weekend open thread – April 23-24, 2022 by Alison Green on April 23, 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: The Intangible, by C.J. Washington. It’s about a woman who’s not pregnant but is convinced she is, and what happens around her. I make a commission […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on April 22, 2022 It’s your Friday good news! 1. “Through the years of reading your site, you’ve constantly said that no one needs to have 100% of the qualifications listed in the job posting in order to apply. In the fall, I finally listened to you, applied for a fantastic position, and was so excited to have an […] Read the full article →
open thread – April 22-23, 2022 by Alison Green on April 22, 2022 It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions 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 take your questions to […] Read the full article →
employee is too focused on typos, can I put my cat’s TikTok account on my resume, and more by Alison Green on April 22, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee is too focused on typos I am a new manager with a new employee who is a couple months in, and she has a habit of calling out my errors. Some are super silly spelling errors as I am training and typing at […] Read the full article →
my professor wants us to walk into local businesses and ask if we can do a free project for them by Alison Green on April 21, 2022 A reader writes: In two of my classes so far in college, we have been required to divide into groups of students and find a client in the community, usually a small business, nonprofit, or the like, and do a website or other IT, design, or technical communications work for them. Yes, for free. We […] Read the full article →
updates: my coworker won’t take corrections, the swollen face, and more by Alison Green on April 21, 2022 Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. My coworker won’t take corrections and blames his mental health I have an update! Thank you and the commenters so much for the advice on the previous question! When I went to my manager with the actual data on the amount of time lost on his quality […] Read the full article →
I know my colleagues with kids are struggling … but it’s causing more work for me by Alison Green on April 21, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I think this is just a question of checking in with myself and better enforcing boundaries, but here goes: I’m childless in my late thirties, so I am: 1) surrounded by parents of young kids 2) constantly flexing or taking extra work for colleagues, folks […] Read the full article →
my employer is pushing a sketchy healthcare app, high-pressure interviewer, and more by Alison Green on April 21, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is my employer pushing a healthcare app as sketchy as it feels? I’ve worked at my company for more than a decade and used the health insurance offered since I started. While I love my job, I’ve not always agreed with upper management’s decisions. But […] Read the full article →
my boss called a mysterious meeting with me and I’m afraid I’m going to be fired by Alison Green on April 20, 2022 I sometimes correspond privately with people who send me letters. I’m sharing this exchange (with the writer’s permission) because it’s something lot of people worry about. The initial letter: Hi Alison, I’ve been getting great feedback from my boss lately. However, we recently had 2 employees who were fired and I’m on edge. I was […] Read the full article →
my employee is missing too much work, but always has reasons by Alison Green on April 20, 2022 A reader writes: I have an employee who always has something happen that prevents him from coming to work on time or at all at least once per week. He will text me that morning and say, “My dog was sick all night and we need to take him to the vet” (both he and […] Read the full article →