how to increase productivity without decreasing morale by Alison Green on March 5, 2015 Lots of methods managers use to increase productivity end up inadvertently lowering morale. For example, managers who discourage people from taking time off usually in the run end up with burned out, less productive employees who are making more mistakes. And managers who have an autocratic, top-down, “just get it down” delegation style often end […] Read the full article →
my coworker is regularly late and it impacts my job by Alison Green on March 5, 2015 A reader writes: I work in an office for a high-level official as his staff assistant. I share an office and roles with a coworker a few years older than me. We are both responsible for providing administrative support to the director of our institute. The office needs coverage non-stop to answer phones and greet […] Read the full article →
I’m getting collection calls for my former coworker, a recruiter is blocking me from a job, and more by Alison Green on March 5, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m getting collection calls for my former coworker I took over from someone who left my company roughly 18 months ago. She had been in this position for a long period of time, and the decision was made for me to keep her phone number […] Read the full article →
how to research the company you’re interviewing with by Alison Green on March 4, 2015 On a recent post, one commenter wrote: When I first started job searching, I tried to research the companies a lot. That was a waste of time. No hiring manager I ever talked to quizzed me about my company knowledge. They wanted to talk about the specifics of the job. And honestly, when you think […] Read the full article →
should you walk out of a bad job interview? by Alison Green on March 4, 2015 A reader writes: I know people say “run, don’t walk” when you find yourself in a job interview with someone you would never work with in a million years. But does that mean that you can leave right in the middle of the interview itself? I flew to another state for a job interview with […] Read the full article →
how can I stop softening the message in tough conversations with my staff? by Alison Green on March 4, 2015 A reader writes: I’m a relatively new manager of a small team, and while I do have a lot of strengths as a manager, I’ve also discovered that I have no idea how to communicate directly. Even when I think I am being direct, I replay the conversation in my head later and realize I […] Read the full article →
my manager lies to make me stay late, over-using an employee discount, and more by Alison Green on March 4, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is is possible to over-use an employee discount? I currently work for a company that gets deep discounts (60% or more) on high dollar items. I may be leaving it soon and I am struggling with the morality of “stocking up” before leaving. How do […] Read the full article →
why don’t employers tell you the reason they’re rejecting you for a job? by Alison Green on March 3, 2015 A reader writes: I recently had a very positive phone interview for a position I was very excited about. Because of the hiring manager being out of the office for awhile, he was planning to interview local candidates this week and then non-local candidates when he got back. I was a non-local candidate. I received […] Read the full article →
how to fight perfectionism and call a project complete by Alison Green on March 3, 2015 If you agonize over details and find it hard to ever call a project complete, you’re probably suffering from acute perfectionism. If you miss deadlines or neglect other work because you’re spending so much time trying to perfect a project that you can’t let you go, you’re at real risk of perfectionism harming your career. […] Read the full article →
how to decline men’s help carrying things at work by Alison Green on March 3, 2015 A reader writes: I’m a young (early 20s) woman, petite, and I’ve been at my current position about 8 months now. I’m generally very happy here, but I’m not sure how to deal with certain kinds of comments. For example, part of my job requires me to carry large boxes and put large shipments into […] Read the full article →