should companies prohibit political celebrations, my prosthetic leg made an interviewer uncomfortable, and more by Alison Green on February 26, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should companies prohibit celebrations of current events? I had a strange situation come my way today, that I’d be interested in hearing your opinion on. A colleague of a friend brought in a cake to share with his team this morning, “in celebration of what […] Read the full article →
is it appropriate to want to be told when my manager won’t be in the office? by Alison Green on February 25, 2014 A reader writes: I work for a small family business, and my manager is the owners’ daughter. My office is in one building, and her office is in another, on the same small property. My manager recently let us all know that she will be working from home two days a week (set days). However, […] Read the full article →
the 5 worst people to have in your meetings — and how to deal with them by Alison Green on February 25, 2014 If you’re like most people, your weeks of full of workplace meetings. And if you’re like most of us, there are certain coworkers who regularly make those meetings far more painful than they have to be. Here are the five worst types of people to have in your meetings – and what you can do […] Read the full article →
my boss watches porn all day, salary and cost-of-living differences, and more by Alison Green on February 25, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker slacked off this weekend and no one said anything My coworker and I are both new hires at a small tech firm. Our CEO and COO stated that we should all (including our team lead) rotate weekends watching the help desk to answer […] Read the full article →
new employee insists we call her “Mrs. ____” even though we all use first names by Alison Green on February 24, 2014 In this letter, names have been changed for anonymity. A reader writes: I recently hired a new employee in my 7-person department. I am very excited, as she has a great experience and her references were wonderful. She will be a real asset to the team. She started this week and as I usually do, […] Read the full article →
the most common job interview questions — and how to answer them by Alison Green on February 24, 2014 Got an interview coming up? The best thing that you can do to prepare is to think through the questions that you’re likely to be asked and formulate answers ahead of time. Here are the seven most common interview questions, along with what a strong answer will look like. 1. “Tell me about yourself.” This […] Read the full article →
my new hire is badmouthing our business on Twitter, referral bonuses, and more by Alison Green on February 24, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My new hire is badmouthing our business on Twitter I am the manager of a small business and recently made a verbal offer of employment to someone for an entry-level/cashier position. In the last day, this hire has made several deprecating comments on Twiiter about […] Read the full article →
I was promised time off for my wedding that’s now being revoked, salary requirements in a cover letter, and more by Alison Green on February 22, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I was promised time off for my wedding that’s now being revoked I interviewed for a position in October, and during the interview I told them that I was getting married in April, six months away. I stated that my wedding was out of state […] Read the full article →
did I offend the company that just offered me a job? by Alison Green on February 21, 2014 This post was originally published on July 3, 2009. A reader writes: I’m a fresh grad and I just received a job offer from a company I really want to work for (let’s say Company A), but I have a pending interview at another company I am also considering (Company B). Company A gave me […] Read the full article →
update: our time off is being rescinded — Hunger Games style by Alison Green on February 21, 2014 Here’s an update from the reader whose pre-approved vacation time was being rescinded unless she fought it out with two coworkers who also had pre-approved time off scheduled then. I spoke with one of the physicians, our head boss, a few days later. She stated she wanted to meet with all four of us coworkers […] Read the full article →