how to correct someone’s repeated mispronunciation of the same word by Alison Green on August 27, 2015 Earlier this week, the subject of coworkers who routinely and regularly mispronounce a word came up in the comments, with several people mentioning that they have coworkers who keep mispronouncing the same word over and over. So when that happens, is there a way for you to speak up and let them know? I say […] Read the full article →
Oyster: The Netflix of Books by Alison Green on August 27, 2015 And now a break to talk about a sponsor… We have a bunch of readers on here, and I bet a lot of you don’t know about Oyster but you should! I resisted switching to an e-reader for a long time. I was — well, I thought I was — a traditionalist when it comes […] Read the full article →
keeping personal supplies in an office kitchen, bad judgment on Facebook, and more by Alison Green on August 27, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. The etiquette of keeping personal supplies in an office kitchen I recently started working in an office space that shares a small kitchen with a different unit in the same organization. The kitchen has the usual appliances – coffee maker, microwave, fridge, etc. There is […] Read the full article →
why was my probationary period extended at my new job? by Alison Green on August 26, 2015 A reader writes: I’m a recent college graduate in my first professional job (at a nonprofit and it involves both customer service and web design). This job has a probationary period lasting six months. However, at my six-month review, my manager said that she was extending my probationary period an extra six months, without much […] Read the full article →
my office is obsessed with dieting and weight by Alison Green on August 26, 2015 A reader writes: Recently, one of my coworkers quit after only a few months of employment. Privately, she told me that a great deal of the reason that she left was that she felt ostracized because of her weight. (We’re both overweight.) She felt like our boss treated her differently than everyone else because of […] Read the full article →
should you charge family members for using your professional skills? by Alison Green on August 26, 2015 A reader writes: I’m curious for your take on something that I don’t think is a big issue but some coworkers do. I have a background in design and currently work in a creative technology field. My dad recently started a new business; he hired a web developer to build his website, but the guy […] Read the full article →
rogue admin has published her own strict rule book for new hires, hiring a coworker to babysit, and more by Alison Green on August 26, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our rogue admin has published her own strict rule book for new hires, without any authority to do that Our organization has an employee at a satellite office, Jane, whose job description clearly states she that supervises no one; she is administrative support staff. At […] Read the full article →
how managers should communicate decisions they don’t agree with by Alison Green on August 25, 2015 A reader writes: I’m a unit head at a government agency that is having some serious financial and managerial turmoil. The powers that be are contemplating a decision that could have a very negative impact on my area, and our manager called all his units to discuss the issue. He explained the case he would […] Read the full article →
how to manage the subject matter experts on your team by Alison Green on August 25, 2015 It’s great to have subject matter experts on your team. In addition to your own team benefiting from their expertise, they may end up highly sought by other teams too, which can raise your team’s value throughout the organization. But when subject expertise isn’t the person’s main job responsibility, how can you get the most […] Read the full article →
my boss asked me, “if you were fired, who would you tell first?” by Alison Green on August 25, 2015 A reader writes: I am a junior employee at a fast-paced agency. I have worked here for 8 months with minimal training and zero performance reviews. I feel like I’m flying by the seat of my pants, but my peers have told me that they think I’m doing well. My boss took me out to […] Read the full article →