telling a difficult, pushy employee that she’s right … without undermining your own authority by Alison Green on March 6, 2017 A reader writes: I recently took a job at a small strategy/data consulting firm, supervising several managers, each with their own team of analysts. I’ve managed before, but never managed people who themselves were managers, and I’m finding that there are definitely some wrinkles I hadn’t expected! One of the managers I supervise is named […] Read the full article →
interviewers who show up late, can’t find parking at my job, and more by Alison Green on March 6, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Interviewers who start the interview late What’s the best way to handle the situation when the interviewer is late? In three recent interviews, the interviewer or someone on the interview team has been late, two by 5-10 minutes, one by 20 minutes. Although I haven’t […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – March 4-5, 2017 by Alison Green on March 4, 2017 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.) Recommendation of the week: The Vacationers, […] Read the full article →
what to say to a job candidate who no-shows for an interview by Alison Green on March 3, 2017 A reader writes: What is the best way to follow up with a candidate who was a no-show for their second interview? I plan to follow up by email, but am unsure as to how to word the message or what exactly to say. I don’t want to sound overly accusatory, if something serious did […] Read the full article →
open thread – March 3-4, 2017 by Alison Green on March 3, 2017 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 →
I feel bad that I’m the second choice for a job offer, what “not enough applicants” means, and more by Alison Green on March 3, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I feel bad that I’m the second choice for a job offer I was just offered a job at a different company, and I’m really excited about it — it’s a huge step up in my career, I think my skills are a great fit, […] Read the full article →
my boss wants constant chit-chat and makes fun of us if we try to focus on work by Alison Green on March 2, 2017 A reader writes: I have an uncomfortable work situation that I hope you can help me with. I work in a small work area that’s part of a large office; there are several of us sitting fairly close to one another in a “U” shape, so there’s little privacy with anything we do at our […] Read the full article →
update: I manage someone who was terribly harmed by my family … what do I do? by Alison Green on March 2, 2017 Remember last week’s letter-writer who managed someone who had been terribly harmed by his nephew and sister while living in their home as a foster child? Here’s the update. Thanks so much for answering my question. I found your advice very helpful, and I also think I just needed a sanity check that there was […] Read the full article →
should I try to change my work habits and waste less time during the day? by Alison Green on March 2, 2017 A reader writes: By all accounts, I’m reasonably successful. At 29, I’m on the director level at a small nonprofit and have been in nonprofit leadership roles for several years now. I get great reviews, exceeded my performance measures for this year, and got a promotion and a title change within my first year at […] Read the full article →
an office prank ended in injury, boss won’t stop talking about my pregnancy plans, and more by Alison Green on March 2, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. An office prank ended in injury I would like your opinion on this workplace prank gone bad. I work with two gentleman who work on the same team in a large call center, Fergus and Niles. They are friends and in their 20s. This team is […] Read the full article →