open thread – May 31, 2024 by Alison Green on May 31, 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 →
working from a one-bedroom apartment with a baby and nanny, people keep quitting, and more by Alison Green on May 31, 2024 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Working from a one-bedroom apartment with a baby and nanny I work in tech and have worked remotely for my whole career. I live in a one-bedroom apartment and my desk is tucked into a corner of the living room. This setup has worked great […] Read the full article →
how do I work for an insecure boss who thinks I’m spreading rumors about her? by Alison Green on May 30, 2024 A reader writes: A few weeks ago, my boss mentioned that she’d been hearing rumors about herself and said if I was the one spreading them, I could just come to her and talk to her. I assured her that I’m not spreading rumors about her or gossiping about her. Because I’m not. Earlier this […] Read the full article →
updates: my boss keeps leaving her kid with me, and more by Alison Green on May 30, 2024 Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. My boss keeps leaving her kid with me I am the person who kept having to watch over their manager’s kid during my shift (from this post). I appreciate everyone’s input, and I wanted to thank you for your advice. When I said I was “in my […] Read the full article →
how much will it hurt me to take a few years off from my career? by Alison Green on May 30, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the reader” question. A reader writes: I will preface the question with a warning: I’m currently enormously over-privileged in that we are very financially comfortable and I don’t have to work. I am a well-regarded mid-career specialist; I have always worked in the non-profit/multinational sector and make a decent amount of […] Read the full article →
our off-site includes a body fat analysis, have to use six PTO days to take a five-day vacation, and more by Alison Green on May 30, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our off-site includes a body fat analysis My company recently merged with another and we’ve been invited to an off-site coming up soon. At a briefing meeting this week, our group was given a preview of the agenda for the off-site, which is a combination […] Read the full article →
negotiating an offer when you haven’t talked salary at all by Alison Green on May 29, 2024 A reader writes: After four interviews and a performance assessment, the company has signaled that they plan to make me an offer next week. I’m excited! But the tricky part is that we haven’t discussed salary expectations on either side. At all. They didn’t share a range, and they haven’t asked for mine. I wish […] Read the full article →
what comp time policy should I set for my team? by Alison Green on May 29, 2024 A reader writes: I head an agency with around 40 employees. I’m struggling with our policy on compensatory time for travel. For years, every waking minute during travel, from departure to return, has been counted as work time, with staff receiving comp time for any time over eight hours per day. For example, an employee […] Read the full article →
my boss finally saw the light about my horrible coworker — but I’ve been warning him for years by Alison Green on May 29, 2024 A reader writes: I’ve been at my company for eight years. I’m a senior manager and a very high performer. I’ve received multiple raises and promotions. I’m very calm and pragmatic and don’t easily get pulled into drama. It’s a small company and there are a lot of great things about it, including 98% of […] Read the full article →
when an employee struggles with a task, cell phones at lunch, and more by Alison Green on May 29, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I accept my employee just isn’t well suited to a task? We are a small team of very silo-ed job types. Twice a year, for about a week each time, we have a meeting with lots of external stakeholders to review content for a […] Read the full article →