update: my manager showed up at my house and beat on the doors and windows by Alison Green on April 9, 2014 Remember the reader whose supervisor showed up at her home and beat on her doors and windows, to try to wake her up to come in for an unscheduled shift at work? He even left dents. Here’s the update. When I returned to work on my normal shift, the harassing supervisor was not to be […] Read the full article →
5 dangers in working for a bad boss by Alison Green on April 9, 2014 Bad managers come in all shapes and sizes – some are jerks, some are passive pushovers, some can’t delegate or give feedback or set clear expectations, and some are simply incompetent. And if you work for one of these bosses, you probably try to minimize the impact of these flaws on your own work – […] Read the full article →
will I look like I’m goofing off if I take notes on a tablet at meetings? by Alison Green on April 9, 2014 I’m traveling this week, so here’s another question for readers to weigh in on. A reader writes: I just bought a new tablet that has a stylus and a note-taking app that translates handwriting to text. My company has a “meeting culture,” so I take copious notes with pen and paper and type the information […] Read the full article →
work lunches when you’re fasting for Lent, my husband’s retirement party still hasn’t happened, and more by Alison Green on April 9, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My new office invited me out for lunch, but I’m partially fasting for Lent I started a new job around two months ago, and everything has been going really well so far. I just received an email saying that they want to have a welcome […] Read the full article →
update: does the admin in my new office have boundary issues? by Alison Green on April 8, 2014 Remember the reader whose new administrative assistant after a merger was generally amazing at her job but was rearranging people’s offices and being a bit heavy-handed in sending out company-wide emails? Here’s an update. The admin and I are both still here. The bulk of the problems have subsided. What I’ve learned is that where […] Read the full article →
how to manage work when you don’t have authority over the people doing it by Alison Green on April 8, 2014 As challenging as managing people can be, managing work when you don’t have formal authority over the people doing it can be even more challenging. Managing sideways – or influencing the performance of people who don’t report to you – takes special thought. Here are four keys to doing it well. 1. Be sure to […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: urging an employee to dress more formally … to help her advance, not because she’s outside the dress code by Alison Green on April 8, 2014 I’m throwing this one out to readers to weigh in on. A reader writes: One of my direct reports is interested in eventually moving into management roles with more responsibility, and we have set development goals so she has a path to work toward that aspiration. I have a great relationship with her, I believe […] Read the full article →
I’m doing way more work than I signed up for, my manager over-shares about my coworkers, and more by Alison Green on April 8, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m doing way more work than I signed up for I recently took on a part-time position with a nonprofit arts group, which I am excited about, and is a great first step in my new field. I applied for the job which was listed […] Read the full article →
update: my coworker is having a phantom pregnancy by Alison Green on April 7, 2014 Remember the letter from the reader whose coworker was having a phantom pregnancy? Here an update. When we returned to work, she did say that it was menopause. As she had only told a couple of us that she had thought she was pregnant, it didn’t go any further and there was no gossip. From […] Read the full article →
can my boss really do that? by Alison Green on April 7, 2014 If you’ve ever witnessed your boss doing something that seems unfair to you or a coworker, you might have wondered, “Can they really do that?” They don’t teach workplace law in school, and so collectively, Americans tend to have a lack of understanding about what employers can and can’t do where employees are concerned. Here […] Read the full article →