some advice if you’re thinking about starting your own website by Alison Green on March 29, 2017 And now a word from a sponsor… When I started Ask a Manager back in 2007, I really had no idea what I was doing as far as creating and maintaining a website. I’d run one previously with very, very remedial HTML (if you remember Geocities, it looked a lot like that monstrosity). I was […] Read the full article →
work travel expenses with a baby, required to be on the “fun committee,” and more by Alison Green on March 29, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Work travel expenses with a baby I work for a large company that is always trying to out-do its competitors on the Top 100 Employers lists, so we generally have good benefits. When it comes to expenses, they are generally fair but strict. (Things that […] Read the full article →
my colleague is allergic to me because of my cats by Alison Green on March 28, 2017 A reader writes: I’m a brand new manager in a public services environment. I have two cats, who are not particularly hairy, and I wash my clothes – and myself – in the usual customary manner for our Western culture. I also use a lint roller and vacuum my home thoroughly, but pet hair is […] Read the full article →
my coworker won’t stop talking by Alison Green on March 28, 2017 A reader writes: Let me start with a bit of background: I work in an open office environment, which is less than desirable for a host of additional reasons, but today I am writing to you about something very specific. Three of us sit together in a “pod” comprised of three work stations. The half-walls […] Read the full article →
should I leave my new job after the first day? by Alison Green on March 28, 2017 A reader writes: I started today my job and I am feeling very disappointed. My manager didn’t show up as he is on holiday and another is working from home. Fine! Another manager introduced me to the team, which replied “nice to meet you” without really caring about me. Example: everyone has left for lunch […] Read the full article →
is it weird to stretch at work, is declining a reference call a red flag, and more by Alison Green on March 28, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is it weird to do stretching exercises at work? I have a full-time desk job and I have been taking a 10-minute break every day (for the last three months) at work to stretch. Nothing crazy, but I find it really helps! My desk is […] Read the full article →
I was rejected for a job because of my romantic history by Alison Green on March 27, 2017 A reader writes: I work in a fairly insular field in a small geographic region, where people in the trade tend to know each other from the workplace and socially. Normally this is a dynamic that facilitates freer sharing of information and resources, which is great. However, sometimes it can get incestuous and go sour. […] Read the full article →
how to be happier at work by Alison Green on March 27, 2017 How happy you are with your job can have a significant impact on the amount of happiness in your life overall. And yet for some people, work is a major source of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. If that’s true for you, it might be because you’re in the wrong job. But sometimes you make yourself much […] Read the full article →
my employee is refusing to travel because her husband said she can’t by Alison Green on March 27, 2017 A reader writes: I’m a manager who has an employee who recently (late last year) accepted a promotion that involves travel. It would be a maximum of one overnight monthly, but more typically one overnight per quarter. She accepted the position knowing that this level of travel would be required. However, she told me last […] Read the full article →
is it okay to cry when firing someone, employer is requesting my son’s marriage license and a copy of the wedding invitation, and more by Alison Green on March 27, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is it okay to cry when firing someone? I have to let an employee go, and I don’t want to, because I like her quite a bit. But she isn’t capable of doing the job and she’s on a PIP that isn’t going well. The […] Read the full article →