my coworkers are asking if my pregnancy was planned by Alison Green on June 30, 2022 A reader writes: I’m a 23-year-old woman. I work as a teacher, but I have a second job that I work two or three nights a week. It’s a food service job, where most of the staff are 20-25-year-old women. I am 12 weeks pregnant. I told my boss at the restaurant a few weeks […] Read the full article →
update: my boss will not physically acknowledge me in social settings by Alison Green on June 30, 2022 Remember the letter-writer whose boss would not physically acknowledge her in social settings? Here’s the update. Thank you for answering my question! It was so helpful and validating to know that yes, this was bizarre, as well as encouraging me to broach it with my boss. Because it didn’t affect our working relationship hugely, I […] Read the full article →
I was a public speaking coach – but I can’t speak up in meetings by Alison Green on June 30, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m hoping that you can offer some advice on how to speak up in meetings or other large groups. This is something I’ve struggled with for a long time – but I feel like I’ve hit a point where it’s starting to hold me back […] Read the full article →
working from home with a 4-year-old, my husband was bullied by the office jerk, and more by Alison Green on June 30, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Working from home with a four-year-old My partner and his four-year-old daughter just moved into my place and, while I already struggled with working from home, it has become increasingly difficult almost on the brink of impossibility. She’s a high-energy kid, and I’m a low-energy […] Read the full article →
my remote boss wants to know every time I go to the bathroom by Alison Green on June 29, 2022 A reader writes: I recently started working under a different manager at the same job. He works remotely, so we communicate over texting/messaging for the most part. A couple weeks ago, we had a catch-up on the phone and he asked if messaging is the best system for me, since he noticed I didn’t respond […] Read the full article →
some Ask a Manager books by Alison Green on June 29, 2022 You need an Ask a Manager book! Here’s what’s available: Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work In this book, published by Ballantine/Random House, I tackle more than 200 of the tough conversations you might need to have during your career and give you […] Read the full article →
my coworker is living in my boss’s house — and we all work there too by Alison Green on June 29, 2022 A reader writes: I have bizarre and sensitive situation, and I just don’t know what to make of it, and what (if anything) I should do! I work in a very small business. There are five employees (three part-time, two full-time) plus our owner, and our work happens in our boss’s house (which has been […] Read the full article →
I lost my temper at a teammate, coworkers keep using my desk, and more by Alison Green on June 29, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I lost my temper at a teammate who said I was rude I’m a student doing my final year group project. To get my degree, a large project has to be completed by a team of five. My teammate, Nora, had an internship as the project […] Read the full article →
the new hires at work are driving me up a wall by Alison Green on June 28, 2022 A reader writes: My team has been going through a lot of changes over the past couple of months after years of very little turnover. The changes are not necessarily bad: the company has been giving lots of promotions out, although a couple of people have left the company for better opportunities. They certainly have […] Read the full article →
how do I talk with my incompetent boss about his ridiculously inaccurate organizational chart? by Alison Green on June 28, 2022 A reader writes: My boss, the executive director of a small nonprofit, is grossly incompetent. I won’t go into detail, but please trust that I have it on good authority (friends, colleagues, peers, veteran HR professionals outside of the organization – two of them!) that I am right and he’s completely out of his depth. […] Read the full article →