can an intern refuse to do menial office tasks? by Alison Green on March 15, 2023 A reader writes: I work at a company with the general rule that any work you don’t want to do can be delegated to an intern. (Our interns are all paid and students.) Interns often find themselves assigned random menial tasks, like reformatting a PDF for a manager who can’t be bothered. On the reverse […] Read the full article →
managers on a rampage about cell phones, new hire said I should have told him about my maternity leave earlier, and more by Alison Green on March 15, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our managers are on a rampage about cell phones I’m an exempt employee who works hybrid. We were fully remote since March 2020, but the CEO decided we needed to come into the office four days a week as of last week. As soon as […] Read the full article →
the CEO makes us rank our personal lives at team meetings by Alison Green on March 14, 2023 A reader writes: The CEO of the company I work for likes to be very involved in everyone’s lives and has stated that by being vulnerable and open about what’s going on outside of work, we will perform better on the job. At company meetings, she makes the whole team rank both our work and […] Read the full article →
here’s a huge discount on the Ask a Manager job-searching bible by Alison Green on March 14, 2023 Looking for a job? Once a year, I offer a big discount on my my e-book, How to Get a Job: Secrets of a Hiring Manager, and it’s happening now. Use this discount code today for a massive 40% discount off the regular $24.95 price: newjob If you’ve ever wished that you could look into the brain of […] Read the full article →
is it reasonable for our office to go so fragrance-free that we have to change every product we use at home? by Alison Green on March 14, 2023 A reader writes: I work in a government office which is currently almost exclusively remote. We recently received an invitation to a not-quite-mandatory large (~50 person) in-person event which came with a note: This is a fragrance-free meeting: Please help us to accommodate our coworkers who are chemically sensitive to products with fragrance (scented). Thank […] Read the full article →
I got drunk at a work event, can I be friends with managers who aren’t MY manager, and more by Alison Green on March 14, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I got drunk at a work event — but it was because of my medication I have been at my company for six years and attend two or three in-person events a year that always include alcohol. The last event, my pharmacy gave me a […] Read the full article →
update: my boss and coworkers are constantly at my house by Alison Green on March 13, 2023 Remember the letter-writer whose boss and coworkers were constantly at her house — storing equipment there, holding meetings there, and even stopping by to use her bathroom? Here’s the update. First off, I want to thank you and the commenters for the advice. I hadn’t realized how ridiculous my situation had become, probably because small-town […] Read the full article →
how can I hire good people to work in a dysfunctional organization? by Alison Green on March 13, 2023 A reader writes: My small organization is currently in transition. We have had significant staff turnover in the last two years, and the result has pushed the organization into a level of dysfunction that I know will drive many good quality candidates away. However, I still have to hire people (I have two positions currently […] Read the full article →
I’m a public employee and the governor pushes religion at work by Alison Green on March 13, 2023 A reader writes: Unlike the bulk of your letters, I’m going to name my employer for two reasons: (1) I technically work for an elected official so it’s not a standard boss/employee relationship and (2) multiple reporters covered and recorded the behavior in question because these were public events. You can find it online everywhere. […] Read the full article →
my company interviewed a man for International Women’s Day, interviewing when I work in an adult business, and more by Alison Green on March 13, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My company interviewed a man to celebrate International Women’s Day My company has been around for over 100 years and is one of the big ones in Australia. To celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) they asked a man who has been with the company for […] Read the full article →