giving a colleague feedback on her nervous laugh, contributions to work baby showers, and more by Alison Green on February 10, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I give an up-and-coming 20something feedback on her nervous laugh? I work at a Fortune 10 company with a terrific group of people in my department. Not long ago, a 20-something woman was hired as a staff employee, but she quickly showed how good she […] Read the full article →
my boss is overloading me with work during my notice period by Alison Green on February 9, 2017 A reader writes: I have been a manger at a satellite office of a nonprofit for the last three years. It’s been a very toxic place for me for some time (up to and including being stalked by a board member), so I’ve been actively looking for other work for some time. I was very […] Read the full article →
how to have better relationships with other departments by Alison Green on February 9, 2017 If you’ve ever felt the frustration of being stymied by another department’s lack of action on requests from your team, or ever known the feeling of not being able to move forward until your counterpart in another department does her piece of a project, you know why it’s important to have good relationships across teams. […] Read the full article →
where’s the line between necessary self-promotion and overconfidence in cover letters? by Alison Green on February 9, 2017 A reader writes: My question is a little woolly, but one I was hoping you could shed some light on: In cover letters, where is the line between necessary self-promotion and overconfidence? I’m looking for jobs right now as a soon-to-be-graduate, and I’m finding it really hard to hit the right note to convince a […] Read the full article →
job candidate keeps talking about her mother, HR forwarded my message to my boss, and more by Alison Green on February 9, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Job candidate keeps talking about her mother I work in an administrative role for a school program. I’m not involved in the hiring of our staffing, but I know what’s going on behind the scenes. We had an employee who interviewed for several teacher positions […] Read the full article →
what to tell my employee about another employee who’s underperforming by Alison Green on February 8, 2017 A reader writes: I manage a junior employee, “Arthur,” who has become friends with another employee at his level, “Ford.” Ford works on a different client team with a different manager (“Zaphod”). Ford has been significantly underperforming. It’s been clear for a little while that he isn’t well-suited for this position. Ford’s manager, Zaphod, has […] Read the full article →
how to get shorter answers from a rambling employee by Alison Green on February 8, 2017 A reader writes: I have an employee who is extremely detailed in every way. This can be great in some cases, but whenever she speaks (in a meeting or just one-on-one) she is extremely long-winded. She will generally say the same thing in three different ways, and then summarize again. Her emails and written projects […] Read the full article →
my coworkers know I’ve been in a volatile, possibly abusive relationship — can I bring my fiance to work events? by Alison Green on February 8, 2017 A reader writes: I was in a very volatile relationship for the past couple of years. It all began around the same time that I launched into a new career with a new employer. Somehow I was able to continue my job and survive. However, my boss found out that my fiance was charged with […] Read the full article →
raising ethical objections about a client, my boss wants to recruit my classmates for jobs, and more by Alison Green on February 8, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Raising ethical objections about a potential client I work in advertising. Our boss, who procures clients, will be pitching our services to a “wellness center” that offers coffee enemas and other forms of quackery alongside *maybe* one or two other therapies that seem to check […] Read the full article →
I think the compliments I’m getting are undermining my reputation by Alison Green on February 7, 2017 A reader writes: I keep getting well-intentioned compliments on my work that I think are negatively impacting my career path. I was recently handed a project that I’m working on with a medical doctor. I have a PhD in a social science field, but my role in this project is largely administrative. I don’t like […] Read the full article →