open thread – February 7-8, 2020 by Alison Green on February 7, 2020 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 →
employee talks about people’s weight, asking about salary before interviewing, and more by Alison Green on February 7, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee talks about people’s weight I’m a female supervisor of a small department. I’m significantly overweight. One of my direct reports has repeatedly made derogatory comments about overweight people to me during the course of conversations, such as “____is a BIG girl, I mean, […] Read the full article →
how to respond to “tell me about a time when…” interview questions when you don’t have good examples by Alison Green on February 6, 2020 A reader writes: I recently went in for a second round of interviews at a foundation I’d love to work for. (They told me it was between me and one other person.) I met with the CEO, who was relaxed and told me “we’re just going to have a conversation,” which we did. It went […] Read the full article →
how do I know when it’s okay to leave work for the day? by Alison Green on February 6, 2020 A reader writes: How do salaried jobs work? I’m early in my career and until now have been paid hourly. While part of being hourly sucks, it’s also nice because you know exactly how many hours you have to be there and how long you have to take lunch. But I’m currently job searching and […] Read the full article →
I don’t want to hear about my coworkers’ pricey lifestyles by Alison Green on February 6, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. We had a question about money earlier this week and I thought it would be interesting to tackle one coming at money from a different angle. A reader writes: I moved to the west coast a year ago for family reasons, and looked for six months for a […] Read the full article →
how can I avoid shaking hands, looking for joy at work aggravated me, and more by Alison Green on February 6, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How can I avoid shaking hands? I freely admit that I am moderately germophobic: I hate catching colds and take precautions to avoid being exposed to them. Nothing excessive, but I use a stylus to call elevators, wrap a paper towel in my hand when […] Read the full article →
how can I let coworkers know “no” is an acceptable answer? by Alison Green on February 5, 2020 A reader writes: I am a project manager who works mainly on projects with our most junior team members. I love it! I get to be a mentor while learning a ton from web developers right out of college. One thing I have noticed is that they have a hard time saying no when I […] Read the full article →
should we cut the salary of a disappointing new hire? by Alison Green on February 5, 2020 A reader writes: We hired an employee almost two months ago who seemed to have quite a lot of experience in our field (which is rare in our city). She asked for a higher salary than entry-level, which we were okay with giving based on her experience. Now, almost two months in, it’s become obvious […] Read the full article →
will painting nude self-portraits on social media cause problems at work? by Alison Green on February 5, 2020 A reader writes: I am a fine artist with a day job at a bank. Most people within my workgroup friend each other on Facebook and Instagram and I did as well. I promote myself as an artist on social media, since I plan to eventually do art full-time. I specialize in classical realism and […] Read the full article →
my boss doesn’t want my toddler in the background on work calls, coronavirus cancellations, and more by Alison Green on February 5, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My manager doesn’t want my son in the background on work calls I work remotely for an insurance company as a nurse care manager, and my hours are from 9-5:30 pm. My son is a preschooler and is gone for most of my shift from […] Read the full article →