Ask a Manager in the media

by Alison Green on July 22, 2021

Here’s some coverage of Ask a Manager in the media recently:

I talked to the New York Times about crying at work.

I talked to PBS about how what people want from work has shifted in the past year.

I talked to Vox about pressure to have been productive during the pandemic.

I talked to Poynter about advice columns.

I talked to Mic about advice columns too.

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  2. PinkiePieWorksHard*

    Regarding the Vox article, I think a pandemic productivity question is highly useful — it lets me know that this is an interviewer lacking in empathy and for whom trauma is a commodity. It lets me know to run for the hills.

    1. Jay*

      It definitely shows they didn’t think it through.

      I remember late last year, one of my coworkers said something to that extent, and I replied that I hadn’t had time to be productive between recovering from getting sick at the start of lockdown and all my usual responsibilities. They paused and said, “Huh, I never thought of it like that.” Turned out even they hadn’t developed any new skills or anything, besides something really small (think making a few new recipes), and it took us having that conversation for them to realize that the narrative being pushed by so many online sources wasn’t actually reality for most people – even for themself once they thought about it.

      1. TeaCoziesRUs*

        I’m active in the Enneagram community and had to push back against one of the top tier teachers because he’d posted about using this time to really get into meditation and inner work. I posted up that my work was finding patience and remembering my breath as I juggled parenting homeschooled kids, getting ready to move mid-pandemic, etc. I try to normalize the struggle of survival being okay in this midst of this chaos for those who are also struggling. It’s totally okay if you didn’t use this past 18 months to learn how to make bread or craft sausage by hand or make a dress by hand or whatever!

    2. OyHiOh*

      I used the pandemic to have a mental breakdown, move in with family for half a year, and start twice a week therapy. I have also down some positive, ambitious things, but the “highlight” was certainly the mental health things that happened, which I absolutely most certainly would not wish to discuss in an interview!

      1. Pikachu*

        Yes. I spent years burying all of my mental health issues with “productivity.” Nobody can tell you’re nonfunctional if you’re hitting targets. The pandemic gave me no choice but to finally deal with it all.

  3. Nikki*

    I used to cry all the time at work. Thanks to Alison, I saw that it was a bad situation for me and found a new job with better pay and way less stress. It’s been months and I’ve never cried at my new job. :)

  4. Glad You Are A Manager*

    Alison – just wanted to say you are killing it! Love your posts and articles. Thanks for doing what you do!

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