am I going overboard with praising my staff? by Alison Green on January 18, 2016 A reader writes: After many years as an individual contributor and lead, I’ve been stretching into leadership for the last year and find I enjoy it. I also find I seem to be doing very well in this arena (thanks to your blog, no doubt) and I’ve been asked to step up to a higher […] Read the full article →
my new coworker is a registered sex offender, we’re becoming weak from lack of food at work, and more by Alison Green on January 18, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I don’t want to work with my new coworker, who’s a registered sex offender I currently work for a union-based company in the warehouse department. They transferred a guy who is on the sex offender registry for his crime. Because I was molested as a […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – January 16-17, 2016 by Alison Green on January 16, 2016 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: The […] Read the full article →
resigning because of homesickness, job changed after I was hired, and more by Alison Green on January 16, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. What to say if I’m going to resign because of homesickness In May, I began my first full-time contract position in my field with a small organization whose mission I am passionate about. I get along well with my coworkers and I’m gaining experience I […] Read the full article →
my employee sulks when his work is questioned by Alison Green on January 15, 2016 A reader writes: I am a manager of several remote workers in states other than my own. I have one worker who acts in a way I consider to be childish. Our work environment is fast-paced and can be stressful at times. When I or any of my supervisor staff calls to ask questions about his work, […] Read the full article →
open thread – January 15-16, 2016 by Alison Green on January 15, 2016 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 →
do you need a local area code when job searching, candidates keep stalking my voicemail, and more by Alison Green on January 15, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How important is a local area code when job-searching? I recently graduated and moved to the Seattle area to be closer to family. In this time of mobility, how important is it to have a local area code? My number is from the Las Vegas […] Read the full article →
my boss is pressuring me to tell my coworkers about my pregnancy sooner than I want to by Alison Green on January 14, 2016 A reader writes: I am working in a large international organization based overseas in a developing country. I am also about 3.5 months pregnant and it is a higher risk pregnancy, given my age and some other medical circumstances. I had to tell my immediate supervisor of the situation in order to get approval to […] Read the full article →
how to coach an employee on soft skills by Alison Green on January 14, 2016 People succeed or fail in the workplace based not just on core job skills but on softer skills too – how well they get along with others, how well they communicate with peers or other departments, how they listen, emotional intelligence, and other interpersonal skills that are crucial to performing well. But all too often, […] Read the full article →
my boss told me I won’t be considered for a promotion unless I get a “personal brand” by Alison Green on January 14, 2016 A reader writes: I recently had my mid-year performance review, and my boss’s feedback was glowing until the end. She noted significant improvements since my first performance review a year ago and praised the number of performance benchmarks I’d met (more than anyone else of my organization’s 15 teapot coordinators). However, at the end, she […] Read the full article →