update: dealing with a problematic member of a board games group by Alison Green on April 11, 2024 Remember the letter-writer who was dealing with a problematic member of a board games group? The first update was here, and here’s the final installment. I am the letter writer who runs a board games group and used Alison’s excellent advice about communication to deal with a problematic member of the games group and the […] Read the full article →
knowledge swap! share your expertise with people here by Alison Green on April 11, 2024 Are you good at something and willing to share that expertise with others here? We did this six years ago and it was a great success, so we’re doing it again. Here’s how it works: 1. In the comment section below, name something you’re really good at that you’d be willing to answer questions about. […] Read the full article →
is the kiss emoji appropriate at work, manager wants me to find coverage after I quit, and more by Alison Green on April 11, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is the kiss emoji appropriate at work? This is a low-stakes question, but I keep wondering: Is the kiss emoji 😘 ever appropriate in work communication? Most of our team are in our thirties and forties. Our work environment is fairly informal — few emails, […] Read the full article →
I manage my sister, and she overshares about her breaks and sick time by Alison Green on April 10, 2024 A reader writes: I’m hoping you can help me with this conundrum. This situation is complicated by the fact that this is a family business, and all employees are my relatives and/or their romantic partners, but we have virtual assistant team members (independent contractors or third party services) who are party to these conversations. Background: […] Read the full article →
mistakes at work: a round-up by Alison Green on April 10, 2024 Here’s a round-up of posts about mistakes at work. what to do when you make a mistake at work you made a mistake at work — now what? how do I recover from a huge, fireable mistake at work? how do I handle a serious mistake on my self-evaluation? how big of a deal are […] Read the full article →
my coworker doesn’t like it when I set boundaries on conversation topics by Alison Green on April 10, 2024 A reader writes: I work in an artistic field, which leads to a much more casual environment amongst coworkers and a lot of time for chatting. I’m usually fine with this, but I’m having increasing issues with one coworker, Tommy. Tommy routinely brings up topics that I’m uncomfortable discussing. He initially respected this, but has […] Read the full article →
company won’t do anything about a horrible coworker, eating tiny lunches in a group, and more by Alison Green on April 10, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My company won’t do anything about our horrible coworker I have a very problematic coworker, Alex, but everyone, including HR, seem to be unable to fire them. And when I say problematic, I mean it. Earlier this year Alex outed me at work as gay […] Read the full article →
my coworker’s obsession with coffee is an all-day distraction by Alison Green on April 9, 2024 A reader writes: This is probably going to be more venting. It is bugging me, but I don’t want to risk being the office jerk. I work in an office setting. Bill from another department is a really nice guy. Probably to an obnoxious level. I really am not big on small talk, but usually […] Read the full article →
my employee quit over a misdirected email by Alison Green on April 9, 2024 A reader writes: I have two employees who can’t stand each other but they’ve managed to be civil and professional. Sarah is a mid-top performer with a consistently good work product. She’s not a superstar but she is dependable. Dani is temperamental, doesn’t always listen to peers, and has created problems for her teammates when […] Read the full article →
how much money do you make? by Alison Green on April 9, 2024 It’s hard to get real-world information about what jobs pay. Online salary websites are often inaccurate, and people can get weird when you ask them directly. So to take some of the mystery out of salaries, it’s the annual Ask a Manager salary survey. Fill out the form below to anonymously share your salary and […] Read the full article →