as the boss’s wife, do I really have to attend his company Christmas party? by Alison Green on September 28, 2015 A reader writes: I know it’s September, but I am already trying to figure out the Christmas party situation. My husband is president of a tech company that has an annual, corporate-type Christmas party – presentations, awards, that sort of thing, and families are invited. I didn’t go last year in my role of president’s […] Read the full article →
Leesa: if you want to sleep in luxury by Alison Green on September 28, 2015 And now a break to talk about a sponsor… I am the queen of bedding. I deeply believe that your bed should be as luxuriously comfortable as possible, and that your bed should suck you into a vortex of comfort and relaxation from which you rarely want to leave. I take beds very, very seriously. […] Read the full article →
my interviewer gave me a Scientology test, employee is taking vacation at our busiest time, and more by Alison Green on September 28, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee is taking all his vacation days at our busiest time of year I am a first-time manager and have a question on how to discuss vacation time with one of my employees. We have a use it or lose it vacation day policy based […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – September 26-27, 2015 by Alison Green on September 26, 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, you can email it to me or post it in the work-related open thread on Fridays.) Book Recommendation of the Week: […] Read the full article →
my reference is an ex, warning an acquaintance not to take a job at my awful company, and more by Alison Green on September 26, 2015 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Should I warn an acquaintance not to take a job at my awful company? I know someone, friend of friends, who may be trying to join my small company. However, it’s a terrible place and several of us are trying to leave ASAP. If this were a […] Read the full article →
updates: employer scolded me for talking to my predecessor, and manager wants me to buy our whole team expensive coffee by Alison Green on September 25, 2015 Here are two updates from people who had their letters answered here recently. 1. My new employer scolded me for talking to my predecessor (I will just note that my answer to this originally was: Run.) I should have run. Fast. I inherited a mess! I can’t go into too many details other than financial irregularities […] Read the full article →
open thread – September 25, 2015 by Alison Green on September 25, 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 →
I used an alias to reapply for a job, I can’t drive on a business trip, and more by Alison Green on September 25, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I used an alias to reapply for a job with a company that just rejected me I applied to a job and went to the third round and then never heard back. Later I learned that the position has been filled. I was not getting […] Read the full article →
how to teach students that employers care about outcomes, not how much time they put in by Alison Green on September 24, 2015 A reader writes: I am a professor of practice in a graduate-level professional program. Though a fair few of our learners are career-changers, stay-at-home parents preparing for a return to the workplace, or others with significant work-world experience, many come to us straight from their undergraduate experience. This latter group sometimes brings work-inappropriate beliefs and […] Read the full article →
how to solve a conflict on your team by Alison Green on September 24, 2015 Managers sometimes aren’t sure what their role, if any, should be in solving conflicts other people are having, especially if the conflict feels more personal than work-related. But if it’s impacting your team — by creating distractions, lowering productivity, or making it hard for people to get things done — you need to step in. Here’s how […] Read the full article →