when my office lets us out early before a holiday, why don’t they tell us in advance? by Alison Green on September 16, 2019 A reader writes: I’m hoping you can shed some light on the reasons behind this practice. Usually on the day before a holiday (Friday before Labor Day, Christmas Eve, etc), our office will let us out a few hours early (say, 2:00 or 3:00 PM). It’s a nice practice and meant as a sign of […] Read the full article →
how do I tell our HR director she’s breaking the law? by Alison Green on September 16, 2019 A reader writes: Our HR director sent a message to everyone today saying that due to many people failing to take their required lunch breaks every day, they are instituting a policy by which your time will be deducted automatically if you do not take a lunch. This is illegal in our state, but I […] Read the full article →
is it bad for managers to sound frustrated or impatient? by Alison Green on September 16, 2019 A reader writes: I am relatively new to management and I have a question about a specific incident, which raises the issue of whether a good boss should ever show impatience. One of my direct reports, Jane, does a good job. I’ve given her a lot of (genuinely well-deserved) praise in public and private, and […] Read the full article →
new employee wants me to give him money, I wet myself during a board meeting, and more by Alison Green on September 16, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. New employee is hinting he wants me to give him money A new project manager started work on Thursday. On Friday, he spent most of the day telling me about his desperate financial situation and how he had exhausted all of his resources. He said […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – September 14-15, 2019 by Alison Green on September 14, 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 Lager Queen of Minnesota, by J. Ryan Stadal. I am a huge fan of his Kitchens of the Great Midwest (until stumbling across his […] Read the full article →
open thread – September 13-14, 2019 by Alison Green on September 13, 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 →
coworker tags our CEO on Twitter to point out my mistakes, office baby talk, and more by Alison Green on September 13, 2019 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker tags our CEO on Twitter to point out my mistakes I’m part of an incredibly progressive, supportive team, where one of my responsibilities is my organization’s social media. In six months, I have made three errors within tweets, two of which were mixing up […] Read the full article →
are my clients hiring me to do work their companies believe they’re doing on their own? by Alison Green on September 12, 2019 A reader writes: I’m a somewhat newish, full-time freelancer (data visualization and reporting). Previously, I was an employee for many, many years at huge financial institutions, so that’s my “level-set” in terms of business norms (conservative, process-driven, high awareness of confidentiality). It has happened twice (among 20ish contracts) that I find out some time after […] Read the full article →
updates: the fake pregnancy rumor and more by Alison Green on September 12, 2019 Here are three updates from people whose letters I answered here previously. 1. My coworkers are joking that I’m pregnant when I’m not Firstly, thank you so much for publishing my letter and for your thoughtful response. I was intensely frustrated when I wrote to you and worried I was overreacting, but your response along […] Read the full article →
how do people survive jobs with long hours — and is it worth it in the long-run? by Alison Green on September 12, 2019 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I recently started my first professional job since graduating college. I work in an industry that is notorious for long hours (think 60-80 hour weeks for 4 months in a row). I knew what I was getting myself into when I accepted this job, but […] Read the full article →