what’s the point of making me work from the office to “collaborate” if no one else is here? by Alison Green on January 31, 2022 A reader writes: I work at a large nonprofit that went totally remote at the beginning of the pandemic (previously very few people had been allowed to work remotely on any kind of regular basis). Remote work proved both effective and popular. However, as time has gone on, our leadership has mandated first one day, then […] Read the full article →
my employee quit smoking and has become cranky at work by Alison Green on January 31, 2022 A reader writes: I have an employee, “Joy,” who is a lifelong smoker. Joy is a member of my leadership team, and has been a great asset for the three years I’ve worked with her. Recently, she decided to quit smoking. I’m really proud of her, and she’s been doing an awesome job at sticking […] Read the full article →
the new hire who showed up is not the same person we interviewed by Alison Green on January 31, 2022 A reader writes: This is a situation currently unfolding at my husband’s office so I’m a very amused bystander and thought I’d get your opinion on this craziness. My husband works in IT and is on the leadership team at a midsized private company. He was part of a panel that recently interviewed a number […] Read the full article →
the tyrant and the coffeemaker, a clothes-obsessed coworker, and more by Alison Green on January 31, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. A tyrant and a coffeemaker This situation happened years ago, when I was much newer to an office environment, and I wonder how it could have been handled better. Within a week of starting a new job, my manager told me not to drink the […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – January 29-30, 2022 by Alison Green on January 29, 2022 This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper, by Hilary Liftin. Clearly inspired by the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, this is an account of an up-and-coming […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on January 28, 2022 It’s your Friday good news! 1. “One of my favorite things about your site is that you not only provide realistic scripts, you often include insight into the most effective tone to use as well. For me, this translated into an $18K pay bump (!). Backstory – while training a new male colleague I learned […] Read the full article →
open thread – January 28-29, 2022 by Alison Green on January 28, 2022 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. * […] Read the full article →
shower thoughts, managing without a private office, and more by Alison Green on January 28, 2022 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Saying you had an idea in the shower I’m an engineer. We often have tricky problems to solve. Sometimes we work out the solution collaboratively at work. And sometimes, someone will have a great idea on their own, outside of a work setting. More than […] Read the full article →
a medical issue means I have to keep saying no … but I don’t want to over-share by Alison Green on January 27, 2022 A reader writes: How do I quickly and dispassionately explain why I can’t participate in a work project (ever!) without putting the other person in uncomfortable position of having to express sorrow for me? I’m employed in a highly specialized, technical career where I interact with motivated, passionate people who have all kinds of projects […] Read the full article →
updates: director is so bad that everyone is leaving, and more by Alison Green on January 27, 2022 Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. Director is so bad that everyone is leaving (#3 at the link) In the last 3 months no more people have left and we finally managed to hire on a few people to manage the overflow. The director finally hired my coworker to be the new manager […] Read the full article →