former employee of a league I write about is harassing me by Alison Green on January 5, 2016 A reader writes: I’ve been working as a writer on, let’s say, teapots for a few years, and have been working hard to make my way from blogger to reporter. In the past I’ve tried to write about the Westeros Teapot League, but they were not set up to accommodate media requests, so I gave up […] Read the full article →
I can’t get a former coworker to respond to me, job offers made by FedEx, and more by Alison Green on January 5, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I can’t get a former coworker to respond to me I left the organization I worked for several months ago. I did not part on good terms with this organization; a false allegation had been made against me, I wasn’t given a chance to tell […] Read the full article →
is it weird to have an essential oil diffuser in my office? by Alison Green on January 4, 2016 A reader writes: I recently purchased an essential oil diffuser for my house, and I love it. I would like to purchase one for my office too but am concerned it might be perceived as weird or new-agey. What do you think? I don’t have anything else unusual in my office. If it helps, I […] Read the full article →
6 casually sexist things to stop saying at work by Alison Green on January 4, 2016 Have you ever referred to a group of adult women at work as “girls”? Suggested to an employee that she soften her approach so she doesn’t come across as pushy? Reflexively asked only women to take notes at meetings? If so, you have a lot of company. Despite major advances in gender equality in the […] Read the full article →
I’m panicking that I might suck at my first professional job by Alison Green on January 4, 2016 A reader writes: I graduated in May and started my irsirst professional, full-time job in September. I’m a receptionist at a pet resort and, after working in retail (which I’d worked for over three years), I was really happy to work in a job that just seemed so much better. I love the clients, I […] Read the full article →
slow employee listening to podcasts, interviewing with a cold, and more by Alison Green on January 4, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Slow employee is listening to podcasts while she works We hired someone, Beth, a few months ago. She is doing usual entry-level work and is slow, with lots of mistakes. We hired another person, John, who’s doing the same work, but much better. So I […] Read the full article →
update: my colleague won’t stop trash-talking herself by Alison Green on January 2, 2016 Remember the letter-writer whose coworker kept saying she had no idea how to do her job, and who would text our letter-writer things like, “I don’t know what he’s talking about” while her boss was talking with her? Here’s the update. I did take your advice and talk to Hank, my coworker’s boss, and let him […] Read the full article →
New Year’s free-for-all – January 1, 2016 by Alison Green on January 1, 2016 It’s the New Year’s open thread free-for-all! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything that you want to talk about — work-related, not work-related, doesn’t matter. (This thread will be open all weekend and will serve both as the Friday work open thread and the weekend free-for-all.) * […] Read the full article →
employees violated the spirit of office gift exchange, sales team won’t tell us their schedules, and more by Alison Green on January 1, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Confronting employees who violated the spirit of our office gift exchange Every year, I coordinate either a white elephant or Secret Santa gift exchange for our small company. This year, we set a price range of “around $30” for those who wanted to participate. A […] Read the full article →