2 of my coworkers spend all their time together and don’t do any work by Alison Green on January 6, 2021 A reader writes: I work in a training environment. One of my colleagues, who I’ll call Nikki, joined us 12 months ago. Jack works in an adjacent department a few floors down. They are both trainers but Nikki is still unqualified (this is a huge problem but not the point of this particular query) so […] Read the full article →
my boss bought me new clothes, couriers who don’t wear masks, and more by Alison Green on January 6, 2021 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My boss bought new clothes for me I work at a furniture store and just had an odd meeting with my store manager and am not sure what to think. My sales have been low this last month so we had to do a touch […] Read the full article →
I accidentally threw a sandwich and it caused a work crisis by Alison Green on January 5, 2021 A reader writes: OK, this is a ridiculous situation, but it’s also serious and spiralled out of control (we think?) and my coworker and I dug ourselves into a hole by staying silent. Our grandboss is, let’s say, frosty. Elegant, always in glorious suits, not-a-hair-out-of-place Anna Wintour type. Renton is a younger (30ish) lad-type. He’s […] Read the full article →
should I disclose my depression to my boss? by Alison Green on January 5, 2021 A reader writes: Does it ever make sense to let an employer know that you suffer from depression? I take an antidepressant daily. I’m not seeing a therapist. I would call it more of a functional depression, where I can live with it, but at times it can feel worse and I have to force […] Read the full article →
I work at a boarding school and my partner can’t visit during the week because we’re unmarried by Alison Green on January 5, 2021 A reader writes: It’s pandemic times now, but this question will still hold once things have calmed down. I am a residential faculty member at a boarding school, just out of college. I have a partner of several years who lives a couple hours away by train, and I would like him to be able […] Read the full article →
I have a crush on an older coworker, my wife read her boss’s diary, and more by Alison Green on January 5, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I have a crush on an older coworker, and we’re hanging out outside of work I am a 21-year-old male who has worked for the same men’s clothing company for four years now. I have worked at a few different locations. For three years I […] Read the full article →
my coworker put a magical curse on her boss by Alison Green on January 4, 2021 I am very happy to be starting 2021 with a letter about witchcraft. A reader writes: I am an employee at a gas station. We have been hiring new people to fill a few positions, and I have been asked to train our new members of the team. When I was training one of my […] Read the full article →
my team’s assistant is grumpy and impatient by Alison Green on January 4, 2021 A reader writes: My team’s administrative assistant, Olga, is incredibly impatient, and expects me to quickly complete things that I don’t have any control over. For example, I work often with her on finalizing the contracts for freelancers that we work with. She will create the contract and I will email it to the freelancer, […] Read the full article →
we went to the home of an employee who didn’t show up for work — and it went badly by Alison Green on January 4, 2021 A reader writes: Years ago, my husband owned a small computer business with a few employees. I occasionally helped him with it. One of the employees was an insulin-dependent middle-aged woman who lived alone. She had always been very reliable until one morning when she didn’t show up for work and didn’t answer her phone. […] Read the full article →
my boss is upset I won’t drive long distances, getting reimbursed for pole dancing classes, and more by Alison Green on January 4, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss is frustrated that I won’t drive long distances by myself My job involves some emergency response (not all the time). One of the main sites where we get called to respond is a 5-6 hour drive from the office. The problem: I’m not […] Read the full article →