former cofounder is trash-talking our organization, new boss quit right before my new job starts, and more by Alison Green on January 14, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Former cofounder is trash-talking our organization The cofounder and initial executive director of our small nonprofit was fired a few months after we launched for gross failure to carry out responsibilities and in no small part because of the way she treated the staff and […] Read the full article →
is it ever okay to ask to talk to a customer’s manager? by Alison Green on January 13, 2016 A reader writes: I a new supervisor (six months) for an inbound call center for a larger company. We don’t have a manager for the department, but we do have a director who is over us. We provide transportation services. Often times, we deal with third parties who are booking service on behalf of their […] Read the full article →
how can I make my boss stop talking to me when I’m trying to work? by Alison Green on January 13, 2016 A reader writes: My boss and I work together in a small office. We get on well and have a great relationship, and she is easily a contender for the best boss I have ever had. The problem is that she is very chatty, usually about mundane personal things but also often about unimportant work-related matters, […] Read the full article →
should we stop stocking the office kitchen if people won’t keep it clean? by Alison Green on January 13, 2016 A reader writes: We have a smallish office of 10-12 employees. Our company provides groceries — as in pays for coffee, cereal, sandwich stuff, and snacks for the employees. We have a microwave, toaster oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher. I think it is an excellent benefit to provide to employees, as I don’t know of many […] Read the full article →
cutting the salary of a low-performing new hire, I lied in an interview, and more by Alison Green on January 13, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Cutting the salary of a disappointing new hire We hired an employee almost two months ago who seemed to have quite a lot of experience in our field (which is rare in our city). She asked for a higher salary than entry-level, which we were okay […] Read the full article →
why won’t my manager let me work extra hours? by Alison Green on January 12, 2016 A reader writes: I graduated in May 2015 and accepted an internship position in December. I work for a very large corporation and am part of a two-person team (me and my manager). After two weeks, our full-time, permanent recruitment coordinator (RC) gave her notice and officially left at the end of the year. My […] Read the full article →
4 of the toughest work personalities — and how to deal with them by Alison Green on January 12, 2016 Unless you work all on your own in a cave somewhere, you’ve probably had your share of difficult coworkers over the years – from the guy who thinks he knows everything to the person who sees work as an interruption to her day-long socializing. But there are ways to deal with difficult coworkers reasonably effectively, […] Read the full article →
I’m in trouble for cc’ing a laid-off coworker on a message questioning her layoff by Alison Green on January 12, 2016 A reader writes: Yesterday my manager sent a message to the members of my team (teapot makers) and another team (teapot designers), whose manager just went on maternity leave, and for whom he is covering. This message announced that a position on the design team, Tipping Tester, was being eliminated, and gave the effective date. […] Read the full article →
new employee won’t stop talking about her old job, losing money on a business trip, and more by Alison Green on January 12, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. New employee won’t stop talking about how she did things differently at her old job I have a new employee who is in orientation. Every time I or one of the other staff members tell her about something, she says, “That’s not how we did […] Read the full article →
is it okay to mention “mommy brain” in a job interview? by Alison Green on January 11, 2016 A reader writes: I’m curious whether you think it’s ever okay to mention that you have “mommy brain” as a sort of disclaimer to an interviewer. I ask this because I am a new mom (five months postpartum), and I noticed that since I’ve gotten pregnant and especially since I’ve had my baby, I feel […] Read the full article →