my boss wants to do walking meetings and I can’t keep up with her pace by Alison Green on January 9, 2024 A reader writes: My grandboss (my manager’s manager) is on a “wellness journey” (her words) and has suggested doing skip level 1:1s as walking meetings instead of in her office. On the one hand, I love the idea, because I am trying to avoid spending time in small spaces with unmasked colleagues because I don’t […] Read the full article →
how can I get what I need from my flaky boss? by Alison Green on January 9, 2024 A reader writes: I graduated from college last year and since then I’ve been working at my first full-time job. I am in a client-facing role at a small-ish nonprofit, and mostly I love it. Lately, though, I’ve been having some issues with my boss, Gillian. She has always been kind, open, and accommodating; in […] Read the full article →
a hoarder at work is causing a mouse problem by Alison Green on January 9, 2024 A reader writes: I work in a lab at a university. Back in August, we starting noticing mice. One of the employees in a leadership position, Julie, has a hoarding problem. Her office is full of so many piles of stuff you can’t walk through it, and there are closets full of her stuff as […] Read the full article →
should management be included in a company raffle, NSFW music on a work laptop, and more by Alison Green on January 9, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should management be included in a company raffle? Our company has about 90 full-time employees in production, shipping, and other non-management roles, plus about 15 temps. Management includes another 25 people, including product managers, who don’t manage people. Our holiday party this year included a […] Read the full article →
my boss is trying to “quiet fire” me — can I just ignore it? by Alison Green on January 8, 2024 A reader writes: I have worked for a tiny company in a managerial position for close to 15 years. Over the past few years, the owner/boss has made a consistent series of stunningly bad business decisions that has led from an environment of “high achieving lunacy” to “wow, quite dysfunctional” to “flaming dumpster fire of […] Read the full article →
my new hire keeps uncovering problems … and I’m embarrassed by Alison Green on January 8, 2024 A reader writes: I’m the head of a small organization. A year ago, we hired a new person to fill a newly created position. Jane has 15 years of experience and knows what she’s doing in her field. She is finding problems and issues in many areas. She is gracious about these issues, doesn’t point […] Read the full article →
men are hitting on my scheduling bot because it has a woman’s name by Alison Green on January 8, 2024 A reader writes: I have sort of a strange situation. I provide consulting services for (mostly) small business owners. This generally involves scheduling some meetings, and I have an email “Personal Assistant” bot that does this for me. It has a female name (which was the default), and does not announce that it is a […] Read the full article →
my boss flipped out when I said I “have options,” interviewing a candidate who was recently hired elsewhere, and more by Alison Green on January 8, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss flipped out when I said I “have options” Recently, I had a terse exchange with my boss during a meeting where a group of my colleagues and I were being updated on a serious HR situation. After hearing about the problem and the […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – January 6-7, 2024 by Alison Green on January 5, 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: Master Slave Husband Wife, by Ilyon Woo. The true story of an enslaved husband and wife who escaped slavery in the American south […] Read the full article →
open thread – January 5-6, 2024 by Alison Green on January 5, 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 →