can you reform a tyrant manager? by Alison Green on March 18, 2016 A reader writes: I’ve seen several posts from you about how to deal with a boss who is a bully or tyrant. My question for you is how can I, as an HR Director, address an issue like this with the supervisor who is being the tyrant? I’ve spoken with the supervisor about the appropriate behavior […] Read the full article →
open thread – March 18-19, 2016 by Alison Green on March 18, 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 →
my boss is livid that I don’t have experience I never claimed to have, employee always barges into my office, and more by Alison Green on March 18, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss is livid that I don’t have experience I never claimed to have I recently applied for a job that asked for experience in X, Y and Z. I have tons of experience in X and Y, but not much in Z. However, the […] Read the full article →
how can I be more concise at work? by Alison Green on March 17, 2016 A reader writes: I am a contracts manager for a Fortune 500 company; I would liken my position to that of a paralegal. I work for the vice president of sales for my business unit. Because the nature of my job is words, I can be quite “wordy.” However, I try to remember to keep […] Read the full article →
update: my boss’s wife is rude and insulting, and we’re forced to deal with her by Alison Green on March 17, 2016 Remember the letter-writer last fall whose boss’s wife was rude and insulting and kept trying to involve her in their personal finances? Here’s the update. It’s been a very crazy situation, so I’m sorry to have taken so long to send this. I feel like I’ve only just gotten over it properly this last week. Thanks […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: managing a student organization when no one else does any work and you’re stuck doing it all yourself by Alison Green on March 17, 2016 I’m throwing this one out to readers to weigh in on. A reader writes: I’m a graduating senior in college, and last fall I became the head of a pre-professional organization chapter on my campus. I was the only reasonable candidate at the time (the only other eligible person was a freshman), and I thought […] Read the full article →
boss wants me to give him dirt on my coworker, manager thinks I accepted a job but I didn’t, and more by Alison Green on March 17, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My manager thinks I accepted a job — but I didn’t and I don’t want it I’ve been contracted with a company for about five months now. A couple of weeks back, my supervisor brought up a possible position and I said that I would be interested […] Read the full article →
receptionist leaves early every day and spends too much time not working by Alison Green on March 16, 2016 A reader writes: I have an employee who is constantly leaving five or ten minutes early every day. She is the receptionist/admin assistant for our office but was hired by and reports to me. If someone brings her something to mail or send out via FedEx at 10 minutes to 4:00, there is total panic […] Read the full article →
what to do if you catch a job candidate lying in an interview by Alison Green on March 16, 2016 A reader writes: I work in software development. As a part of our interview process, I ask a series of technical questions. In the past five years of interviewing, I’ve managed to catch two applicants boldface lying/cheating (by looking up the answers online) during a phone interview. The first time, I didn’t say anything to […] Read the full article →
when can I ask about salary if the job posting doesn’t list it? by Alison Green on March 16, 2016 A reader writes: I’m graduating from grad school in May, and am looking for a new job. I’ve come across a handful of ads that say that their salary and benefits standards are “competitive and depend on qualifications and experience.” My question is: When do I ask about range if the salary is unlisted? Do […] Read the full article →