none of my coworkers have contacted me after my layoff by Alison Green on October 31, 2019 A reader writes: I was laid off a few months ago. My position was eliminated after reorganization, so it wasn’t due to any performance issues. In the weeks that followed, of the 200+ people in the company, three former coworkers emailed to ask how I was doing. Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely grateful […] Read the full article →
my boss goes overboard for Halloween by Alison Green on October 31, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve worked six years for a man who goes way over the top with Halloween. Our office becomes a haunted dungeon with spooky lighting, a disturbing soundtrack, gothic pictures and dust covers, and toys that use sensors to jump out at people and make loud noises. For reasons I don’t understand, my […] Read the full article →
has anything spooky happened to you at work? by Alison Green on October 31, 2019 Have you ever worked somewhere rumored to be haunted? Felt a spectral tap on the shoulder as you worked late on expense reports? Heard the clank of chains over the intercom or seen the spirits of managers past in the bathroom mirror? It’s Halloween, so let’s hear all your stories about spooky experiences at work. […] Read the full article →
boss refuses to wear hearing aids, putting strengths in your email signature, and more by Alison Green on October 31, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Putting strengths in your email signature I work at a relatively small private university. Like many universities, we have a transition-to-college one-credit course for first-semester undergraduate students. I am an instructor for one section of this course, but this is in addition to my actual […] Read the full article →
my manager and a coworker had sex in his office, loudly by Alison Green on October 30, 2019 A reader writews: If you’re going for your WTF square on your work bingo card, here you go. I work for a small company. When I got this job last year, I didn’t work for my current manager. “Bill” got promoted and my boss, who I respected, left and Bill took her place. Bill has […] Read the full article →
the problem with “can I pick your brain?” by Alison Green on October 30, 2019 I was on Marketplace Morning this week talking about the problems with asking someone if you can “pick their brain.” (The short version: It’s vague and doesn’t explain what you’re really looking for, and the people you want to ask are often inundated with similar requests.) We talked why people ask this, better ways to […] Read the full article →
my mother is tracking my comings and goings at work by Alison Green on October 30, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a large and diverse organization, and I’ve been in my current role for a couple of years now. Recently, my mother (who lives hundreds of miles away) got a job with her local branch. Our work doesn’t intersect at all, no conflicts of interest (my role is senior to […] Read the full article →
our “kid-friendly” Halloween party was terrifying, will video interviews hurt my chances of getting hired, and more by Alison Green on October 30, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My office’s “kid-friendly” Halloween party was terrifying My office held a Halloween party this week after hours (immediately after the work day in the office), and said in the invitation that kids and significant others are welcome. Some of us brought our young kids (ages […] Read the full article →
employer required me to agree to a salary during our first conversation by Alison Green on October 29, 2019 A reader writes: I was recently interviewing with a nonprofit, and in the screening interview, a brief 15-minute conversation with HR, I was asked my salary requirements. I named a number I thought was reasonable and was told this was over what had been budgeted. HR asked me to confirm, then and there, that I […] Read the full article →
how can I avoid ending up in another horrible job? by Alison Green on October 29, 2019 A reader writes: How do I ensure I don’t end up in a toxic work environment again? Based on my experiences, some companies are really good at hiding their toxicity during the interview process. My past two jobs have been at incredibly unhealthy organizations with high turnover, and I’m starting to lose faith that there […] Read the full article →