April 2021

it’s your Friday good news

It’s your Friday good news, with more accounts of success even in this weird time. 1. Even before the pandemic, I wasn’t super happy with the ethics of my company, or the way work tended to flow. I loved the people in my department, including my boss, but there were too many top-down issues that […]

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open thread – April 23-24, 2021

It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything work-related that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * […]

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can I ask contacts at other companies how much money they make?

A reader writes: Is there an acceptable way to ask distant contacts at other companies how much they’re making? I’m in a role that exists across most industries but at wildly different levels of pay and responsibility (executive assistant). I often come in contact with other industry assistants through meeting setups and other correspondence. Is […]

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updates: the partner’s employer’s quarantine requirements, the boss who thinks everything is fun, and more

Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. My partner’s employer makes me quarantine whenever I have contact with another person Thanks for posting my letter (and jumping into the comments section as well). It was really helpful for me to get outside perspectives on everything. It was hard but necessary to hear that I’ve […]

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people who have been at work all along are exhausted

We’ve talked a lot lately about how anxious many people feel over returning to their offices later this year — and how much of that stems from a break in trust in the people and institutions that have shown they can’t be counted on to protect us. But plenty of people won’t be returning to […]

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my company is planning an overnight trip with secret activities

A reader writes: My company (a young tech start-up) is planning an overnight company trip. They’ve been keeping the details secret, which has caused a lot of anxiety, especially since teasers implied that we would be going camping. They finally released a few details the week before it is set to happen, stating that we […]

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