open thread – June 8-9, 2018 by Alison Green on June 8, 2018 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 resent my coworkers for having full-time work, rejecting a job applicant for being rude, and more by Alison Green on June 8, 2018 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I resent my coworkers for having full-time work I’m writing because I’ve recently been growing more and more resentful of my coworkers. They do the same work as I do, but full-time, where I work part-time. This really bothers me, as we have literally the […] Read the full article →
what’s up with job ads that include “sense of humor”? by Alison Green on June 7, 2018 A reader writes: Would you consider it a red flag if a job spec lists “a sense of humor” as a desirable trait? I’ve only ever seen in one job listing, but I’ve heard it many times as a new hire, and in my case it’s always been code for “the manager is a bully, […] Read the full article →
the new Ask a Manager book is an audiobook too! by Alison Green on June 7, 2018 One of the coolest things about the publication process for my new book, Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work, was getting to record the audiobook. I spent three days in a recording studio with an amazing director while I pretended to be Aretha […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: should I date my boss’s daughter? by Alison Green on June 7, 2018 I’m throwing this one out to readers to weigh in on. Here’s the letter: Last summer, one of my coworkers told me that she likes me. Unfortunately I was in the process of starting a (failed) romance with another woman so I turned her down. Well, that was half of the reason. Flash forward to […] Read the full article →
the “office couple” decided to swap jobs, declining the lunch portion of an interview, and more by Alison Green on June 7, 2018 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. The “office couple” decided to swap jobs My office has about 30 employees. We have five salaried staff and the rest of us are hourly without guaranteed hours. When I started a year ago, I noticed that a member of the admin/salaried staff and another […] Read the full article →
I don’t want to tell my boundary-violating boss I’m pregnant by Alison Green on June 6, 2018 A reader writes: I work in a pretty small nonprofit organization and I have (for all intents and purposes) four bosses. Two are technically my direct supervisors, and two are their bosses, who also pull me in on their projects. The thing is, one of my direct supervisor bosses has gotten uncomfortably intrusive about my […] Read the full article →
my top employee constantly texts and surfs the web by Alison Green on June 6, 2018 A reader writes: As a relatively new manager working in state government, I am having an issue with a direct report that I am really unsure how to address. Let me preface this by saying this person is, hands down, the top performer in my group. The problem is that she is nearly constantly texting, […] Read the full article →
my coworkers keep trying to find out what my chronic illness is by Alison Green on June 6, 2018 A reader writes: I’m 22, working my first job out of university while getting my MA in the evenings. Most of my coworkers are at least 20 years older than me — it’s rare to get a job like this right out of school, but I interned for them during my undergrad and they offered […] Read the full article →
my boss keeps rotting food in our shared office, my performance review mentioned that I pee a lot, and more by Alison Green on June 6, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss keeps rotting food in our shared office I just started a new job, which I was thrilled to get and have really been enjoying so far. I share an office with one person, who is my immediate supervisor and is training me. He’s […] Read the full article →