open thread – August 23, 2024 by Alison Green on August 23, 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 →
office music is too repetitive, coworker is taking advantage of flexibility, and more by Alison Green on August 23, 2024 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Our communal music is too repetitive I work in a creative department at a fairly conservative company and am in the office four days each week. My coworkers and I share an enclosed space with individual cubicles. Much of my job involves writing. Though I […] Read the full article →
candidates ask so many questions that our interviews are running over schedule by Alison Green on August 22, 2024 A reader writes: I am a manager in the process of expanding my team, so I have been interviewing many job seekers lately. We always give candidates a good 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the interview to ask us any questions they might have about the job, the organization, or the application […] Read the full article →
updates: boss renegotiated my start date behind my back, meetings in the metaverse, and more by Alison Green on August 22, 2024 Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. My boss renegotiated my new job’s start date behind my back I took your advice with the exit interview and shared just enough for them to understand exactly why I was leaving without having to say it outright, without getting into detail or emotionality about it. I’ve […] Read the full article →
when you work with cheaters: share your stories by Alison Green on August 22, 2024 In response to the letter earlier this month about two engaged coworkers where one was cheating with another coworker, someone shared this hilarious story: We had a situation where two managers (married to other people) were seeing each other. They thought they were being discreet but … they really weren’t. The guy’s wife worked elsewhere […] Read the full article →
employee made a racist comment, my senior coworkers think I earn too much, and more by Alison Green on August 22, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee made a racist comment to her office-mate I work in a fairly small office. We have about 12-15 people in the office. Recently, our company hired two new CSR’s. “Anne” is white and in her late fifties/early sixties. “Leah” is Black and probably in […] Read the full article →
your non-compete isn’t illegal after all (at least not yet) by Alison Green on August 21, 2024 Remember back in April when the Federal Trade Commission announced it would ban non-compete agreements for most U.S. workers, saying they stifle wages? That was supposed to become law next month, but yesterday a judge in Texas blocked the new rule, saying the agency lacked the authority to issue the rule. The FTC is likely […] Read the full article →
toll collectors, fear of being set on fire, and other things we believed about work when we were kids by Alison Green on August 21, 2024 Last week we talked about weird things we believed about work as kids. Here are 12 of the funniest misunderstandings you shared. 1. Firings When I was 4 or 5, I tended to take most things literally. So I thought getting fired meant that if you were bad at your job, you were taken out […] Read the full article →
I joked about a coworker’s slowness … and he overheard by Alison Green on August 21, 2024 A reader writes: I am the manager of a small group. I sometimes work with non-management staff outside my group, one of whom is an exceedingly capable, but idiosyncratic, person, “Karl.” He is very focused and will go far above and beyond to make sure that everything is clear, organized, and exactly right. This is […] Read the full article →
I’m worried a wedding vendor will complain about me to my boss by Alison Green on August 21, 2024 A reader writes: This starts with my wedding. To make a very long story short, my wedding dress alterations were a complete disaster. The seamstress produced such awful work that I had to have an emergency appointment with another shop to fix the dress, just days before my wedding. The new seamstress showed me how […] Read the full article →