should I get rid of remote work because our in-office staff thinks it’s unfair? by Alison Green on November 15, 2022 A reader writes: I am a department head for a state government agency. During Covid, our agency was considered a critical service. Our department has two distinct areas. To keep this anonymous, I’m going to use llamas as a stand-in. So let’s say we have one area where we accept llama farm documentation, record it, […] Read the full article →
can I ask my new employee to babysit, my boss thinks I lack confidence but I don’t, and more by Alison Green on November 15, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Could I ask my new employee to babysit? I have a question that is currently hypothetical, but may be reality soon. We are looking at hiring our fantastic college intern onto our team, and I would likely be managing her. She also loves kids, and […] Read the full article →
my new boss scolded us about our private chat messages by Alison Green on November 14, 2022 A reader writes: I’m wondering how to address a doozy of an email my new boss sent yesterday, which has left my coworkers and me uncomfortable and a bit panicky. In this email to my whole department, she stated HR and senior leadership had informed her about a private chat group connected to our team […] Read the full article →
how can I stop my office’s “I’m sorry” culture? by Alison Green on November 14, 2022 A reader writes: Do you have any advice on how to stop the “I’m sorry” culture in the workplace? I’m finding my colleagues have created an extreme case of this culture, saying they’re sorry for being out sick, sorry for asking a question, sorry for needing to leave early to pick up their kids. Even […] Read the full article →
I work at Twitter … what do I do? by Alison Green on November 14, 2022 A reader writes: I work at Twitter and have been there for many years. As I’m sure you’ve seen, Twitter was just bought by Elon Musk and ever since the deal closed two weeks ago, the company has been literally falling apart. I was fortunate enough to survive the round of layoffs in his first […] Read the full article →
my boss keeps weed in the office, should I warn coworkers about my chin tuck, and more by Alison Green on November 14, 2022 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss keeps marijuana plants in the office I live in Texas where cannabis, recreational or medical, is enough to get you sent to jail. It also doesn’t help that we’re in a conservative rural town with law enforcement eager to take you down for […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – November 12-13, 2022 by Alison Green on November 11, 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: Little Children, by Tom Perrotta. Two suburban parents, both aimlessly drifting in unsatisfying marriages, are drawn into an affair against a backdrop of stultifying […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on November 11, 2022 It’s your Friday good news! 1. “I was headhunted for my current job as the only person in the world at the time to do what I do, and after 3.5 years received a raise that brought me to more than double what I had been at the old job. I really enjoy the people […] Read the full article →
open thread – November 11-12, 2022 by Alison Green on November 11, 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 →
we can’t get the highest performance rating 2 years in a row, holding a retreat at a coworker’s house, and more by Alison Green on November 11, 2022 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Our performance rating can’t be “exceeding expectations” for two years in a row I joined my current company a little over two years ago, where I work on a team of five people within a larger department of about 100. At the end of the […] Read the full article →