the scientific case for a two-hour lunch break, hearing your phone buzz lowers your productivity, and more by Alison Green on August 18, 2015 Over at Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I take a look at several big work-related stories in the news right now: the scientific case for a two-hour lunch break, why just hearing your phone buzz can harm your productivity, and more. You can read it here. Read the full article →
how to say “that’s not my job” by Alison Green on August 18, 2015 A reader writes: I am more senior in my role here at my company, and a lot of colleagues like to reach out to me for help. They find it easier to ask me for help than to figure things out on their own. At times, I’m being ask to do things outside of what […] Read the full article →
my boss won’t let me use any of my vacation time, uncomfortable with the way my friend talks about her students, and more by Alison Green on August 18, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss won’t let me use any of my vacation time One of the benefits of my job is the ability to accrue paid time off for vacation. However, I seem to be in a position where any time I request time off I am […] Read the full article →
revisiting two recent answers (and a better answer about writing samples edited by others) by Alison Green on August 17, 2015 A few weeks ago, I answered a letter from someone asking whether they could submit writing samples that had been edited by people other than them, or whether it needed to be work untouched by others (#3 at the link). I said that it needed to be a piece that no one else had edited, […] Read the full article →
when internships go bad: stories of the world’s worst interns by Alison Green on August 17, 2015 When summer internships wrap up in the next few weeks, most offices will end up missing their interns – but a few will be relieved to see them go. I recently had Ask a Manager readers share their worst experiences with interns, and they delivered. Here are eight of the most outrageous real-life stories they shared of […] Read the full article →
my mom wants me to participate in a family vacation while I’m simultaneously running a conference in that city by Alison Green on August 17, 2015 A reader writes: Three months ago, I started a new job as a conference planner for a company. The company hosts a few different industry conferences each year, and I am in charge of planning and managing each conference from start to finish. A few weeks ago, I was on the phone with my mother when […] Read the full article →
I saw my coworker with the spouse who assaulted her, employer bans job applicants who are applying anywhere else, and more by Alison Green on August 17, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I saw my coworker with the spouse who assaulted her, despite their no-contact order I have a coworker who was assaulted by her spouse. He was arrested and spent 4 months in jail, and this was not the first time it has occurred. She is […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – August 15-16, 2015 by Alison Green on August 15, 2015 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 no work and no school. If you have a work question, please email it to me or post it in the work-related open thread on Fridays.) Book Recommendation of the Week: Kitchens of the […] Read the full article →
how to announce a firing, I’m losing my bonus, and more by Alison Green on August 15, 2015 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. How to announce a firing to the rest of your staff Can you please provide me with an email script to inform my employees that someone has been dismissed? “Unfortunately, Jane’s last day with us was today. We wish her the best of luck, and […] Read the full article →
update: what should I wear to an office pool party? by Alison Green on August 14, 2015 Remember the letter-writer last month who was wondering what to wear to a BBQ and pool party at her boss’s house? Here’s her update. I ended up buying a full swimsuit and a swim skirt online and nothing fit me right. I was fully intending not to bring anything, but in the morning I ended up […] Read the full article →