my coworker gets mad when I follow my boss’s instructions by Alison Green on August 24, 2023 A reader writes: I am a receptionist at a radiology clinic. Our sonographers (the techs who do ultrasound) get a bonus every time they do three ultrasounds in an hour. One of our sonographers, Meg, prefers to spend more time with patients so only does two an hour, and seems to be supported in this. I […] Read the full article →
updates: the employee missing key details, the needy coworker, and more by Alison Green on August 24, 2023 Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. My employee misses key details in meetings (#2 at the link) Your advice and that of your commenters really helped. Reading the comments helped me approach the conversation with a better sense of curiosity rather than some more negative assumptions I had been carrying. The commenters proposed […] Read the full article →
advice for first-generation college students adjusting to professional work environments by Alison Green on August 24, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work with college students looking for co-ops, and was wondering about advice for first-generation college students adjusting to professional workplaces — maybe an “ask the readers” about what they wished they knew? I’m one such person (though it’s been many years since I’ve been […] Read the full article →
we start meetings by sharing positive things from our personal lives, is it fair to make employees pay for parking, and more by Alison Green on August 24, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. We’re required to start meetings by sharing positive things from our personal lives My company has just been bought by another company and we’re about to start the process of integrating the two. I do think this is a really good thing, apart from one […] Read the full article →
my coworkers want me to turn down my raise by Alison Green on August 23, 2023 A reader writes: I work for a company with about 30 employees. We used to have five people in owner/management roles and things ran pretty well, but four left in the last year mostly due to the difficult personality of the remaining manager, Mo. Mo became the sole owner but did not want to pick […] Read the full article →
my employee disappeared with our data and won’t answer any messages by Alison Green on August 23, 2023 A reader writes: My team employs several part-time remote employees who conduct field research and submit data summaries back to us so that we can report out to our clients. Recently one of them has fallen out of communication before finishing his work — he completed the required field visits but has not turned in […] Read the full article →
my 2 dating employees are cuddling in staff meetings by Alison Green on August 23, 2023 A reader writes: I’m a youngish retail manager and I have two staff members about my age who are in a relationship. I worked with one at a prior location, and then she just transferred to my new location to work with her partner. (This decision was above my level.) It’s only been a few […] Read the full article →
can my employer fire me if I move to a different state, should I take a job working for my husband, and more by Alison Green on August 23, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can my remote employer fire me if I move to a different state? I’m a remote worker for an all-remote national nonprofit organization. My partner applied for a job in a different state, one we’ve wanted to relocate to for a while. The employer offered […] Read the full article →
our employee retired … but now she won’t leave by Alison Green on August 22, 2023 A reader writes: Our employee, “Fiona,” decided to semi-retire after 20 years of working with us. She asked to reduce her hours and work mostly from home, which was approved. Since the start of her official semi-retirement date, however, she still comes to work almost full-time. Fiona hasn’t asked to go back to her full-time […] Read the full article →
a pain-free guide to writing a resume by Alison Green on August 22, 2023 No offense, but your résumé is probably a mess. It’s not that you aren’t skilled or accomplished, but most people’s résumés are middling at best. It’s understandable — unless you work in HR, you probably haven’t devoted much time to reading or crafting them, and most of us feel weird about trying to sell ourselves. […] Read the full article →