7 ways to wreck employee morale during the holidays by Alison Green on December 17, 2013 In many workplaces, the holiday season is prime time for initiatives meant to boost employee morale – bonuses, gift exchanges, and holiday parties, to name a few. But it’s easy to make missteps this month that can send morale plummeting downward – ironically, from the very things that managers intend to increase a sense of […] Read the full article →
telling a new boss about an awful assistant, how managers can stop gossip, and more by Alison Green on December 17, 2013 It’s five short answers to five short questions. Here we go… 1. Should we tell our new boss about our terrible department assistant? There are currently 3 people in my department — me, an excellent coworker, and our departmental assistant. Our department assistant is for the most part terrible: she refuses to answer phone calls, […] Read the full article →
update from the reader whose boss refuses to text her, even though he texts the rest of their team by Alison Green on December 16, 2013 Remember the reader whose manager refused to text her, even though he texted the rest of her team regularly? His texting moratorium with her suspiciously started right after an uncomfortable incident on a business trip where he grabbed her phone and frantically tried to delete a text from it. Since then, he’d gone through all […] Read the full article →
how to truly unplug during your vacation and leave work behind by Alison Green on December 16, 2013 If you’re getting ready to go on vacation for the holidays, are you planning to truly disconnect from work or do you expect to get roped into work calls and emails while you’re away? While there are some jobs where this genuinely can’t be avoided, more often than not some advance planning and a steely resolve […] Read the full article →
asking an employer to match a counter-offer, how to get headhunted, and more by Alison Green on December 16, 2013 It’s five short answers to five short questions. Here we go… 1. Should I tell an employer that if hired, I’d change their hiring practices? I am interviewing for a position that will including things like hiring new employees. One of the practices they currently have is making candidates fill out a salary progression / […] Read the full article →
should you offer your business card at a job interview, applying for a job with an ex’s father, and more by Alison Green on December 15, 2013 It’s five short answers to five short questions. Here we go… 1. How to ask if I’m getting paid for work I’ve been doing or if it’s volunteer work I would like to nominate myself for stupid question-asker of the year. I did some at-home work for a nonprofit a few weeks ago that was […] Read the full article →
I was fired from a volunteer job, using coupons in office gift exchanges, and more by Alison Green on December 14, 2013 It’s five short answers to five short questions. Here we go… 1. Appropriate gifts for office gift exchanges, and getting gifts on sale First, what makes an appropriate gift for a holiday gift exchange at the office? My colleagues and I will be drawing names, and we’ve agreed to include a short “wish list” of […] Read the full article →
interesting perks and random kindness by Alison Green on December 13, 2013 In last Friday’s open thread, commenter Mike C. asked about the coolest perks people have seen companies offer. The answers are fascinating and all worth a read — including six-month unpaid sabbaticals, $1 dry cleaning, free apples, twice-monthly housecleaning, 10% of the annual savings of any implemented idea (up to $10,000), $1,200 to use to pay […] Read the full article →
what should an email signature contain? by Alison Green on December 13, 2013 A reader writes: I know you’ve covered what doesn’t go into your email signature–funny colors, weird fonts, religious exhortations, almost any quote of any kind, etc. But from your point of view, what DOES go in? For example, my own mandated signature includes a long line saying “If you have any additional questions or concerns, […] Read the full article →
how to throw a holiday party that employees will want to attend by Alison Green on December 13, 2013 This post was originally published on December 10, 2010. Every year around this time, I hear from people complaining about various ways their companies are mishandling the holiday party, so here are eight rules for throwing a better company party. 1. Hold it during work hours, especially if attendance is any way obligatory. Seriously. People […] Read the full article →