I want to ban energy drinks at my office by Alison Green on September 9, 2014 A reader writes: I am a newly appointed manager of a small community music company in the UK. We work with vulnerable young people and adults and we employ a number of young creative apprentices. I am particularly concerned about the creative apprentices’ consumption of energy drinks. I have a background in youth work and […] Read the full article →
how to keep other teams from being your team’s roadblock by Alison Green on September 9, 2014 If your projects depend in part on working with teams outside your own, those teams might not always be on the same page as you regarding priorities — and sometimes they can become a roadblock to your team’s progress. How can you address that without causing additional friction? You can read my answer to this question […] Read the full article →
HR rigged our company raffle by Alison Green on September 9, 2014 A reader writes: Over the weekend, my fiancé’s company held their annual employee appreciation picnic. During the raffle, he witnessed something rather strange. One man would pull a name and show it to the HR secretary, and she would either nod or shake her head. If she nodded, the name was given to a woman […] Read the full article →
the best day of the week to apply for a job, email accounts for former employees, and more by Alison Green on September 9, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is there a best day of the week or time of day to submit a job application? Is there is a certain day and time of the week that is best for applying to online job postings? For example, is it better to apply Monday […] Read the full article →
I called the police on an angry driver, who turned out to be a coworker by Alison Green on September 8, 2014 A reader writes: Last week, I was driving in to work and encountered a very angry driver. He started severely tailgating me off campus, but it turned out we were headed to the same parking deck at the university where we both work, so he was behind me the entire time we drove on campus […] Read the full article →
5 hidden costs of a new job by Alison Green on September 8, 2014 If you’ve accepted a new job, you’re probably thinking about what you you’ll do with your new paycheck. But did you realize that sometimes a new job can cost you money? But before you mentally account for all that freshly flowing cash, make sure that you’ve factored in these five possible expenses that can come […] Read the full article →
should I take out my nose ring for job interviews, and other nose ring conundrums by Alison Green on September 8, 2014 Two questions about nose piercings at work. 1. Nose piercings and interviews I have a nose piercing (a small stud) that I got when I was at my last job. I recently left that job and have been interviewing for new positions, but taking my piercing out before interviews – and having to put it […] Read the full article →
I reported my awful manager to HR and it’s not going well, refusing to give out employee salary info, and more by Alison Green on September 8, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. HR claimed they were investigating my horrible manager, but now they won’t talk to me I have a bad manager. She’s a bully: constantly screaming at me, calling me an idiot, jackass and blaming me for her mistakes in front of our department. After 8 […] Read the full article →
Sunday free-for-all – September 7, 2014 by Alison Green on September 7, 2014 It’s the weekend free-for-all. This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly non-work only; if you have a work question, you can email it to me or post it in the work-related open thread on Fridays.) Have at it. Read the full article →
new employee wants me to hire her boyfriend, managing student workers, and more by Alison Green on September 6, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How can I explain to an employee why I don’t want to hire her boyfriend? I have a relatively new employee (6 months) who wants me to hire her boyfriend to work in a small call center I manage. I can think of a number […] Read the full article →