ask the readers: my employee won’t go on repair calls when only a teenager is home by Alison Green on November 20, 2013 Throwing this one out to readers to weigh in on. A reader writes: I am a manager of a small HVAC service company. One of our service technicians is refusing to enter any residence where a teenager is home alone, even though we have scheduled this appointment with the parent, and although they can’t be […] Read the full article →
7 questions to answer before accepting a job offer by Alison Green on November 20, 2013 When you receive a job offer, it’s natural to be excited and even to assume that you’ll take it, as long as the salary range is right. But before you sign on to spend 40 or more hours a week at this job, make sure that you’ve fully vetted what you’re getting into. Here are seven […] Read the full article →
addressing people by their first names, getting your job choice right the first time, and more by Alison Green on November 20, 2013 It’s five short answers to five short questions. Here we go… 1. As a job searching new grad, should I address people by their first names or Mr./Ms.? I’m an undergraduate student, and I’m curious when it’s appropriate to call managers by their first names via email, etc. Campus recruiters typically use their first names […] Read the full article →
I need to slow down at work so I don’t make mistakes by Alison Green on November 19, 2013 A reader writes: I’ve recently switched jobs, and I’m loving my new job so far, but there’s one thing I am struggling to adapt to in my new workplace: the speed at which I work. My previous 3 years were spent in a job where the workload was impossibly high and I would be interrupted […] Read the full article →
I have to take calls from my kids at work, and my manager doesn’t like it by Alison Green on November 19, 2013 A reader writes: First, the positives. I work for a small firm in a small town. One owner, one office manager, me, and 5 professionals. The professionals work directly under the owner, while I alone work under the office manager. I love the work, I love the people. The owner and office manager are good […] Read the full article →
how to manage a burnt-out employee by Alison Green on November 19, 2013 A reader writes: I think my marketing assistant might be burnt-out. She gets her work done but just barely — it’s like she’s doing the bare minimum required, rather than bringing any excitement or sense of possibility to the work. She also doesn’t seem fully present in meetings and never really comes to me with […] Read the full article →
company only approves new hires once a year, “use it or lose it” vacation policies, and more by Alison Green on November 19, 2013 It’s five short answers to five short questions. Here we go… 1. How can I convince my boss to end our “use it or lose it” vacation policy? In March of this year I started working for a small startup in California. We get eight holidays (including one “floating” holiday), plus 10 days of vacation […] Read the full article →
are emoticons unprofessional? by Alison Green on November 18, 2013 A reader writes: What is your feeling on using emoticons (smiley faces, etc.) in professional emails? My first reaction is “no, they are too childish and unprofessional,” but then I find myself sometimes wanting to use them to add some levity to an email, or soften some language, or convey a “friendly” message. Since emails […] Read the full article →
8 tips for starting your own business and not failing horribly by Alison Green on November 18, 2013 If you’re thinking/fantasizing/wondering about ditching your job and going to work for yourself, here are eight tips to make it go as smoothly as possible. 1. Try it on the side first. Rather than ditching your job and then setting up shop for yourself and just hoping that the clients come, try out your business idea […] Read the full article →
should I tell my boss about our new coworker’s low work quality? by Alison Green on November 18, 2013 A reader writes: I work as a web developer on a small team of four people, and we often collaborate on projects. It was just three of us for a while, and we recently hired the fourth person. He was hired primarily as a back-end developer, but also to do front-end work (mainly HTML and […] Read the full article →