my boss will not physically acknowledge me in social settings by Alison Green on July 14, 2021 A reader writes: I’ve noticed something odd about how my boss talks to me. He doesn’t physically acknowledge me in social settings — if I’m standing in a group with him and others, he doesn’t look at me at all, but he does look at everyone else. I can’t remember the last time he looked […] Read the full article →
false affair rumors, a boss who talks of self-harm, and more by Alison Green on July 14, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How to handle false affair rumors Your recent post about the suspicious boyfriend reminded me of something that happened to me six years back, and I’m curious how you’d handle it. At the time I was new to the company and being trained by Sansa, […] Read the full article →
do employers set up secret “gotcha” tests for job candidates? by Alison Green on July 13, 2021 A reader writes: A few years ago, I was applying to a position (entry level, only about a year or so out of college) and I noticed a fairly obvious spelling error in the job posting. It has been a few years so the exact error escapes me now, but it was one that was […] Read the full article →
why haven’t I heard back after my interview? by Alison Green on July 13, 2021 You had a great job interview, seemed to connect with your interviewer, and left feeling good about your chances. The employer told you to expect to hear something in a week … but now two weeks have gone by and you’ve heard nothing. Should you reach back out? Is the silence a bad sign? And […] Read the full article →
my coworker sends us incessant updates about her kid by Alison Green on July 13, 2021 A reader writes: My office is working from home and so long as you get your work done, it’s looking to be a permanent change. The only people asked to return are those who struggle with their work or don’t have reliable internet service. My team is very small with only six of us, so […] Read the full article →
employee is trying to force me to accept a loan I don’t want, a raise for covering for remote coworkers, and more by Alison Green on July 13, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee is trying to force me to accept a loan I never asked for Due to my spouse’s disability and my working full-time, we hire a cleaner for two hours every week. She’s pleasant but lacks punctuality and gossips non-stop. During one of these gossip […] Read the full article →
update: my manager is annoyed that I keep getting Saturdays off by Alison Green on July 12, 2021 Remember the letter-writer who had found a way to see in advance which Saturdays he’d be required to work and was requesting them all off before he could be scheduled, despite being required to work them? His manager knew something was going on but couldn’t figure out how he was getting the info in advance. […] Read the full article →
my freelancers don’t turn in work on time by Alison Green on July 12, 2021 A reader writes: I manage 15-20 part-time, remote freelancers. Let’s say our end-client sells access to a recipe database; my job is to find great recipe writers, teach them how to develop recipes according to our house standards, and then get them creating recipes for us on a regular basis. Once a recipe is submitted, […] Read the full article →
my trust fund coworker bullies staff for being “poor” by Alison Green on July 12, 2021 A reader writes: We just got a new team member a few months ago, “Lucy.” Lucy makes no secret about it that she’s a trust-fund kid: private schools, Ivy League, owns a fancy horse, the works. She’s like a stereotype from a bad sitcom. She’s in a role parallel with mine and we have to […] Read the full article →
unfireable employee is having affair with the boss, dealing with a pushy donor, and more by Alison Green on July 12, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Low-performing employee might be having an affair with the company owner I was hired to oversee the day-to-day operations and strategic planning for a small company. There was a woman who was doing this job before I was hired, but she didn’t do it well. […] Read the full article →