can my boss tell me how to manage my vacation time — and my “energy”? by Alison Green on April 4, 2019 A reader writes: I work at a very small (<10 people) mission-oriented company. In addition to aligning our business practices with our mission, management also makes an effort to ensure that employees feel happy, heard, and valued. In reality, management’s approach to ensuring that the team feels happy, heard, and valued often feels overbearing and […] Read the full article →
update: I work from home and my coworker wants me available 24/7 by Alison Green on April 4, 2019 Remember the letter-writer earlier this year who worked from home and had a coworker who wouldn’t leave her alone, to the point of paging her repeatedly in her own home? She updated us in February, when this coworker had interrupted the CEO with work papers at a funeral. Here’s the latest: I just want to […] Read the full article →
navigating LGBTQ issues at work: an open thread by Alison Green on April 4, 2019 A while back, some readers requested a post where LGBTQ people could discuss work issues — anything from being out at work to advocating for transgender-inclusive health care coverage — and here it is. Straight people: our role in this one is to listen, not to take a major role in the discussion. Read the full article →
my boss thinks I’m his graphic designer, how to salvage my reputation at an internship, and more by Alison Green on April 4, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss thinks I’m his graphic designer I’ve been working at this chocolate shop for about six months now. It’s pretty slow and easygoing so I have a lot of free time. I remember the owner asking during the interview what I do for fun, […] Read the full article →
my employee identifies proudly as a grump by Alison Green on April 3, 2019 A reader writes: I manage a small team of creative people and we all have different work styles (as defined during a company-wide professional growth workshop.) One team member has so strongly identified with her more aggressive and direct work style that I find she is using it as a crutch to excuse bad behavior […] Read the full article →
how can I recover from a huge, fireable mistake? by Alison Green on April 3, 2019 A reader writes: Yesterday another coworker and I made a careless mistake that may have huge results. Among other things, our company may lose a contract because of our error. Our mistake was probably a fireable offense and certainly one that merits being written up. I think the only reason neither of those things has […] Read the full article →
my boss brings her dog to work and he pees by my desk by Alison Green on April 3, 2019 A reader writes: I am lucky enough to have a job that I don’t hate and that pays well, and I’ve had it for about a year. Our office is dog-friendly, and my boss Christie brings in her dog, Ricky, once or twice a week. Let me start by saying that I have never owned […] Read the full article →
my coworker brags about how rich he is, application assignments when you’re on vacation, and more by Alison Green on April 3, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker brags about how rich he is and tries to put others down I have a coworker who constantly brags about how rich he is. His family is well-known in the area and it’s common knowledge he got the job at our nonprofit because […] Read the full article →
my boss hardly reads emails and says it’s my job to follow up with her when something’s important by Alison Green on April 2, 2019 A reader writes: My boss recently decided that she is way too busy to read emails that she sees as unimportant … meaning if she is just copied on them or … I’m not sure how she decides what is important because we (her employees) all know to write VERY specific subject lines for this […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: what are the best and worst pranks you’ve seen at work? by Alison Green on April 2, 2019 I received this too late to run it yesterday but what the hell, we can still do it today. A reader writes: Long time reader, first time question asker. This is more out of curiosity (I don’t currently have this problem where I work) but many of us have seen the episode of The Office […] Read the full article →