I pierced my nose in quarantine, a disgusting boss, and more by Alison Green on May 20, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How do I stop clients from ranting about why we haven’t reopened yet? I work for a national nonprofit that does hands-on, in-person work. We have been closed since mid-March, got a PPP loan in the second round (so staff are still getting paid), and […] Read the full article →
updates: the coworkers complaining about kids, the boss demanding location sharing, and more by Alison Green on May 19, 2020 It’s a special “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, when I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. My child-free coworkers constantly complain about people with children I’m still at the same workplace. The grousing specifically about children […] Read the full article →
if you’re furloughed, how long should you wait to look for a new job? by Alison Green on May 19, 2020 A reader writes: I work in the corporate office of a business in the entertainment industry. We were slowly dying before, but Covid-19 has placed our industry in an uncertain position as all of our outlets are closed. As such, I have been furloughed for an indefinite period of time. My company is amazing and […] Read the full article →
updates: the employee with too many ideas, the boss who wanted people to camp in tents, and more by Alison Green on May 19, 2020 It’s a special “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, when I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. Applying for a full-time job and asking to work part-time I knew going back to this letter would be humbling, […] Read the full article →
my boss assumes we’re slacking off when we work from home by Alison Green on May 19, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a small company with about 10 employees working full-time in the office. We all report directly to the CEO, Phil. When the pandemic hit, Phil went into full panic mode and had us all move our desks 12+ feet apart, wash our hands every 20 minutes, sterilize everything in […] Read the full article →
when can managers expect employees to adjust to the “new normal”? by Alison Green on May 19, 2020 A reader writes: Your advice around the pandemic and expectations for managers has been extremely helpful. However, I am struggling with when it is reasonable for employers to expect employees to get closer to pre-coronavirus work outputs. It seems clear that we will not be going back to a “normal” work environment anytime soon, so […] Read the full article →
sending work emails late at night, coworker read my notebook, and more by Alison Green on May 19, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Taking long bereavement leave during a busy time A few years ago, I had a manager tragically lose her sister in an unexpected accident. In the kind of awful luck that compounds those situations, this was a job with a well-defined busy season when we […] Read the full article →
updates: the client pushing religion, and more by Alison Green on May 18, 2020 It’s a special “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, when I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. How can I explain I’m looking for more work-life balance without sounding like I’m lazy? Hi! I was the work-life […] Read the full article →
our boss pushes us to share how we’re doing emotionally at team meetings by Alison Green on May 18, 2020 A reader writes: In our weekly team meetings, my supervisor has started having everyone answer the question, “How are you doing emotionally and mentally?” On one hand, he seems to mean well and be genuine in his concern. On the other hand, I have several invisible illnesses that pre-date this madness and I’m very touchy […] Read the full article →
update: my company says we’re dog-friendly — but we’re not by Alison Green on May 18, 2020 It’s a special “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, when I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Remember the letter-writer whose company said it was dog-friendly but then issued a policy that seemed to exclude dogs who weren’t therapy or service animals? Here’s the update. […] Read the full article →