do you feel tele-pressure when you work from home? by Alison Green on January 28, 2015 The flexibility of working from home is usually a boon for workers … but regular work-from-home’ers know that this flexibility comes with a dark side too: “tele-pressure,” or the urge to respond to emails, texts, and voicemails as fast as you can, so that you appear connected and responsive. That leads to people doing things like interrupting […] Read the full article →
is there a best time of day to fire someone? by Alison Green on January 28, 2015 A reader writes: I know there have been a lot of discussions on your blog about the kindest ways to fire someone. I was wondering what your opinion is on the time of day it’s done. Recently one of my coworkers was let go. At the end of the workday, another manager ushered everyone else […] Read the full article →
asking sick employees to stay home, I don’t want to do the intern hiring, and more by Alison Green on January 28, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I ask employees to stay home if they’re sick? I’m the head of a team of 15-20 part-time employees who are paid hourly and do not get benefits or paid leave. It’s flu season, and some of them have been coming to work clearly sick–some […] Read the full article →
my boss will be angry that I didn’t tell him a coworker was job-searching by Alison Green on January 27, 2015 A reader writes: I am in a bit of a dilemma over what to do. A colleague of mine, “Deb,” who I like and respect (and who is getting treated pretty poorly) is looking for another job and has asked me to be a reference. I agreed and I feel good about it – she […] Read the full article →
how should your office handle snow days? by Alison Green on January 27, 2015 With much of the east coast dealing with a major blizzard, you might be wondering how to handle work when you’re snowed in. Should you get paid even if your office closes? What if your boss is pressuring you to come to work despite the road conditions? Do you have to use PTO for a […] Read the full article →
I don’t know if my boss did anything after I reported a coworker’s plagiarism by Alison Green on January 27, 2015 A reader writes: I work in an office where our primary role is to conduct research and write reports. A few months ago, I was working with a colleague on a report and found out that he had plagiarized large parts of one of the sections for which he was responsible. I caught this purely […] Read the full article →
maternity leave and hurt feelings, penalizing employees who won’t participate in wellness programs, and more by Alison Green on January 27, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Penalizing employees who don’t participate in wellness programs My company plans to penalize employees who do not take care of themselves by denying them the privilege of purchasing low-cost insurance. I understand the need to control costs and that the cost of insurance is significant, but […] Read the full article →
are there legal issues with volunteering at my yoga studio in exchange for free classes? by Alison Green on January 26, 2015 A reader writes: I volunteer a few hours a week at my local yoga studio as a front-desk worker, and was recently made aware of an opportunity to pick up a part-time manager position at the yoga studio. When discussing this with the owner, I stated that I would want some sort of compensation for […] Read the full article →
resume “tricks” that will backfire on you by Alison Green on January 26, 2015 When you’re putting together a resume, you might find yourself looking for ways to disguise a spotty job history, get around resume-screening software, or even avoid showing your age. And if you go looking for help, you might be encourage to employ some resume “tricks” to bypass these challenges. The problem? Hiring managers can see […] Read the full article →
my manager likes our competitor’s idea — the same one she rejected from me last year by Alison Green on January 26, 2015 A reader writes: Recently, senior management has been trying to improve the morale of our office. One of their efforts was to collect anonymous feedback from staff about what their beefs are, and how they’d like to see processes and culture improve. I took the opportunity to air my frustrations with ideas/creativity being shot down […] Read the full article →