my coworker is hassling me about his peer feedback, employee calls me “buttercup,” and more by Alison Green on October 10, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is hassling me about his peer feedback In my department, we’re asked to provide feedback for year-end reviews for our manager, other managers, and peers. The feedback is collected and delivered anonymously to the recipient by their manager. The process works well. However, […] Read the full article →
how to answer “how are you?” when you’re grieving by Alison Green on October 9, 2019 A reader writes: My dad died in late August. Since then, many people have asked me “how are you?” to which I usually respond with, “I’m okay” or “I’m here” or “It’s day-by-day.” Depending on how close they are to me, I may expand upon that answer. I don’t answer with “fine” because … well, […] Read the full article →
my employee accused me of favoring her coworker by Alison Green on October 9, 2019 A reader writes: I recently expanded my team from one direct report to two. “Tammy,” my original staffer, is proficient but not great and can get confused by complicated projects. “Carrie,” the new hire, is still learning but is a superstar. She picks up on nuances of projects that Tammy misses, even though Tammy has […] Read the full article →
my employee locked me out of a work document in a fit of pettiness by Alison Green on October 9, 2019 A reader writes: I took a job a few years back to manage an area that previously did not have a manager. My employer doesn’t fire people, it just moves them around, and this area was the dumping ground for problem employees before I arrived, so I inherited some colorful personalities. One employee in particular, […] Read the full article →
I’m insulted by a junior hire with the same title as me, thank-you notes after terrible interviews, and more by Alison Green on October 9, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m insulted that we’ve hired someone very junior to me with the same title Hello from Scotland! I’ve spent 15 years in my field and my title is “senior consultant.” I’m good at what I do and I love it. Recently, the managing director of […] Read the full article →
a job candidate tried to give us a presentation we didn’t want by Alison Green on October 8, 2019 A reader writes: I’m a manager at a large organization and am almost always is the midst of a recruitment process for one role or another. Our organization is big on diversity and inclusion and so our hiring and interview guides are built to stop as much bias from creeping in as possible. In practice, […] Read the full article →
is it a bad idea to work with my boyfriend? by Alison Green on October 8, 2019 A reader writes: I am starting a new job in a month’s time … in the same advertising agency as my boyfriend. Everyone in my new office (including the bosses) is aware of our relationship status so there’s nothing to hide, but I feel like mixing my personal and professional life together is not an ideal […] Read the full article →
my coworker is obsessed with us being happy all the time by Alison Green on October 8, 2019 A reader writes: My coworker, Lenora, is the oldest person in our office. She is generally friendly, cheerful, and a hard worker. However, despite her genuinely sweet nature, she is about to drive us all up the wall. In short, she wants us to be happy all of the time, and she has made it […] Read the full article →
student workers are using me for therapy, people try to reach my husband through my social media, and more by Alison Green on October 8, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Student employees are using me for therapy I oversee a team of student employees who assist with a variety of office tasks. Recently, several students have taken to talking to me a lot about their school and personal lives, including things like strained relationships with […] Read the full article →
I have a crush on my boss and he’s being standoffish by Alison Green on October 7, 2019 A reader writes: A few months ago, I started working at what’s basically the perfect company for me (introvert, diagnosed autism, possible undiagnosed ADHD). It’s a very small company. I enjoy the work, I’m good at what I do, I get my own space and lots of alone time, and there’s no customer interaction. Thing […] Read the full article →