open thread – January 27-28, 2023 by Alison Green on January 27, 2023 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 fully remote but my boss wants me to come in once a week, how much personal printing is OK at work, and more by Alison Green on January 27, 2023 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My company made me fully remote — and my boss still wants me to come in once a week Recently, my company made me fully remote. I signed a contract stating that I am 100% remote. After signing the contract, I had a meeting with […] Read the full article →
how do I give notice to my boss if they’re on vacation? by Alison Green on January 26, 2023 A reader writes: I am planning to go back to school a month from now, to up-skill and ultimately career switch. Originally, I intended to provide my boss 2.5 weeks of notice before starting my program. However, I just found out this morning that my boss will be on a month-long vacation starting mid next […] Read the full article →
updates: the lying director, the apology muffins, and more by Alison Green on January 26, 2023 Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. Dealing with a horrible, lying director and management that won’t act Several years later, wanted to thank you, acknowledge how right you were, and give an update. I stayed for 3 more years after the post. Funny enough, Lying Director quit, Terrible Executive Director tried to claim […] Read the full article →
what workplace norms surprised you when you were starting out? by Alison Green on January 26, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: In my job I manage a lot of people who are new to the workforce and are just starting to learn the typical, usually-unspoken norms of working in an office environment. This could be anything from “can I call my boss by her first name?” […] Read the full article →
sharing a hotel room with a coworker when I snore, should I lie about how many cats I have, and more by Alison Green on January 26, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m sharing a hotel room with a coworker but I snore I started a new job a week ago, working remotely. A week from now, everyone in my organization is attending the big annual conference in our state for our industry. I live about an […] Read the full article →
my last company was horrible — how do I save other people from it? by Alison Green on January 25, 2023 A reader writes: I recently started a new job and escaped my previous job. The previous job was for a CEO who fancies himself a LinkedIn influencer and life coach. His actual business is a for-profit tech company. He brags about putting his employees first and people over profits. The actuality of working there was […] Read the full article →
do managers really want honest feedback? by Alison Green on January 25, 2023 A reader writes: I have a question for you about feedback — specifically, feedback that you’ve been asked to give. I’ve repeatedly been asked for feedback from managers, both at work and at the organization where I volunteer, and then it seems like the same thing always happens: the feedback vanishes into a black hole, […] Read the full article →
my boss collected money for flowers for me … and then kept it for herself by Alison Green on January 25, 2023 A reader writes: Unfortunately, seven weeks ago my dear grandmother passed away at 91. A coworker of mine told me our supervisor collected money from our team for flowers as condolences for her death. No flowers were delivered from my supervisor and team to the funeral home. Two weeks after the funeral, I found out […] Read the full article →
VP says people working from home haven’t developed as much, is “it’s so good to see you” suggestive, and more by Alison Green on January 25, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. VP says people working from home haven’t developed as much My company has announced a return to office plan for January. After the announcement last month, my VP held a meeting with our group, during which he said, “People who have been working in the […] Read the full article →