weekend free-for-all – March 30-31, 2019 by Alison Green on March 30, 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: The Italian Teacher, by Tom Rachman. It’s about a terrible, infuriating father and the mark he makes on the son who longs to connect with […] Read the full article →
open thread – March 29-30, 2019 by Alison Green on March 29, 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 husband’s boss says he can’t expense my meals, oujia boards at work and more by Alison Green on March 29, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My husband’s boss says he can’t expense my meals My husband gets per diem for trip meals — it’s a “you can spend up to this amount for each eligible meal” kind of deal. He uses a company card and submits an expense report to […] Read the full article →
“I’m so sorry you have to work on this garbage project with these horrible clients” by Alison Green on March 28, 2019 A reader writes: My question is how to deal with unbearably negative workplaces when you have no power within them, and it’s not really appropriate for you to say anything to anyone. I’m an in-office contractor (fewer than 20 hours per week) for a client, and the culture is SO negative. Every assignment I’m given […] Read the full article →
what to do when a potential reference turns you down by Alison Green on March 28, 2019 A reader writes: How do I respond to a rejection email from a potential reference? I am a graduate student and requested a reference from a professor I know well. I was shocked when she responded, “You can use me as a reference, but I would have to be honest… if they ask me about […] Read the full article →
here’s your reality check: does your job suck or are you being too picky? by Alison Green on March 28, 2019 Three years ago, we did a “reality check” post, stemming from a reader who wrote this: I wonder if we could have a post/discussion where we can get a “reality check” on whether things are awful or we’re just being picky. I’m also working at my first professional job after graduating from college and often […] Read the full article →
my boss shakes men’s hands but fist-bumps women, streaming movies at work, and more by Alison Green on March 28, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss shakes hands with men, but fist-bumps with women My manager does this thing that annoys me but I don’t know if I should address it or just let it go. Whenever he says goodbye to my male colleagues, he shakes their hand. Whenever […] Read the full article →
my coworkers want status updates — but I don’t have them because my boss is a bottleneck by Alison Green on March 27, 2019 A reader writes: I frequently field “status update?” requests for my projects. But I’m not sure if I’m doing myself any favors in my approach to these emails. Some of the issue here is that I work for a micromanager (Cersei) who picks apart emails, frequently changes standards, and doesn’t communicate “behind the scenes” executive […] Read the full article →
my employee lied about a reference by Alison Green on March 27, 2019 A reader writes: I wanted to run a scenario by you that happened to a friend of mine the other day. He told me that one of his direct reports had asked him for a reference for a part-time weekend gig to make some extra money. He said that this staff member was a high […] Read the full article →
someone is taking phone calls while using the toilet in our shared bathroom by Alison Green on March 27, 2019 A reader writes: This is such a niche and gross question. I work in a very upscale building in a large city, where we have high-end, VIP, A-list celebrity clients on our floor at least several times a week. Needless to say, it’s important for us to always look and act in the most professional […] Read the full article →