the controversial calculator, the highlighter war, and other drama over office supplies by Alison Green on October 6, 2021 Last week, we talked about drama over office supplies … and good lord did you deliver. Here are 20 of my favorite stories people shared. 1. The purple pens “I briefly was the Supply Order person, and learned REALLY fast how passionate people are about specifics, often color. We were new and had a small […] Read the full article →
writing an improvement plan for a pastor, job-searching outside of business hours, and more by Alison Green on October 6, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How do we write an improvement plan for a pastor? I am on the personnel committee for my church. We work with the senior pastor in hiring, firing, job descriptions, salary requirements etc. It’s time for annual reviews which, given the nature of the role […] Read the full article →
our Zoom meetings are a disorganized mess by Alison Green on October 5, 2021 A reader writes: This hilariously, painfully accurate TikTok dropped into my Twitter feed today. This is very true at my organization, and seems like I’m not alone. We weren’t exactly famous for starting meetings in an on-time, organized manner in pre-pandemic times, and we struggled with Zoom before it was cool, but it’s definitely gotten […] Read the full article →
my coworker complains all day long by Alison Green on October 5, 2021 A reader writes: I work in IT at a mid-sized company and my coworker, who I share an office with, does a lot of complaining. IT was understaffed at this company for a long time, and we have a huge backlog of projects, poor management, and little support from leadership. I’ve been here for nearly […] Read the full article →
my employee vents to me about her job and personal life and wants constant reassurance by Alison Green on October 5, 2021 A reader writes: I am a small business owner, managing a team of three people in addition to performing my primary job. I spend most of my day driving and working with clients while my team supports me from our office or remotely from home. All roles are client-facing and we help people who are […] Read the full article →
coworker buys us things we don’t want, putting vaccination on your resume, and more by Alison Green on October 5, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker wants us to reimburse her for purchases we never agreed to A coworker showed up on a Monday with a refrigerator and a microwave. She was so proud of herself. “Look what I did!” Well, the next day she was asking the other four […] Read the full article →
update: a coworker prayed for my fiancé’s death so we didn’t invite her to our wedding … and now there is drama by Alison Green on October 4, 2021 Remember the letter about the person who prayed for a coworker’s death, leading to a bunch of drama when she wasn’t invited to his wedding? Here’s the update — which apparently resolved before I had even printed the letter here. I wrote to you recently about my fiancé, “Ted,” who was in a car accident […] Read the full article →
I’m constantly anxious that one of my employees will quit by Alison Green on October 4, 2021 A reader writes: I manage a small team. We pay generous salaries, overtime, on-call pay, and very nice year-end bonuses. I’d like to think I am good manager – I invest in my team’s growth, I communicate expectations clearly, and I offer genuine appreciation for good work. When something goes wrong – as it always […] Read the full article →
job seekers are ghosting us on interviews and job offers by Alison Green on October 4, 2021 A reader writes: I recently made a slight career change. I went from working at a nonprofit to working for a vendor I often outsourced work to, so the people I manage now do almost the same thing as the people I managed previously. Part of my job is hiring, but I’m having a much […] Read the full article →
my boss threatened to sue me when I quit, Netflix on work laptops, and more by Alison Green on October 4, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss threatened to sue me when I resigned I’ve been at my current company for about two years. It’s a small business where the owner is very involved in the day to day business, so I see him regularly. He’s very hot-headed and I’ve […] Read the full article →