I had to quit a job because of aggressive nesting geese by Alison Green on October 17, 2023 A reader writes: I’m writing about a past situation that I still think about. I used to work in retail as a high school junior from August to March. I live in the midwest, where geese are pretty common in the spring. What was weird about this one though was that it decided to nest […] Read the full article →
how can I do well in video interviews? by Alison Green on October 17, 2023 A reader writes: I’m job-searching for the first time in nearly a decade and am realizing that a lot of interviews these days, especially in early rounds, are done over video. This is a change from the last time I was interviewing, so I’m wondering what the best practices are for video interviews. I don’t […] Read the full article →
when my boss wants me to do something I really don’t want to do, can I just … not? by Alison Green on October 17, 2023 A reader writes: I work as a political/administrative assistant and my boss is incredibly busy (as am I). She is an important political person who also oversees our organization, and her schedules change a lot. Very often I need to reschedule meetings, whole days, and whole weeks on her calendar because something extremely important comes […] Read the full article →
my employee got hit on while staying with a coworker, colleagues keep joking about a team member’s height, and more by Alison Green on October 17, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee got hit on while staying in a coworker’s home I have an employee, Andrea, who works remotely, but came into our office for a week of training. Originally she said she would not need a hotel as she would be staying with a […] Read the full article →
scolding strangers, kids using corporate lingo, and other ways our jobs follow us home by Alison Green on October 16, 2023 Weird habits tend to follow us home from work — like the former lifeguard who still yells at random kids to stop running or the nurse who automatically sizes up everyone’s veins. I recently asked what weird habits readers have brought home from their jobs, and here are some of the most delightful habits you […] Read the full article →
today is the weirdest day of the year for workers by Alison Green on October 16, 2023 Today is officially Boss’s Day, and sensible workplaces should pretend it doesn’t exist. At Slate today, I wrote about why this made-up holiday is downright offensive, shared some of the most ridiculous accounts I’ve heard from workers about how their offices handle it, and advised managers on how they can stop the practice in their […] Read the full article →
my new manager is someone I slept with years ago … and he doesn’t know we have a child by Alison Green on October 16, 2023 A reader writes: The backstory: I went back to university in my late 20s to do my PhD, and shared an office with a few other students for many years. One of the students, Jacob, completed his thesis and was moving back to his home country, so we all went out for congratulatory/farewell drinks. One […] Read the full article →
coworker keeps calling me my manager’s “girlfriend,” double question marks, and more by Alison Green on October 16, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. A senior coworker keeps calling me my manager’s “girlfriend” Over the past year, I’ve made a great connection with one of my managers, Lucas. He and I have a similar work ethic, our senses of humor mesh, we get along, and shifts with him go […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – October 14-15, 2023 by Alison Green on October 13, 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: Daughters-in-Law, by Joanna Trollope. A married couple struggle to adjust as their new daughter-in-law brings changes to their family. * I make a commission […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on October 13, 2023 It’s your Friday good news! 1. “I’m writing to share a good news story on behalf of my cousin. My cousin was working part-time starting in 2018 for financial reasons (her husband earned more money, so it made sense that she have fewer hours and be able to pick up the kids from school, take them […] Read the full article →