meetings are awful — why do we have so many of them? by Alison Green on September 9, 2019 Chances are high that you’ll be spending a lot of time sitting in meetings at work this week — and you’re probably not happy about it. Is there any other single work activity people are so universally united in loathing? The animus makes sense: Poorly run meetings are far more common than the elusive productive […] Read the full article →
my coworker feels entitled to my time, expertise, car, and house by Alison Green on September 9, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve been reading your site for a while, but I’ve not seen anything that will help me address this particular issue — when a coworker who’s your peer feels entitled to all your technical expertise, time, and other resources. Our department had about 20 of us PhD students start at the same […] Read the full article →
being a picky eater at team lunches, boss accidentally texted me after firing me, and more by Alison Green on September 9, 2019 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I’m a picky eater — how do I handle team lunches? My team is culturally diverse and so are the restaurants around the office. My own tastes in food are admittedly narrow. If my boss organizes a team lunch at a restaurant with cuisine I […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – September 7-8, 2019 by Alison Green on September 7, 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: City of Girls, by Elizabeth Gilbert. A 19-year-old gets expelled from Vassar in 1940 and is sent to live with her black sheep aunt who […] Read the full article →
open thread – September 6-7, 2019 by Alison Green on September 6, 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 gets angry when we chew, peer interviews, and more by Alison Green on September 6, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker gets angry when we chew I have a coworker who has undiagnosed misophonia. She has never been formally diagnosed, and as I understand it, has never even mentioned it to her family doctor. But she hates chewing sounds so much that she actually […] Read the full article →
cold contacting employees at the place where you’ve applied for a job by Alison Green on September 5, 2019 A reader writes: My question is about contacting staff at the organization where one has applied for a job. In this case, I’m actually the ask-ee not the ask-er and it’s happened a few times: someone will cold contact me on LinkedIn or email, indicating that they’re interested in / have applied for an open […] Read the full article →
my employer took my overtime pay away (with an update already included!) by Alison Green on September 5, 2019 I sometimes answer letters privately that I don’t publish here (just due to the volume of mail I receive), and I thought this exchange was worth sharing (with the writer’s permission). Last month I received this letter: I just found out my position is switching from hourly to salary. My rate of pay isn’t changing. […] Read the full article →
changing jobs — navigating the devil you know vs. the devil you don’t by Alison Green on September 5, 2019 I hear frequently from people who are nervous about taking a new job because they feel guilty about leaving their old team behind — but I also hear from people who worry about jumping from a situation they know (even with all its flaws) into something less familiar — the devil you know versus the […] Read the full article →
pranking coworkers by repeatedly falling down, is it bad to ask questions about an assignment, and more by Alison Green on September 5, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Friend is pranking coworkers by repeatedly falling down I was having a chat with my friend the other day, and they told me that they were having fun at work by pretending to fall down in front of coworkers and dropping all their papers as […] Read the full article →