a tale of two companies by Alison Green on October 19, 2020 I want to highlight two very different approaches by employers that were described in the comments on one of last week’s letters. The first: My friend just texted me and her office is doing “pants and shoes checks” before Zoom meetings to make sure people are complying with the dress code 100% even if you […] Read the full article →
my manager has a million questions about EVERYTHING by Alison Green on October 19, 2020 A reader writes: Please help me identify some strategies to appropriately communicate with my new supervisor (“Jane”), who excessively questions *everything*. For context, I am a mid-level manager in the U.S. government, and she is my new supervisor who has never managed before. The excessive questioning covers almost all aspects of our work, but a […] Read the full article →
boss criticizes people publicly, coworker spouts conspiracy theories, and more by Alison Green on October 19, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss criticizes people publicly and is often wrong Norma, our boss, has a habit of speaking rather harshly to employees, including myself, often without fully understanding the situation. The other day, she loudly and publicly berated me for perceived errors on a document, saying, […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – October 17-18, 2020 by Alison Green on October 17, 2020 Tech update: We closed comments for a while to work on the site but they’re back up now. There may be continuing technical weirdness on Sunday as the work continues; don’t be alarmed. This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for […] Read the full article →
Friday good news by Alison Green on October 16, 2020 It is your Friday good news, with more accounts of success even in this weird time. 1. The minute theaters were recommended to close for Covid I pretty much knew I wouldn’t have a job to go back to when they opened again – and sure enough, I was furloughed at Easter and laid off […] Read the full article →
nude spouses and no muting: when video calls go wrong by Alison Green on October 16, 2020 With so many people working from home now, lots of us are spending our days on more conference calls and video calls than ever before — and it’s pretty evident that we don’t have the etiquette mastered. I recorded a piece for the BBC about the many conference call and video call mishaps and misjudgments […] Read the full article →
open thread – October 16-17, 2020 by Alison Green on October 16, 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 (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * […] Read the full article →
should we just give money for the holidays, boss drops stress bombs, and more by Alison Green on October 16, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. What should we do for the holidays this year? I’m the boss’s wife. I also, a little bit, work for the company. In addition to the small number of things I do, I’m responsible for the annual holiday party. Every year, we throw a big […] Read the full article →
how can I encourage complaints from my employees? by Alison Green on October 15, 2020 A reader writes: I’m relatively new to management. I’ve been in my role for about a year and a half. Prior to this, I haven’t had direct reports for over 20 years, and even then it was only for a year. All of my other friends who have been people managers say the worst part […] Read the full article →
what’s the ideal personality type for a manager? by Alison Green on October 15, 2020 A reader writes: I consistently test one specific personality type on the Myers-Briggs personality test (it’s INTJ). I am great at planning and developing long-term, big idea strategies for my organization, but I really struggle making personal connections with staff. It kills me when hourly staff show up five minutes late for work, which I […] Read the full article →