weekend open thread — August 31-September 1, 2024 by Alison Green on August 30, 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: Then She Found Me, by Elinor Lipman. A quiet teacher finds her life changed when her birth mother — a flamboyant and somewhat narcissistic […] Read the full article →
open thread – August 30, 2024 by Alison Green on August 30, 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 →
man at our events monopolizes attendees, beverages on video calls, and more by Alison Green on August 30, 2024 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. A man at our events makes other attendees uncomfortable I’m on a planning committee for an event involving a fandom generally beloved by mostly women, often mothers and daughters. This event is spread over a few days and involves speakers, tours of book/filming sites, etc. […] Read the full article →
the poorly kept secret, the all-staff email, and other stories of affair drama at work by Alison Green on August 29, 2024 Last week we talked about coworkers cheating on coworkers, coworkers cheating with coworkers, and related drama. Here are 11 of the most bananapants stories you shared. 1. The poorly kept secret At OldJob where I was an intern, there was a couple (Bob and Barbara) who were having an affair. They were in the same […] Read the full article →
updates: the racist comment, the late-paying client, and more by Alison Green on August 29, 2024 Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. Employee made a racist comment to her office-mate Thank you for answering my question! I already have an update. Apparently when Anne and Leah’s manager took the issue to HR, they discussed a plan to address it instead of just not doing anything until the following week. […] Read the full article →
how can I get my email inbox under control? by Alison Green on August 29, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m writing for any reader advice on managing high volume email. I am in my first year as middle management in a job that swings around a peak season and an off-peak season. I am pretty good at what I do, happy to have my […] Read the full article →
employee keeps sighing heavily, convincing coworkers I don’t want to make a career out of my hobby, and more by Alison Green on August 29, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee keeps sighing heavily I have a new person working for me who is doing a good job with the work but is constantly sighing and it’s annoying me to no end. I’m not sure how to approach it because I don’t want to […] Read the full article →
Ask a Manager speed round by Alison Green on August 28, 2024 It’s the annual Ask a Manager speed round! Until 3:30 pm ET today, I’ll be answering questions live. How to ask questions: Submit a question using the form here. (Don’t leave your question in the comment section; I won’t see it there.) If you submitted a question yesterday, there’s no need to submit it again; I’ve got it […] Read the full article →
can I tell my intern she laughs too much? by Alison Green on August 28, 2024 A reader writes: I manage an intern who tends to respond with short bursts of laughter at incongruous times, like when I am explaining something to her or when I am giving her directions (and I’m not trying to be funny!). It can be pretty jarring. I noticed it during her interview, but chalked it […] Read the full article →
when your teenager dates your boss’s son and it goes bad by Alison Green on August 28, 2024 A reader writes: I know that you’ve repeatedly discussed how romantic relationships at work can be problematic, but how do you navigate it when it’s your child? I was catching up with a friend (Sara) who told me that her teenage daughter had started dating Sara’s boss’s teenage son. Sara didn’t want to forbid the […] Read the full article →