update: my office does “Fat Friday” – and I have an eating disorder by Alison Green on December 6, 2019 It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Remember the letter-writer who was in recovery from an eating disorder and whose office had a weekly event called “Fat Friday” where people were encouraged to bring in […] Read the full article →
open thread – December 6-7, 2019 by Alison Green on December 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 boss insults us at the holiday party, Secret Santa gifts with a message, and more by Alison Green on December 6, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss insults us at the Christmas party every year Every year, my company (150-200 people) has a company-wide Christmas party. I dread going because the president of my company has the same speech every year, which is basically a 20-minute tirade telling us we […] Read the full article →
the best office holiday party date story of all time by Alison Green on December 5, 2019 Earlier today, I asked people to share their funniest office holiday stories. I love this one with all my heart and hereby present it to you: When I was fresh out of college, a dude in my social circle invited me to his fancy work Christmas party. He was a teacher, so I’d kind of […] Read the full article →
updates: the pro athlete fiancé, the allergic coworker, and more by Alison Green on December 5, 2019 It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. My office is obsessed with my professional athlete fiancé I spoke with my department manager in a relaxed manner (but […] Read the full article →
how can I stop my employees from giving me holiday gifts? by Alison Green on December 5, 2019 A reader writes: With the holiday season approaching, I need some advice. I agree with you that gifts in the office should only flow down (managers can give gifts to employees, but employees shouldn’t give gifts to managers because of the power dynamic). My office used to collect funds to purchase something for the owner […] Read the full article →
update: what are the ethics of poaching an employee from someone I know professionally? by Alison Green on December 5, 2019 It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Remember the letter-writer wondering about hiring someone who her colleague would be upset to lose? Here’s the update. Thank you so much for answering my question! Your answer […] Read the full article →
let’s hear your funniest office holiday stories by Alison Green on December 5, 2019 In the spirit of the holiday season, I want to hear about office holiday-related debacles. Did a coworker throw a tantrum when she didn’t win a raffle? Did your CEO send out an epic email demanding apologies for bad behavior at the company holiday party? Did your boss celebrate the season by offering poinsettias in […] Read the full article →
company is sending emails about diet and exercise, I accidentally sent a private email to my employee, and more by Alison Green on December 5, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Company is sending us all email about diet and exercise My company includes an on-site fitness center, and all the employees receive periodic emails from the fitness staff. There’s one kind of message a particular staff person frequently sends that bothers me a lot — […] Read the full article →
updates: the balls adjuster, the daily affirmation, and more by Alison Green on December 4, 2019 It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are five updates from past letter-writers. 1. My employee keeps adjusting himself while we’re talking The advice helped greatly, I’m so glad I wrote into you for […] Read the full article →