coworker is taking too much time off, employer wants me to commit for two years but I don’t want to, and more by Alison Green on May 23, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is taking too much time off I have a coworker who takes A LOT of time off and it’s noticeable to most everybody at the office. At the beginning of the year, kind of just for curiosity, I started a spreadsheet just to […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – May 21-22, 2016 by Alison Green on May 21, 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: […] Read the full article →
was my vacation request unreasonable, can I ask if I’m about to be laid off, and more by Alison Green on May 21, 2016 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Was my vacation request unreasonable? Last month, I submitted a request for a single week’s vacation with approximately two months of lead time (submitted in April for June vacation), and was told that they were not willing to take someone off another task for that long […] Read the full article →
should you attach your cover letter or put it in the body of the email? by Alison Green on May 20, 2016 A reader writes: When applying to a job via email, do you attach your cover letter or do you paste it in the body of the email, or both? Either one is fine. No one really cares, seriously. I mean, people who hire may have individual preferences, but no one is going to penalize you over doing […] Read the full article →
is it better to be interviewed first, last, or in the middle? by Alison Green on May 20, 2016 A reader writes: My husband was recently invited to interview for a position he applied for. He was told that they were conducting two sessions of five back-to-back 30-minute initial interviews. Since he was the first one they contacted, he was able to pick his time slot. In a situation like this, is there an […] Read the full article →
open thread – May 20-21, 2016 by Alison Green on May 20, 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 →
can we push a retiring employee out early, do I need to use special resume paper, and more by Alison Green on May 20, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can we push a retiring employee out early? I work for a small organization (only 13 employees) that is an at-will employer. Even though we are small, we have endured more than our share of turnover in the last few years (i.e., retirements, resignations). We […] Read the full article →
update 2: my boss accused me of faking a panic attack to get out of a meeting by Alison Green on May 19, 2016 Remember the letter-writer in January whose boss accused him of faking panic attacks to get out of a meeting? We had one update in February, and here’s another one. Right after I wrote my last letter, I ended up going on FMLA leave because I couldn’t function at my job. Honestly, it wasn’t much of […] Read the full article →
New York magazine on Ask a Manager by Alison Green on May 19, 2016 Y’all, New York magazine did the greatest profile of Ask a Manager yesterday. I love everything about it, except that apparently I say “I mean…” constantly. But I feel like the writer really gets the site and what’s going on here. Read it here! Read the full article →
employer asked for a credit check and drug test after I’d already accepted the job and thought everything was final by Alison Green on May 19, 2016 A reader writes: After being laid off, I interviewed for and accepted a new position with a company in my industry. On the initial application, it said that I may be subject to a background check, credit check, and drug test. When I accepted the position after my references were checked, HR and I worked […] Read the full article →