is this email line insulting? by Alison Green on November 6, 2013 A reader writes: I work at a university in an office setting. I share supervision of a student worker with senior-level staff member. I am in my early 30s and in a coordinator position; she is in a senior director position and about 20 years older than me. We both report to the same person. […] Read the full article →
how to deal with cold-calling salespeople who won’t take no for an answer by Alison Green on November 6, 2013 A reader writes: I’m in a job I really enjoy, but as part of my role, the admin assistant puts through quite a lot of cold calls to me (which always turn out to be advertising calls, but disguised as other things which is why they get put through in the first place!). Usually they’re […] Read the full article →
8 ways to persuade your boss to say yes by Alison Green on November 6, 2013 When you really want to hear “yes” from your boss – whether it’s a proposal for a new program, permission to telecommute, or the go-ahead on ordering a new computer – you can maximize your chances by going about it the right way. 1. Make it easy for your boss to say yes. If you come […] Read the full article →
feeling guilty about leaving law-breaking boss, asking for a far-off raise, and more by Alison Green on November 6, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. My boss is breaking laws and promises but I feel guilty about leaving I began working at a small business this past July, and there have been a few red flags that tell me I shouldn’t be here for much longer. First, my […] Read the full article →
my husband’s employer shared my salary information with his coworkers by Alison Green on November 5, 2013 A reader writes: When my husband first began his employment, one of the forms he had to complete was a tax withholding form that asked for our household income. I make a good salary – not exorbitant, but one that puts us in the mid-range of the 2013 tax brackets for married couples filing jointly. […] Read the full article →
can we ban smelly foods in the office microwave? by Alison Green on November 5, 2013 A reader writes: We have an employee at work who has been bringing in some pungent food and heating it up in the microwave oven. I have received a complaint or two of the smell, and a number of vendors who’ve come to our office have commented on the smell as well. One employee shared […] Read the full article →
the weirdest questions I’ve received at Ask a Manager by Alison Green on November 5, 2013 As regular readers know, I receive some pretty strange questions here. Back in 2011, I shared eight of the oddest situations I’ve ever been asked about here … but in the two years since, I’ve received plenty more bizarre ones. So I decided to update that list, to include the lunch-stealing boss, the compulsively hugging receptionist, […] Read the full article →
perfunctory thank-you notes, profanity at work, and more by Alison Green on November 5, 2013 It’s six short answers to six short questions. Here we go… 1. Giving your interviewer a thank-you note on your way out of the interview My question is about handing thank-you cards to people immediately after interviewing with them (literally after shaking hands before you leave the office). My husband was told this was done […] Read the full article →
my interviewer fell asleep — repeatedly — during our interview by Alison Green on November 4, 2013 A reader writes: I applied for a very promising job opening at a startup company and had my initial interview this week with the recruiter and one of the managers. They seemed to be very pleased with me, and the manager left me with the recruiter to talk about compensation, where he told me they […] Read the full article →
is this internal feedback on job candidates unprofessional? by Alison Green on November 4, 2013 A reader writes: I’m new to owning the hiring process at my company. Sometimes when I send hiring managers candidates, they reply with comments that I don’t think are appropriate or professional like “Nope,” or “Meh.” Am I being sensitive or is this not okay? Even if it is unprofessional, should I just let it […] Read the full article →