weekend open thread – April 29-30, 2023 by Alison Green on April 28, 2023 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: Romantic Comedy, by Curtis Sittenfeld. A woman working on a show clearly inspired by SNL becomes annoyed at how many of her average male […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on April 28, 2023 It’s your Friday good news! 1. “After over a decade at a tiny company where I basically ran and WAS 4 different departments, I was completely frazzled by all of the shifting priorities and running around trying to keep up with my core tasks and any other tasks put on me by the company leaders. […] Read the full article →
open thread – April 28-29, 2023 by Alison Green on April 28, 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 was accused of eavesdropping, am I supposed to miss class for job interviews, and more by Alison Green on April 28, 2023 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I was accused of eavesdropping at a coworker’s door Yesterday my direct supervisor pulled me into the office and told me that our CEO, Kathy, pulled her into her office and stated that there was a complaint that I had been seen eavesdropping outside of […] Read the full article →
my company decided to close for 2 weeks last year — and charged me a chunk of this year’s PTO for it by Alison Green on April 27, 2023 A reader writes: I have a question I’ve been curious about since it happened to me at the end of last year. My company decided that since a “large portion of the company” had not used their PTO, they were going to close the company for the last two weeks of the year. Anyone with […] Read the full article →
Ask a Manager in the media by Alison Green on April 27, 2023 Here’s some coverage of Ask a Manager in the media recently: I talked with British Vogue about what to do if you’re being laid off. The BBC referenced the AAM letter from the person who got in trouble for wearing the same dress every day. CBS News referenced the AAM letter from the person whose […] Read the full article →
what admin assistants really want from their coworkers by Alison Green on April 27, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question — and since yesterday was Administrative Professionals Day, this is timely. A reader writes: I’d love to talk about what other admins would like in their job to feel appreciated and perform effectively. We’ve established we don’t want flowers on Secretary’s Day, so I’d love to centralize what […] Read the full article →
should my spouse have to be background checked for my job, one-way video interviews, and more by Alison Green on April 27, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My work assignment would require my spouse to be fingerprinted and background checked As part of my job, I’ve been tasked with securing a permit for the organization to serve alcohol at an upcoming event. In our jurisdiction, this requires submitting extensive personal information, background […] Read the full article →
my boss keeps asking me to do things that aggravate our community partners by Alison Green on April 26, 2023 A reader writes: I started working for a nonprofit last year. I work with our community partners a lot, and our director, “Fergus,’ likes to ask me to ask them for things without telling me they already said no. He’d tell you that he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t take no for an answer. […] Read the full article →
update: my employee wastes a huge amount of everyone’s time with “helpful” suggestions and questioning by Alison Green on April 26, 2023 Remember the letter-writer whose employee was wasting a huge amount of everyone’s time with “helpful” suggestions and questioning? Here’s the update. First, thank you, Alison, for your insight, suggestions, and scripts. And a huge thank you to all of the commenters for their wise words. I referenced your answer and the comments many times. After […] Read the full article →