how to survive your office holiday party by Alison Green on November 28, 2023 After a hiatus during the pandemic, office holiday parties seem to be back – and with them, questions about how to navigate them: Are office parties optional or just “optional” (i.e., are you really expected to attend)? Is it okay to bring a date or is it better to go solo? How much drinking is […] Read the full article →
update: my company is not planning well for my retirement … what’s my responsibility? by Alison Green on November 28, 2023 Welcome to “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. Remember the letter-writer whose company […] Read the full article →
do we offer enough sick leave, I’m in HR and an employee asked me out, and more by Alison Green on November 28, 2023 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Do we offer enough sick leave? My husband and I work at a growing family company that has expanded from the two of us in 2020 to now seven employees. As we’ve grown, I’ve become the default HR director and I’m learning as I go. […] Read the full article →
updates: the flower collection, the kayaking, and more by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 Welcome to “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. My boss collected money for flowers for me … and then kept it for […] Read the full article →
updates: my husband doesn’t want to play my coworker’s wedding, and more by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 Welcome to “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are four updates from past letter-writers. There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout […] Read the full article →
my company’s holiday party is at a steakhouse … I’m a vegetarian by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. A reader writes: Every year my company does a really nice holiday dinner for employees, with plus-ones (except during a break for the pandemic). In the past we’ve usually gone to fancy places with lots of options, and everyone […] Read the full article →
the schedule for updates this year by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 Welcome to “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. A heads-up about update season: for the next few weeks I’ll be posting at midnight, 11 am, 12:30 pm, 2 pm, […] Read the full article →
update: should I cut my new business partner loose? by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 Welcome to “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager! Between now and the end of the year, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. We have a lot of updates this year, so there will be a lot more posts each day than usual. Here’s […] Read the full article →
we have to give slide presentations about ourselves, should I have a no-weekend-work policy for my team, and more by Alison Green on November 27, 2023 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. We have to give very personal slide presentations about ourselves My office is planning a morning of team-building exercises for the end of the month. We’re all supposed to prepare a Pecha Kucha slide presentation to share. The directions are to answer 20 questions/prompts with […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – November 25-26, 2023 by Alison Green on November 24, 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: Family Happiness, by Laurie Colwin. A seemingly perfect wife and mother finds herself having an affair. * I make a commission if you […] Read the full article →