am I supposed to thank my boss for paying me? by Alison Green on July 31, 2023 A reader writes: I’ve just had a mid-year profit share conversation with my boss (who majority owns the company, and note that we do not bring out the best in each other so perhaps this is just interpersonal friction) where he told me what my payment would be. This is an established, formal profit share […] Read the full article →
update: my “hybrid” team is using me as their way to not go to the office at all by Alison Green on July 31, 2023 Remember the letter-writer whose “hybrid” team was using him as their way to not go to the office at all? Here’s the update. Thank you for your input. The situation did have an interesting resolution: someone got fired over this but (maybe surprisingly) it wasn’t me. My boss was the only other member of my […] Read the full article →
I’m poly — can I ask to bring both my partners to work events? by Alison Green on July 31, 2023 A reader writes: I know you’ve answered a couple of questions from managers of polyamorous employees who want to bring more than one partner to events, but as a relatively junior employee … what would be the best way to go about asking if it’s okay to bring two people? My institution (higher ed) throws […] Read the full article →
coworker keeps complaining he didn’t get promoted, my boss increased our work sevenfold, and more by Alison Green on July 31, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker keeps complaining he didn’t get promoted — but it’s his own fault I’m a project manager for a small engineering firm (12 employees). Due to our size, I’m involved with all aspects of the business, including staffing. The engineer with the most seniority, […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – July 29-30, 2023 by Alison Green on July 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: The Innocents, by Francesca Segal. A modern retelling of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, but set in a tight-knit Jewish community in […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on July 28, 2023 It’s your Friday good news! I wanted to send in a good news update of my own! I am self employed so I never really thought I would have anything applicable. But after reading this letter and her update, I realized I now do! I co-own a business that my partner and I had been […] Read the full article →
open thread – July 28-29, 2023 by Alison Green on July 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 saw my boss’s NSFW social media, leaving a field I’m proud of, and more by Alison Green on July 28, 2023 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I’m struggling with leaving a field I’m proud to be in I’m female and in my late 30s (relevance will become apparent). I was working as a secondary maths tutor when I saw an ad urging me to consider firefighting and, on a whim, I applied. […] Read the full article →
here’s a real-life example of an email asking for a raise by Alison Green on July 27, 2023 I recently received this letter from a reader: I’m a long-time reader of your site. I’ve got several part-time jobs — some of which I’ve been with for a very long time, and I’ve known that I was very underpaid relative to the skills I bring. And I finally reached the point where I was ready […] Read the full article →
my employee is pregnant but hasn’t said anything by Alison Green on July 27, 2023 A reader writes: I recently found out through the grapevine (social media) that an employee is pregnant and expecting later this year. However, she hasn’t said anything to me or management (but she’s known for at least a few weeks). How should I proceed? I answer this question — and three others — over at […] Read the full article →