my coworker wants me to give him a fake reference by Alison Green on February 21, 2018 A reader writes: I have a coworker who I hit it off with from day one, and we trust and help each other. Last week, this coworker took me out to lunch and told me he was planning to start interviewing, because he found that he is being severely underpaid. I am in a similar […] Read the full article →
my employee uses a wheelchair … but I found out he doesn’t really need one by Alison Green on February 21, 2018 A reader writes: I’m a manager in charge of a division at my company. “Drew,” one of the people I manage, uses a wheelchair. When first hired, Drew was told to ask if any accommodation was needed. He has never asked for any. Our area is on the first floor of our building. Our building […] Read the full article →
hair extensions at work, can I ask for my old desk back, and more by Alison Green on February 21, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Hair extensions at work I was asked not to wear hair extensions at work, in an casual office setting. My hair extensions are clip-in, but they’re real human hair, they’re professionally dyed to match my own hair color (natural color, no unnatural colors), and they […] Read the full article →
my boss said I have “disconcerting heart-to-hearts” with my coworkers by Alison Green on February 20, 2018 A reader writes: I’ve joined an academic research group about nine months ago for a PhD and am very happy here! The team is enthusiastic, we get along great, and also regularly have drinks after work or during weekends. In that group, I am directly supervised by the professor, but for anything more practical Fergus, […] Read the full article →
my boss loves me but hates my coworker by Alison Green on February 20, 2018 A reader writes: I started a new job six months ago and it has been really amazing. I report directly to the head of our small department, Jamie. My relationship with Jamie is pretty great. I feel incredibly supported, and she goes out of her way to sing my praises to others. I get to […] Read the full article →
I share an office with a smoker, and the smell is making me sick by Alison Green on February 20, 2018 A reader writes: I have a question about sharing an office with a smoker. I share an office with one office mate. We are the only two employees under our boss and we cover for each other (and two other employees in another department) when the other isn’t here. I’m six months pregnant and am […] Read the full article →
coworker gave my presentation without my okay, acupuncture as team-building, and more by Alison Green on February 20, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker gave my presentation without my okay I recently had to call out sick last minute, which meant I missed a brief presentation I was supposed to give as part of a larger meeting. I told the meeting organizer I wouldn’t be there, and […] Read the full article →
how to speak up as a group at work by Alison Green on February 19, 2018 I sometimes suggest that letter-writers who are concerned about a problem at work get a group of coworkers to all speak up about it together — because there’s strength in numbers and it can be harder to blow off a group than a single person. But I want to talk more about what that looks […] Read the full article →
I don’t want to do Toastmasters with my boss! by Alison Green on February 19, 2018 A reader writes: My boss would like me to work on speaking up more in meetings. I am by nature shy, and this is something I have always struggled with. I have a particularly hard time speaking up around authority figures. However, I am actively working on improving in this area and I’ve joined our […] Read the full article →
what’s up with candidates turning down our job offers after we pay to fly them out? by Alison Green on February 19, 2018 A reader writes: I work in the fundraising profession, and my role (not to mention the department that I manage) is somewhat specialized. My department has been expanding after a long period of being under-resourced and under-staffed (yay!) but one of the challenges I face with recruitment is that the talent pool in our local […] Read the full article →