I’m stuck in daily three-hour Zoom meetings by Alison Green on July 22, 2020 A reader writes: I could use some help trying to figure out how to best navigate the absolutely bonkers amount of meetings that my boss is holding. I work in public education and obviously we have been very impacted by Covid. I work on a small leadership team for a very large department. During normal […] Read the full article →
boss won’t give me deadlines, resumes that focus on goals instead of achievements, and more by Alison Green on July 22, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My bosses won’t give me deadlines I work in a small department and mostly for two people. Jill is my supervisor and Jack is her equal. Both of them hate giving deadlines, but both of them will send me follow-up emails or ask “Where are […] Read the full article →
my company has strict language protocols that my coworker won’t follow by Alison Green on July 21, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a company that produces highly specialized products to very exacting standards. Our work is extremely high-stakes and errors could be extraordinarily costly for our clients in terms of money and even human lives. Although my specific department is not directly involved in any of that work, the company still […] Read the full article →
do I have any chance of fixing my dysfunctional job? by Alison Green on July 21, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a medium-sized company that has recently exploded in growth. Our culture and history has always been to do things independently, and as a result, much of our staff (including senior executives, directors, and managers) is home grown, with little experience outside of this company. Perhaps you can already see […] Read the full article →
my employee thinks coronavirus is a hoax by Alison Green on July 21, 2020 A reader writes: One of my employees has been vocal about the coronavirus being a hoax. I had to have a talk with him during our last few days in the office at the end of March because he was openly criticizing and mocking coworkers for “being afraid of the flu” and practicing social distancing. […] Read the full article →
no one is communicating with me during my furlough, interview assignments, and more by Alison Green on July 21, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Who was in the wrong on this interview assignment? I recently had an experience with an interview assignment that left me confused about whether I was in the wrong or not. Last week I had a screening call with an HR person and then a […] Read the full article →
is it possible to apply for a job too quickly? by Alison Green on July 20, 2020 A reader writes: I see a lot of questions about when it could be too late to apply, but very little about it being too early. I’m curious about your thoughts on applications that come in the same day the job was posted, sometimes even within one to two hours. For true entry-level positions, this […] Read the full article →
my employee posts on social media when she’s out sick by Alison Green on July 20, 2020 A reader writes: I oversee a close-knit team, and most people follow each other on social media. I noticed that the last two times one of my employees called out sick, she posted photos to Instagram during the work day hours — “selfies” of herself looking all dolled up and ready to go out. The […] Read the full article →
should I tell my boss about my anxieties from past dysfunctional jobs? by Alison Green on July 20, 2020 A reader writes: I worked for a professional services firm for 10+ years, finally leaving a couple years ago. I’ll spare you the nuances, but there were relatively frequent terminations. For perspective, my department that generally had 5-8 people had 11 terminations in a 7-year span. For those of us who were generally well performing, […] Read the full article →
boss responds to every email with “calm down,” my office is overrun with buzzwords, and more by Alison Green on July 20, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss responds to every email with “calm down” I am a woman and am very reserved in my work life. I work as a sales assistant to our sales team, so me keeping a cool head is very helpful (I think). I have an […] Read the full article →