is it OK to say “Jesus Christ” as an expression of frustration at work? by Alison Green on May 24, 2022 A reader writes: Is “Jesus Christ” an inappropriate substitution for swear words in the workplace? I have an employee, Angela, who has approached management (not me directly, but someone who reports to me) because she is uncomfortable with her colleague’s use of “Jesus Christ” when frustrated. Instead of a grunt when picking up something, Phyllis […] Read the full article →
my boss doesn’t know I’ve stopped going into the office, does everyone job-hop now, and more by Alison Green on May 24, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’ve stopped going into the office and my boss doesn’t know I work for a “big 3” company in our industry. During Covid, the entire company went permanent WFH. Once restrictions started lifting and cases decreased, they brought us back in the office four days […] Read the full article →
someone tampered with an employee’s smelly shoes and now there are hurt feelings by Alison Green on May 23, 2022 A reader writes: I’m the safety manager at a small manufacturing company. Last week I was having a friendly chat with someone out in manufacturing (Fred) and somehow he got on the topic of a coworker’s (Bill’s) shoes smelling bad and how they all try to get out of the locker room before Bill takes […] Read the full article →
workers are being forced to put up with truly awful behavior from the public by Alison Green on May 23, 2022 If you have the sense that we’re living in a ruder, more hostile world, you’re not alone. Some of that hostility has gotten a lot of attention—like the aggression directed toward flight attendants for enforcing mask mandates or the rise in assaults on health care workers—but what’s gotten less attention is that workers in nearly […] Read the full article →
my boss removed me from a work trip because I’m a woman by Alison Green on May 23, 2022 A reader writes: I work for a government organization that is a subset of county government. In this organization, very rarely, employees may be sent on trips to pick up items that cannot be mailed. These trips vary from one hour to eight hours round trip. Last week, my department had one of these trips, […] Read the full article →
manager came to work with Covid, can I have stickers on my wheelchair, and more by Alison Green on May 23, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Manager came to work with Covid and infected high-risk people My partner works in a small regional office (of a larger company) with about 12 other employees. He has worked there through the entire pandemic and has been fairly up-front about the fact that his […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – May 21-22, 2022 by Alison Green on May 20, 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: Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel. I don’t know what to say about this! There’s a writer on a book tour and a detective […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on May 20, 2022 It’s your Friday good news! 1. “I’ve been a reader for half a year, but I’ve never actually written in. (I did type up a longwinded question and leave it in the drafts once, though!) I certainly didn’t think that I’d be writing a letter for Friday Good News, but here we are. I work […] Read the full article →
open thread – May 20-21, 2022 by Alison Green on May 20, 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 →
I’m drowning in work, mentioning my dad in a job application, and more by Alison Green on May 20, 2022 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I’m drowning in work and don’t know if my expectations are unreasonable I finally got a job in my field after graduating in 2020. It’s my first entry-level role in marketing, and in the beginning (nine months ago) I enjoyed it so much, but in […] Read the full article →