how to manage an employee with anxiety by Alison Green on February 17, 2021 A reader writes: I have a talented employee who gets paralyzed trying to do new things. When there is a roadmap and it’s something he’s comfortable with, he does a great job. He’s smart and his ideas are usually great. To move into the next step in his career, he needs to start driving new […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps criticizing my food by Alison Green on February 17, 2021 Dear AAM, We had a pandemic baby and we decided for safety reasons it was better to be exposed to one person (a nanny) versus the potentially hundreds in a daycare setting. The expense for even 40 hours of her time is a tight squeeze for us, but we’ve found someone who is overall fantastic. […] Read the full article →
the best time of day to apply for jobs, working for an unethical industry, and more by Alison Green on February 17, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is my CEO stringing me along in her succession planning? I work for a small nonprofit (12 employees). Seven years ago, I was wooed to my current position of vice president by the CEO/president, with the explicit plan that I will take over and run […] Read the full article →
when asked about salary, I say “I’ll start for $X and earn the rest through merit” by Alison Green on February 16, 2021 A reader writes: Here’s what I’ve been doing when it comes to salary negotiation: When asked what I want, I’ll say something like, “I’ll start for $120k/year and earn the rest through merit.” How does that sound to you? First, I don’t care if they secretly budgeted $150k. Their budget doesn’t determine my value. I […] Read the full article →
is it irresponsible to quit my job without having another one lined up? by Alison Green on February 16, 2021 A reader writes: I have been at my company in a support role for over two years. I was under the impression from the very beginning that I was on a promotion track, and I thought my boss and I were on the same page. Long story short, I endured two years of belittling, gaslighting, […] Read the full article →
my company punishes single people who have to quarantine more than once — but not married people by Alison Green on February 16, 2021 A reader writes: I was recently told during a company-wide training by my company’s HR department that employees who have to be quarantined more than once a semester will have to work remotely but still take sick days and/or vacation time. We were also told that while HR understands and will make exceptions for families […] Read the full article →
my coworker is copying my look, I blasted a recruiter for not answering me, and more by Alison Green on February 16, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is copying my clothes and hair Imagine working in an office and having someone copying everything you wear. The person is my coworker who sits next to me. We are medical professionals seeing the same patients. She comes from a rural area and […] Read the full article →
thoughts on rejection from a hiring manager in a competitive field by Alison Green on February 15, 2021 After last week’s letter from someone who was frustrated because she kept getting rejected for writing jobs, a hiring manager in a competitive field sent me this: We recently hired for a junior role in a competitive field at an organization with a globally recognized name and a reputation as a generous employer locally. I […] Read the full article →
my employee debates every assignment by Alison Green on February 15, 2021 A reader writes: I have a direct report who argues every change or new task that is assigned, including changes the entire team is being asked to comply with. She frequently argues that she feels some other team should be responsible for the task or complains no other team is having to do it and […] Read the full article →
I was used as a public example of what not to do at a team meeting by Alison Green on February 15, 2021 A reader writes: Today we had our monthly team meeting, in which our managerial team usually chooses one topic to discuss and instruct the rest of the team on. Let’s say the work we do is llama grooming and today’s instruction was about the tone we use when writing the llama grooming documents. My grandboss, […] Read the full article →