my new company is all about the Law of Attraction and other pseudoscience by Alison Green on January 22, 2019 A reader writes: I recently joined a smaller company and everything seemed pretty good until my boss brought up a new hire training for me and a couple of other people who recently started too. They had us listen to a TED Talk by a well-known CEO, which was fine, and then told us they’d […] Read the full article →
I can’t get my own hotel room even if I pay for it, I cried in a meeting, and more by Alison Green on January 22, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I can’t get my own hotel room even if I pay for it I’ve been at a new workplace for about a year and am getting ready to take some business trips this summer. My department’s travel policy doesn’t require us to have roommates, but […] Read the full article →
an entry-level candidate with no job history wants more money for their “experience” by Alison Green on January 21, 2019 A reader writes: I have a question for you as to whether or not this is a red flag for a potential new hire. I am hiring someone for an entry-level position. It is meant for someone straight out of college and new to the field who is interested in learning a lot, meeting loads […] Read the full article →
open offices are terrible for employees by Alison Green on January 21, 2019 Of all the workplace trends that inspire grumbling among workers, perhaps none generates as much vitriol as “open offices,” those wide open workspaces with no private offices or cubicles. For many people, the noise, distractions, inability to focus, and lack of privacy make open offices a modern torture device. And yet open floor plans continue […] Read the full article →
our interns have to buy food for everyone, HR wants to us to give ourselves “the gift of health,” and more by Alison Green on January 21, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our office tradition is to make interns buy food for the rest of us At my office, there is a longstanding tradition that the interns bring in donuts/tacos/etc. on Friday mornings. There is sometimes a money collection that goes around (I have my own feelings […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – January 19-20, 2019 by Alison Green on January 19, 2019 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.) Book recommendation of the week: Educated, by Tara Westover. I read this under duress because people kept telling me to, but I found I couldn’t put it down. It’s […] Read the full article →
open thread – January 18-19, 2019 by Alison Green on January 18, 2019 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 →
my coworker is a blood drive bully, non-monetary perks, and more by Alison Green on January 18, 2019 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is a blood drive bully I’m the newest and youngest employee at a small office that’s the perfect place to start a career in my industry. I love the work, and I like my coworkers. The problem is “Alice.” She’s the long-time office […] Read the full article →
I’m caught in the middle of an investigation at work by Alison Green on January 17, 2019 A reader writes: This is not the first time that this has happened to me and I can’t help but feel icky about it and I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. I have been in a new job that I love for about two months. Recently two coworkers (not people on my […] Read the full article →
I don’t have any work to do at my new job by Alison Green on January 17, 2019 A reader writes: I am a recent graduate who has just started my first job. When I started on my first day, the company gave me a bunch of self-study materials and a self-training schedule for a month that I must adhere to (which I happily obliged). But now a month has passed, I have […] Read the full article →