updates: the men who wouldn’t be alone with women, the very good dog, and more by Alison Green on May 23, 2019 Here are three updates from people who had their letters answered here in the past. 1. Some men in my office refuse to be alone with women I know everyone loves updates, and I have a somewhat positive one. So the coworker I mentioned in the letter, who had raised the performance review issue up […] Read the full article →
I’m polyamorous — should I be out at work? by Alison Green on May 23, 2019 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’ve been going back and forth with a pretty weird problem, and someone suggested your blog as a good place to go for advice (I’m so happy I discovered it, by the way!). Here’s what’s going on…. I am a woman in my late 20s […] Read the full article →
asking job candidates to go scent-free, baggy clothes at work, and more by Alison Green on May 23, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Asking job candidates to follow our scent-free policy at interviews I know you’ve covered scent-free office policies in the past, and that usually has to do with employees who are already working in the office. What about applying that same policy to candidates who are […] Read the full article →
how can you get around automated screening questions when you’re actually qualified for the job? by Alison Green on May 22, 2019 A reader writes: I just applied (at 9 pm) online for a nonprofit job I would be great at. I didn’t meet all of the requirements, but I wrote a passionate cover letter covering my skills in related areas that are the same as what they specified in the description — just for a different […] Read the full article →
I don’t want my employees to wear headphones by Alison Green on May 22, 2019 A reader writes: I have two I.T. employees who like to wear headphones, not earbuds, at their desks during business hours. It’s awkward when someone approaches them for support and there’s a brief waiting period for the employee to remove the headphones and acknowledge the person. I find this unnerving when I approach either of […] Read the full article →
how much should we compromise for a dog-phobic coworker in a dog-friendly office? by Alison Green on May 22, 2019 A reader writes: We’ve recently moved into a new office space, which is dog-friendly. This is great news for many of my coworkers, who are able to avoid costly sitters and walkers (we’re already allowed to work from home a few days per week, so bringing dogs in the other couple of days can do […] Read the full article →
giving extra time off to people who get married, how to end networking conversations, and more by Alison Green on May 22, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Giving extra time off to people who get married My friend got married this weekend, and she mentioned to me that her office gives her an extra week of PTO to use in the year which she got married. (The idea behind it being that […] Read the full article →
I feel guilty that I’m out of the office so much — and I’ve heard grumbling from my staff by Alison Green on May 21, 2019 A reader writes: I am the director of a small, established nonprofit where I worked my way up the ranks. Since the organization is so small, I have day-to-day tasks along with more senior responsibilities such as board meetings, weekend and evening events, media relations, and external meetings with other nonprofits, civic associations, and partner […] Read the full article →
my coworkers follow me into the bathroom with work questions by Alison Green on May 21, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve worked IT help desk for seven years in this position, and ten years in total. Recently my company has converted to open space offices. This has changed the dynamic in my office, and now people want me to drop everything at any time to help them whenever they walk to my […] Read the full article →
my coworker wants the company to pay for a week-long sex romp with his fired girlfriend by Alison Green on May 21, 2019 A reader writes: I work in a nonprofit recovery organization and as the department admin, I schedule a lot of the staff for the conferences and travel and handle the receipts. My office is in a tense space right now. Several of our staff were fired last month due to a very big, very embarrassing, […] Read the full article →