should I ask if I’m going to be fired, I’ve been too pushy at work, and more by Alison Green on June 26, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee won’t follow one particular instruction I have an employee who doesn’t have any performance issues. However, there is one very specific bit of instruction I have given to her and the rest of my team several times in several ways, but she’s still […] Read the full article →
job-searching when you share a name with a porn star by Alison Green on June 25, 2014 A reader writes: In the last year or two, a woman who is about eight years younger than me has become a somewhat well-known porn star. My name is her birth name, not her stage name, but for whatever reason, they’re usually mentioned in the same breath/line. It should be pretty easy to separate the […] Read the full article →
how do I manage work outside my comfort area? by Alison Green on June 25, 2014 A reader writes: I’ve been put in charge of overseeing four different departments, including two in which I have no expertise at all (IT and communications). Luckily, those departments both have competent managers (who each report up to me), but what should my role look like in overseeing them and how to do I manage […] Read the full article →
negotiating pay when filling in for a maternity leave, bankruptcy cooties, and more by Alison Green on June 25, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I say something about my coworker regularly bringing her granddaughter to work? A part-time work colleague has started bringing her granddaughter to work regularly. It isn’t a huge distraction, but I don’t think it’s very professional. Her granddaughter doesn’t stay for just an hour, […] Read the full article →
should I send a post-interview thank-you if I’m not sure how enthusiastic I am about the job? by Alison Green on June 24, 2014 A reader writes: I recently had a phone interview that left me conflicted. There were aspects of the job that seemed like a great fit, while other things said during the interview raised some questions in my mind about whether it would be a good place for me. I was able to ask some, but […] Read the full article →
six-hour workdays, Zappos’ big move to kill job postings, and other things to know this week by Alison Green on June 24, 2014 Over at Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I take a look at several big work-related stories in the news right now: Zappos’ move to get rid of job postings and replacing them with its own social network, Sweden’s examination of a six-hour workday, and more. You can read it here. Read the full article →
my struggling new employee thinks her pushiness is “enthusiasm” by Alison Green on June 24, 2014 A reader writes: I have a new employee who just finished grad school but is not new to work because she worked a few years between college and grad school. Like some new employees, she is asking a lot of questions in meetings and making a lot of suggestions about things she knows nothing about […] Read the full article →
if you dislike smelly things, Zero Odor is for you by Alison Green on June 24, 2014 And now a break to talk about a sponsor… I have pleaded with people in the past to stop sending me bathroom-related questions (to no avail), but today I’m raising a toilet topic of my own … except that it’s related to cats. I want to tell you about Zero Odor, because … wow. Zero […] Read the full article →
can I tell callers that my coworkers aren’t going to call them back, giving candidates interview guidance, and more by Alison Green on June 24, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I tell callers that my coworkers aren’t likely to call them back? Part of my current position involves answering phones and screening calls. Sometimes that means putting people through to voicemail when my boss or coworkers don’t have time for calls. However, one of […] Read the full article →
can I say something about my coworker’s graphic, violent tattoo? by Alison Green on June 23, 2014 A reader writes: I work for a large company with a very diverse workforce and a very relaxed dress code (it’s basically nonexistent, unless you work in the field or are in a customer-facing role). Recently, my group hired a few contractors to help us manage our workload. One of the contractors, a woman, has […] Read the full article →