the mysterious case of the devious defecator by Alison Green on June 26, 2015 In honor of Friday, I hereby present to you the case of the “devious defecator,” so named by the judge who recently presided over the lawsuit it spawned. You can read some news coverage of the case here, but essentially, a warehouse in Georgia was trying to figure out who was leaving piles of poop […] Read the full article →
open thread – June 26, 2015 by Alison Green on June 26, 2015 It’s the Friday open thread! 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, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * If you submitted […] Read the full article →
board member keeps bringing her kids to meetings, unofficial salary offers, and more by Alison Green on June 26, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Board member keeps bringing her kids to meetings I am working with a group of parents who are organizing a charter school. The school opens in September, so we are in the middle of dozens of different projects. As the board president, I never bring […] Read the full article →
employee is upset about losing mileage reimbursement when we give him a company car by Alison Green on June 25, 2015 A reader writes: My question is about how to treat a great employee fairly when faced with a company financial decision. I have a growing small service business with 1 full time and 3 part time employees. They’re out in the field most of the time and drive their personal vehicles. They’re reimbursed $0.56 a […] Read the full article →
micromanaging: not always a dirty word by Alison Green on June 25, 2015 Most managers dread being called micromanagers – “micromanagement” has become the dirty word of the workplace. But there are times when managing closely (see how much more flattering that sounds than “micromanaging”?) makes sense. In those situations, managers do themselves and their staff members a disservice if they shy away from being hands-on out of […] Read the full article →
how do people take phone interviews during the work day? by Alison Green on June 25, 2015 A reader writes: I work in New York City. I do not drive to work. Every time I start interviewing, I run into an issue with the dreaded phone interview. Even if I ever worked in an office that was large enough for me to commandeer an office or a conference room for a private […] Read the full article →
firing someone for racist tweets, my coworker is charging for coffee, and more by Alison Green on June 25, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker brought in this own coffee maker and is charging people for coffee We have a colleague in our office who has bought in his own personal coffee machine from home to use at work to make coffees for himself and other colleagues in […] Read the full article →
employer is offering a paid day off to attend a religious service by Alison Green on June 24, 2015 A reader writes: A husband of a friend of mine received this email from his workplace: “You have the opportunity to attend a Retreat at ____ Church, on Friday from 9 am-4 pm. It will be a day guided by Father ____, on finding Peace and God with your fellow colleagues in the workplace. Continental […] Read the full article →
how to cope with unreasonable deadlines by Alison Green on June 24, 2015 A reader writes: I work in a very small office, doing a series of specific technical projects, reporting to a very young, recent-graduate manager who doesn’t have any experience in my area. I am regularly asked to complete projects in ridiculous timeframes. For instance, a project that I (and other peers) would normally budget around […] Read the full article →
my employees are monitoring my schedule by Alison Green on June 24, 2015 A reader writes: My director supports me on this and is on my side, but didn’t offer any assistance, so I’m seeking your advice. For the last year and a half, I have been working as an IT manager for a large corporation, and oversee multiple locations throughout the Midwest. The company just restructured, and […] Read the full article →