do professional clothes need to be seasonally appropriate, how to tell coworkers I’m married, and more by Alison Green on February 8, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Does professional attire need to be seasonally appropriate? My wife hosts college students for six-week programs that introduce them to a professional setting. Each student is graded on categories related to their field of study, but they are also graded on professional norms like teamwork […] Read the full article →
our admins hate all the coffee I buy the office, but they insist I have to keep trying by Alison Green on February 7, 2024 A reader writes: I … have a problem at my new-ish attorney job at a tiny law firm. There are five people in the office total and we have one communal coffee pot. I was told at the beginning that the office does not supply coffee because the two partners do not drink it and […] Read the full article →
I ramble nervously when I give employees feedback by Alison Green on February 7, 2024 A reader writes: Whenever I have to give any challenging feedback to someone I supervise, I tend to ramble on and repeat myself. I want to be sure that I am clear and direct, but then I worry that I was too harsh so I soften things a little. Then I want to give examples […] Read the full article →
my coworker brought sex workers back to our hotel on a business trip by Alison Green on February 7, 2024 A reader writes: I went on a work trip with my group — me, my manager, and a few coworkers — to Mexico. On the last night there (prior to our 4 a.m. flight the next morning), we all had a bit too much to drink. After hauling some coworkers back to their rooms, one […] Read the full article →
do I really have to attend a company dinner, boss is moody and distant, and more by Alison Green on February 7, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Do I really have to attend a company dinner? I work remotely for a virtual company that has quarterly in-person meetings for the leadership team. I am administrative but travel with the team. There is a team dinner the night before the meetings. I bowed […] Read the full article →
my employee meets deadlines … but is much slower than the rest of us by Alison Green on February 6, 2024 A reader writes: I started managing my first direct report a year ago, let’s call her Sondra, and am pleased to say that thanks to my devoted reading of your blog, Sondra recently shared with boss that I did not seem like a first-time manager. There is one issue that I have been wrestling with […] Read the full article →
I work from home and can’t focus by Alison Green on February 6, 2024 A reader writes: I graduated in 2018 and began a job where officially I’m a freelancer but in reality 99% of my work comes from one person. I record my hours and bill my client for them, and we have an unofficial agreement that I will make myself available to work X number of hours […] Read the full article →
an employee is out to get my star performer, and no one else cares by Alison Green on February 6, 2024 A reader writes: I manage Tina, who is a genius. She’s fresh from school but has already saved our department tens of thousands. We acquired a few failed companies and Tina dove in, learned all their systems, and automated the pulling of data in a week. This saved us hundreds of hours in training and […] Read the full article →
employee is demanding Diet Coke as a religious accommodation, desk is covered with photos of feet, and more by Alison Green on February 6, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee is demanding Diet Coke as a religious accommodation My friend is a manager at a public health-focused nonprofit whose mission is focused on building healthier communities by improving access to healthier choices, like walking trails and fresh produce (among other things). They offer some […] Read the full article →
update: men are hitting on my scheduling bot because it has a woman’s name by Alison Green on February 5, 2024 Remember the letter-writer whose scheduling bot was getting hit on because it has a woman’s name? Here’s the (truly excellent) update. I really enjoyed your response and reading the comment section; I wasn’t able to participate because I was particularly slammed at work that day, but it was a great read later in the evening. […] Read the full article →