open thread – October 27-28, 2023 by Alison Green on October 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 →
taking regular time off for a crafting group, a glitch stripped away hundreds of hours of PTO, and more by Alison Green on October 27, 2023 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Can I regularly take PTO for a crafting social group? I understand that vacation time is part of my compensation package and I need to take time off, but would it be considered unprofessional/immature to take PTO every other Friday afternoon to go to a […] Read the full article →
can I ask an interviewer about negative feedback from the last person who had the job? by Alison Green on October 26, 2023 A reader writes: I’m interviewing for a job at a smaller company in my field. The company is interested in a niche secondary specialty of mine. They don’t engage in some of the traditional silo-ing of people in my job function but actually let us be in meetings with clients, I’d be managing freelancers from […] Read the full article →
where are you now? (a call for updates) by Alison Green on October 26, 2023 At the end of each year, I publish a slew of “where are they now” updates from people whose questions I answered here in the past. In past years we’ve had several hundred each December and it’s been magnificent. If you’ve had your question answered here in the past, please email me an update and […] Read the full article →
how do people find the career path that’s right for them? by Alison Green on October 26, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have been in my professional career for just over 10 years, and I am still trying to figure out what to be when I grow up. I have never had a clear idea of the “right” career for me, and the standard advice of […] Read the full article →
someone insulted my grieving coworker and made it look like I did it, getting a job offer after only one interview, and more by Alison Green on October 26, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Someone insulted my grieving coworker and made it look like I did it Recently, one of my coworkers who is on the same team as me lost her cat to cancer. Her manager set up a virtual greeting card for our team to sign. I […] Read the full article →
the overheard self-talk, the shoplifting, and other times you mortified yourself in job interviews by Alison Green on October 25, 2023 Last week I asked you to share stories of bombed interviews and other job search mortifications. It turns out … there were a lot of stories. So many that I couldn’t fit my favorites in one post. Here’s part one, and part two is coming next week. 1. The coffins An interviewer once asked how […] Read the full article →
this is how you can protect your local library by Alison Green on October 25, 2023 After I printed a letter from a librarian being harassed by patrons, a lot of you wrote in to ask what you can do to help protect your local libraries from threats and book bans. Peter Bromberg, the associate director of EveryLibrary, an organization that defends and supports local libraries, was kind enough to write […] Read the full article →
my coworkers have all but disappeared since the pandemic by Alison Green on October 25, 2023 A reader writes: Recently, you shared a letter from someone who wrote that they don’t want to talk about their life outside of work with their colleagues, and it got me thinking about the dynamics of the team I work in. I’ve been at my company for many years. I empathize with the writer of […] Read the full article →
employee had drugs in her desk, I sent an embarrassing message to a group Slack, and more by Alison Green on October 25, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I go over my boss’s head about an employee who had drugs in her desk? I work in an office that is separated in two sections. My section (Group A) has 15 employees and the other section has 35 employees, and then we have the […] Read the full article →