Our boss (president/CEO) recently made new rules for the employees and I just want to know if these are ok. Our company offers conference rooms to our […] Read the full article →
I promoted one employee and now her former peer is unhappy by Alison Green on August 20, 2013 A reader writes: I have two employees who have been long-time friends. They were going out to lunch on a regular basis, had the same job title, came up through the same industry, and were basically a complimentary pair to the work they were doing. However, the time came when I needed to promote one […] Read the full article →
my boss thinks I’ll invite her to my wedding, but I don’t want to by Alison Green on August 20, 2013 A reader writes: I’ve been reading your blog for months now with varying degrees of delight and sympathetic chagrin, but I never thought I’d have a question for you myself. I just moved from a staff position in one library in my university to a faculty position at its sister library. I’m also getting married […] Read the full article →
how not to look like a slacker when you’re working from home by Alison Green on August 20, 2013 A reader writes: I recently started working from home. I’m one of the first people in my company to be allowed to do this, and I’m being looked at as a bit of a test case. What are the things I should think about or do in order to make it clear that I’m really working, not watching soap […] Read the full article →
how to play office politics, leaving an internship early, and more by Alison Green on August 20, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. How can I ask to leave my internship a day or two early? I’ve been doing an unpaid internship for six months, and I have two days left. I’m pretty much done all the work I was supposed to do, just waiting for […] Read the full article →
can I ask to watch the company culture before accepting a job offer? by Alison Green on August 19, 2013 A reader writes: I was recently interviewed and a offered a position at a fun-seeming nonprofit. However, I was interviewed in a back office and didn’t really get to see the company culture at work (I did ask my interviewees what they thought it was like, and they mentioned it was fun, etc., but what […] Read the full article →