my boss asked me to project-manage a peer — and the peer treats me like his assistant by Alison Green on October 29, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a small company where I am, let’s say, head of X. I’ve never worked very closely with my coworker, Tim, head of Y, and I don’t see very much of him because he works outside the office. Recently, my boss (who’s the CEO — we’ll call him Jason) has […] Read the full article →
my office set up fake layoffs, coworker thinks he’s a celebrity spokesperson, and more by Alison Green on October 29, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My office set up fake layoffs so my coworker didn’t know he was the only one being let go I think my last employer may have violated some kind of law with this one. We had a somewhat troubled employee, and instead of firing him […] Read the full article →
how to get better at using a coworker’s nonbinary pronouns by Alison Green on October 28, 2019 The question earlier this month about how to get better at using a coworker’s nonbinary pronouns (they/them) attracted hundreds of suggestions in the comments. I’ve compiled some of them here for easy reference (and to share with others if you’d like). While most of these suggestions are for nonbinary folks, some of them also apply […] Read the full article →
can I refuse to be alone with a coworker who I had an emotional affair with? by Alison Green on October 28, 2019 A reader writes: I am married and I got too friendly with another coworker. I ended up lying to my spouse about dinners out, traveling, and long personal conversations with this coworker. My spouse found out, and I confessed that I had lied. I also told my boss and he understood that I could no longer travel, be alone, etc. with […] Read the full article →
my new junior employee said he’s “disappointed” in his job by Alison Green on October 28, 2019 A reader writes: I’m a new-ish manager of a small team within a small company (16 total people). I currently have two direct reports. One of them has been with the company longer than I have, and she is professional and a joy to work with. The other is a recent hire (he’s been here […] Read the full article →
my boss blames me for getting sick, will piercings harm my career, and more by Alison Green on October 28, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss blames me for getting sick and disrupting his vacation I’m the only employee at my job who works full-time and knows all the ropes. My boss and his wife tend to hire less than par workers who have attitudes and don’t do the […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – October 26-27, 2019 by Alison Green on October 26, 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: Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA, by Amaryllis Fox. This is a memoir about her time undercover for the CIA, and OMG it […] Read the full article →
open thread – October 25-26, 2019 by Alison Green on October 25, 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 director lied to HR about me, company wouldn’t tell us our coworker was gone, and more by Alison Green on October 25, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My director lied to HR about what I told him I’ve worked at my job for a little over two years. Six months after I started, my new boss Pam was hired. Working with her has been challenging, and other departments have been complaining about […] Read the full article →
should I have told my employee I figured out she’s pregnant so I could offer her flexibility? by Alison Green on October 24, 2019 A reader writes: A friend and I are both huge AAM fans, and we’ve been in a discussion today about how I should have handled a situation, so I thought I’d go right to the source and get your opinion. I work for a very small nonprofit but we pride ourselves on being very good […] Read the full article →