I have to go to an awkward Valentine’s Day work dinner right after a breakup by Alison Green on January 29, 2024 A reader writes: I am a 53-year-old woman. I have just gone through a surprising, disappointing, and painful breakup, and so far I’m coping and keeping my turmoil out of the workplace. As a single woman in years past, I’ve taken to traveling the few days surrounding my Valentine’s Day and my birthday (which is […] Read the full article →
employee is a terrible singer, how to say “I’ll quit over this,” and more by Alison Green on January 29, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee is a terrible singer I’ve been a solopreneur for years and in the last few months finally made the leap and hired past-time help. After interviewing a few people, I found someone whose work ethic, schedule, and expectations matched my own. She’s great […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – January 27-28, 2024 by Alison Green on January 26, 2024 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 Golem of Brooklyn, by Adam Mansbach. A golem learns English by binge-watching Curb Your Enthusiasm and taking LSD and then heads out to […] Read the full article →
open thread – January 26-27, 2024 by Alison Green on January 26, 2024 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 →
coworker told everyone I’m having an affair but I’m not, colleague’s office is gun-themed, and more by Alison Green on January 26, 2024 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker quit and told everyone I’m having an affair — I’m not I have a messy situation. Long story short, I’ve been falsely accused of having an affair at work. An employee, “Flora,” quit and has been telling people the reason is that she’s just […] Read the full article →
how can I tell our freelancers they should charge more? by Alison Green on January 25, 2024 A reader writes: One aspect of my job involves hiring short-term contractors. Their pricing can be all over the map and some are hourly, but most charge a lump sum. Those rates typically start at about $1,500 but it isn’t uncommon to pay over $10,000 for someone in demand. While I’ve run into times when […] Read the full article →
updates: interviewing with a service dog in my lap, stuck working for father, and more by Alison Green on January 25, 2024 Here are five updates from past letter-writers. 1. Interviewing with a service dog in my lap The short version is: I didn’t get the job. I ended up being so focused on preparing for the interview as a service dog user that I failed to prepare for the interview as an interviewee. I made my […] Read the full article →
let’s discuss deranged things your employer did when you resigned by Alison Green on January 25, 2024 Some managers handle it really, really badly when people resign. From the managers who stop speaking to resigning employees (because leaving is a personal betrayal, apparently), to the manager who told a resigning employee “I hate you” and threw things, to the manager who slashed an employee’s tires on their last day (!), some bosses […] Read the full article →
I won’t supervise smoke breaks for minors, backing out of a chaotic freelance project, and more by Alison Green on January 25, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker won’t stop talking about a war that’s endangering my loved ones I work for a medium-sized nonprofit with a diverse staff, including many recent immigrants to the country (we are in Europe). A colleague with whom I work closely in my team of […] Read the full article →
my soon-to-be-ex manager wants to be my friend … I’m leaving because of him by Alison Green on January 24, 2024 A reader writes: I have worked for the same organization for eight years and been promoted or laterally transferred multiple times. I just accepted another transfer and am moving teams within the organization at the end of February. For the past three years, I have been reporting to my boss, “Joe” (a mid-50s man), who […] Read the full article →