updates: the secret Santa underwear gift, the discriminating boss, and more by Alison Green on August 6, 2020 Here are three updates from people who had their letters answered here in the past. 1. My coworker is giving a colleague underwear in our Secret Santa I wrote to you in November about my colleague (let’s call him Andy) who thought it was a good idea to give underwear as a present for Secret […] Read the full article →
I’m struggling with working at home during COVID-19 by Alison Green on August 6, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. This week, it’s two questions on the same theme. A reader writes: What suggestions and recommendations do you have on staying productive and proactive while working from home with COVID stress? To give context, I’m incredibly fortunate to work for a company that has remained profitable and revenue […] Read the full article →
new job while going through a break-up, thanking husband’s boss for a bonus, and more by Alison Green on August 6, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m grieving a break-up and just started a new job I ended a long-term relationship last week, and I’m feeling all the things you would expect: grief, stress, distraction, and more. I work remotely, so I thought I would be able to keep my regular […] Read the full article →
should I ask my employee to find her own coverage for sick calls? by Alison Green on August 5, 2020 A reader writes: I have an employee who tends to call out more frequently than all the others in the organization. We work in a small 24/7 clinical-based office where technicians can all manage one another’s duties, which sometimes include on-call responsibilities. When a technician calls out sick, coverage is needed in order for us […] Read the full article →
I overheard a client badmouthing my team by Alison Green on August 5, 2020 A reader writes: I recently had a voicemail from a dissatisfied client with whom we frequently collaborate. She had called to notify me of a mistake made by my department, but at the end neglected to hang up her phone properly before commenting on my team’s lack of intelligence and other similarly unflattering remarks. Of […] Read the full article →
my older male coworker is obsessed with my weight and baby plans by Alison Green on August 5, 2020 A reader writes: I am a 30something newlywed woman and have been at my current job for just over a year and a half. Prior to accepting my job, my health took a devastating blow and I learned that I had a very rare genetic disorder and had two baseball size tumors in my digestive […] Read the full article →
how to explain a late professional start, demotions, and more by Alison Green on August 5, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How to explain my late professional start I’m what I think of as a professional late bloomer. I was “home-schooled” in a chaotic, dysfunctional home from first through twelfth grades by my mother, a woman who had never gone to college and who frequently struggled […] Read the full article →
I like to give small gifts at work — am I doing anything wrong? by Alison Green on August 4, 2020 A reader writes: I have a question about gift-giving at work. I agree with the idea overall that gifts should flow downward. That said, I’m the type of person that sometimes shows appreciation by giving someone something small. I suppose you could say my “love language” is gift-giving. I never feel pressured to give a […] Read the full article →
I deeply dislike my try-hard coworker by Alison Green on August 4, 2020 A reader writes: Let me just say up front, you’re going to think I’m a jerk. The problem is, I deeply dislike someone I work with, someone everyone else seems to enjoy, but who nonetheless drains me of my happiness whenever they enter my atmosphere. A few months ago, I was promoted to a position […] Read the full article →
do my clothes and car make me look like I don’t “need” a job — and is that a problem? by Alison Green on August 4, 2020 A reader writes: My question relates to interview attire and accessories. I am an attorney with just under 15 years of experience. Many of those years have been spent in self employment, which I fear already impedes/impacts my job search. Recently my family relocated, within our home state, to accommodate my husband’s career as he […] Read the full article →