my new boss says everything is “fun” — even data entry and illness by Alison Green on March 17, 2020 A reader writes: I have a fairly low-stakes issue, but it’s driving me absolutely nuts. My supervisor left about a year ago, but was replaced after eight months. During that time, I was responsible for much of the department’s function, along with an administrator who shares my more pessimistic, gallows-esque humor. We work at an […] Read the full article →
promoting a bully, job searching during coronavirus, and more by Alison Green on March 17, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I promote an employee who has a history of problems with coworkers? I am a general manager of two quick service restaurant locations of a small local chain. Running two locations has left me stretched very thin. Last September, I lost my assistant general […] Read the full article →
how honestly should you answer “what do you do for fun?” in an interview? by Alison Green on March 16, 2020 A reader writes: I was just asked in an interview what I like to do for fun, and after a few jokes about how I’m a bit of a geek, I declared, “I host a Dungeons and Dragons game.” Now, on the one hand, I’m an engineer, and a geeky engineer is more the norm […] Read the full article →
should I refuse to hire coworkers’ kids? by Alison Green on March 16, 2020 A reader writes: I’m hiring students to work on my team as paid interns. I’ve decided to not hire any children of any coworkers in the office. My reasons are to avoid any conflict of interests – I don’t want to risk interns asking their parents to interfere if they don’t like an assignment or […] Read the full article →
what to do if your company isn’t handling coronavirus well by Alison Green on March 16, 2020 I am getting a lot of mail about coronavirus, and one common theme is employers who aren’t acting with any urgency at all — not having people work from home where they can, not canceling travel or events, etc. Here’s some advice if you’re in that situation. • One of the most effective things you […] Read the full article →
coworker got obnoxiously drunk at a work event, can we tell people to wash their hands, and more by Alison Green on March 16, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I tell my new boss my coworker got obnoxiously drunk at a work event? Do I have a responsibility to let my boss know that a coworker was behaving inappropriately at a work function that she herself was not present at? I just joined […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – March 14-15, 2020 by Alison Green on March 14, 2020 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: My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell, about a lonely 15-year-old who becomes involved with her teacher and later struggles to understand the relationship as […] Read the full article →
open thread – March 13-14, 2020 by Alison Green on March 13, 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 lied about coronavirus to get time off work, coworker sprayed Lysol at me, and more by Alison Green on March 13, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee lied about being exposed to coronavirus One of my employees lied about being exposed to COVID-19. She called in to work saying she had gone back to her hometown over the weekend to visit family and was exposed while she was there. There […] Read the full article →
my employee calls in sick after negative feedback by Alison Green on March 12, 2020 A reader writes: For the last two years, I’ve managed Fergus, who had been doing the same tasks day in and day out for about a decade. He hadn’t adapted to new technology, best practices, or industry trends. My first order of business as his manager was to coach him on the fundamentals and challenge […] Read the full article →