open thread – June 30-July 1, 2017 by Alison Green on June 30, 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 →
the person who reviews our work gossips about it, did I mishandle this travel reimbursement, and more by Alison Green on June 30, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. The person charged with reviewing our work is gossiping about it I work as a claims adjuster, so my job is predominately on a phone queue. A big part of our performance is measured through monthly call reviews. It’s the job of our “call quality analyst,” Mary, […] Read the full article →
my manager delegates to the group rather than to a person by Alison Green on June 29, 2017 A reader writes: I want to know: Is this weird? Is this a reasonable management style? My manager has taken to emailing several of us at once, asking that one of us decide to do a task/project and let her know. I’ve had previous managers do this verbally when we are all in the room […] Read the full article →
update: a coworker (knowingly?) walked in on me while I was pumping breast milk by Alison Green on June 29, 2017 Remember the letter-writer whose coworker worked in on her, possibly knowingly, while she was pumping? Here’s the update. Hello! I wanted to thank you for answering my question and ESPECIALLY thank your readers—it felt so incredible to know that I wasn’t out of line in being mad about what happened, and knowing I had a […] Read the full article →
colleges’ “competency badges” for students are a terrible idea by Alison Green on June 29, 2017 A reader writes: I saw a segment on the news today about “digital badges,” which a few universities are trying to offer so students can show competency in specific workplace skills, and I was really curious what you would think. (Link here. The segment about the badges starts around 43:25.) My first impression was that this […] Read the full article →
should I alert a gross Tinder user’s employer, people who arrive really early for appointments, and more by Alison Green on June 29, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I received a gross Tinder message — should I alert the sender’s employer? I got a disgusting and unprompted message from someone on Tinder. Unfortunately for him, he left his employer on his profile. Now the question is whether or not I should send it […] Read the full article →
how can I get out of chauffeuring my coworker everywhere? by Alison Green on June 28, 2017 A reader writes: I am hoping for some advice on how to politely get out of a carpool arrangement with my coworker. She discovered that she lives just a few minutes away from me and asked if we could start carpooling to work together because she and her boyfriend share a car. She gives me […] Read the full article →
how can I stop gossip on my staff? by Alison Green on June 28, 2017 A reader writes: I am a new manager with a team of six administrative staff. There is a pervasive culture of gossiping among the team that I am at a loss about how to address. The gossiping is all about (perceived) work performance – two of them will stand in a corner and whisper about […] Read the full article →
my coworkers constantly joke around when I need work answers by Alison Green on June 28, 2017 A reader writes: I have two coworkers who tend to go off on joke-tangents, and it tends to draw out meetings and discussions longer than they need to last and sometimes makes it hard to get things done or get information. It’s pretty irritating. Like, none of the jokes are offensive in and of themselves, […] Read the full article →
employee’s boyfriend says our manager can’t contact her, anxiety about work travel, and more by Alison Green on June 28, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee’s boyfriend doesn’t want her to be contacted by our manager I am the owner of a small business specializing in bridal hair and makeup services. My husband is a partial owner, and is a W2 employee. He is an assistant manager and covers shifts while our […] Read the full article →