update: I’m being penalized for not participating in monthly athletic events at work by Alison Green on July 21, 2014 Remember the letter-writer who was being penalized by her manager for not participating in monthly athletic events at work — things like 10-mile hikes, 5k runs, rock climbing, and parasailing, all in the name of “team-building”? Here’s the update. After writing to you and your blog and seeing all the responses, I knew I needed to […] Read the full article →
company scheduled a phone interview by telling me to be available “the next couple of days” by Alison Green on July 21, 2014 A reader writes: A company scheduled a phone interview with me by sending an email saying this: “Thank you for your interest in our company. We have received your resume for the above open position. As part of our hiring process, our interview panel will be calling you during the next couple of days. We […] Read the full article →
the problem with “gentle reminders” — and other lesser-known email offenses you might be committing by Alison Green on July 21, 2014 In the two decades since email began saturating most American workplaces, most people have come to agree on some basic etiquette rules, such as don’t reply-all when you don’t need to and avoid using all-caps unless you’re screaming at someone. But there are finer points of email etiquette which aren’t as universally acknowledged but can […] Read the full article →
is my VP warning me about layoffs, interviewing while breast-feeding, and more by Alison Green on July 21, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is my VP warning me about layoffs? I have moved into doing internal communications with our organization, among my other duties, so sometimes the VP of our department sends me information for our intranet to write up. She shared an email recently about a hiring […] Read the full article →
Sunday free-for-all – July 20, 2014 by Alison Green on July 20, 2014 It’s the Sunday free-for-all. Since we limited Friday’s open thread to work-related discussions, this comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Have at it. Read the full article →
giving input for someone else’s evaluation, the job I wanted to apply to disappeared, and more by Alison Green on July 19, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Giving input for someone else’s evaluation I work for a government agency, and my position is somewhat supervisory, but not directly. I am often asked for input for the secretaries’ annual evaluations. Due to our office structure, several of us share a few secretaries, and […] Read the full article →
my boss gives in to my coworker’s temper tantrums by Alison Green on July 18, 2014 This was originally published on November 16, 2010. A reader writes: I’m preparing for my January yearly evaluation with my boss… and I’m already worrying about some issues I want to bring up. Our department is small with only four positions. The budget person in our office is rather controlling and has made my life […] Read the full article →
open thread – July 18, 2014 by Alison Green on July 18, 2014 It’s the Friday open thread. This post is for work-related discussions only. Please hold anything off topic for the free-for-all open thread that’s coming this Sunday. The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything work-related that you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, […] Read the full article →
we’re not allowed to exercise while staffing a conference, employer wants my high school diploma, and more by Alison Green on July 18, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. We’re not allowed to work out while staffing a conference I work for a small healthcare-related organization that holds an annual meeting each year. Most of the staff go and work 15-hour shifts throughout the entire meeting, which lasts about 4-5 days. Recently, upper management […] Read the full article →
how should I handle this unprofessional interviewer? by Alison Green on July 17, 2014 A reader writes: I just turned down a job due to an incredibly unprofessional hiring process, and the company has requested more info and a phone call to discuss my decision. I’m not sure how to handle this. First, some background with names changed. I applied in March when I saw the position posted. I […] Read the full article →