my office plays religious music, my new boss asks about our sex lives, and more by Alison Green on March 10, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My office plays religious music throughout the building I work for a very large, non-religious company in a technical role. In the building where I work, we can’t have headphones, so they play XM radio stations through speakers that are in every hallway and most […] Read the full article →
my coworkers won’t stop telling me about their ideas for my work by Alison Green on March 9, 2020 A reader writes: I’m a teen librarian. I work directly with kids in grades 6 through 12. This lends towards a fascination with my job. It’s sort of specialized, as far as library services go, as teens are a bit odd. My coworkers keep having ideas of how I can interact with the teens who […] Read the full article →
why fantasizing about rage-quitting is so universal by Alison Green on March 9, 2020 There’s a common dream that unites workers across fields: the Spectacular Resignation Fantasy. (Well, that and more paid vacation.) Anyone who has ever had a terrible boss or toxic coworkers or who has been overworked and under-appreciated has almost certainly fantasized about quitting their job in a blaze of glory—a dramatic, vindicating exit, usually involving […] Read the full article →
how is your office responding to coronavirus? by Alison Green on March 9, 2020 How is your company responding to coronavirus? Let’s discuss in the comments. And some useful info: the CDC’s guidance to employers legal advice for employers crowd-sourced info from 250+ companies about how they’re handling the virus (super helpful) Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft tell Seattle-area employees to work from home New York Times: ‘No One Has […] Read the full article →
my brother wants me to tutor his granddaughter for free, can I wear slippers at work, and more by Alison Green on March 9, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My brother wants me to tutor his granddaughter for free Last year I started my own private tutoring service for children. I picked up several children and worked well with them. It became a very good side business for me. My main work is as […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – March 7-8, 2020 by Alison Green on March 7, 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: Something That May Shock and Discredit You, by Daniel Mallory Ortberg (now Daniel Lavery) of The Toast and Dear Prudence, whose writing is always a […] Read the full article →
open thread – March 6-7, 2020 by Alison Green on March 6, 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 →
addressing feedback from an anonymous survey, coronavirus shaming, and more by Alison Green on March 6, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Admin’s exceptionally messy desk There is an admin in my department whose desk is atrocious. It is covered in not just piles of paper, but trash, food items, and all sorts of miscellaneous junk. This person doesn’t work for me and likely never will, but […] Read the full article →
is this recruiter way too intense, or is it just me? by Alison Green on March 5, 2020 A reader writes: About once or twice a month, I get an email from a random recruiter with a job. If I am interested I respond, but often never hear from them again. A few weeks ago, a recruiter reached out to me via Linkedin and email. I responded and wow! he responded back. On […] Read the full article →
I’m sick of being the office therapist by Alison Green on March 5, 2020 A reader writes: I have brought a burden upon myself, and I know it’s completely my own doing. I’ve been in my current role for a year and a half. In that time, I’ve become the de facto compassionate listener and person who coworkers turn to when they want to confide in someone. Everyone comes […] Read the full article →