my abusive father is a beloved public figure — and we have to attend an event together by Alison Green on October 9, 2024 A reader writes: I’m estranged from my father, who was a truly terrible emotional abuser — maybe physical too, if you consider “kick child out of car for turning the volume down during a good song so now he has to walk home along the highway for an hour” child endangerment. We haven’t spoken in […] Read the full article →
my employee’s toddler screams in the background of work calls by Alison Green on October 9, 2024 A reader writes: I am a first-time manager of a virtual team, and one of my direct reports works from home 100% of the time. On a recent call, this employee was providing an overview of a new system and in the background, everyone on the project team could hear his three-year-old child screaming. It […] Read the full article →
I manage my partner and he doesn’t know his job is being cut by Alison Green on October 9, 2024 A reader writes: I’m the assistant manager of a workplace where my partner also works. In fact, we met there — when I started working here, we were both in the same customer-facing role, and about a year ago I got the assistant manager role. We’ve so far made this work, although it has been […] Read the full article →
employee thinks I’m sending “secret messages” about time off, coworker is annoyed I won’t stay late, and more by Alison Green on October 9, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee thinks I’m sending “secret messages” about how much time off she has I’m a new manager with less than a year of experience, and I manage one direct report, Sally. We’re both based in the U.S., while our director is in the UK. […] Read the full article →
how do I live down a reputation for being “extra”? by Alison Green on October 8, 2024 A reader writes: How does one shake a reputation at work for being “extra”? Three years ago, I joined my current organization and quickly became known as a go-getter, an innovator, and someone good at their job. Senior level colleagues would learn about programs I had developed, express admiration, and ask to borrow the idea. […] Read the full article →
my community was destroyed by the hurricane — how do I function at work? by Alison Green on October 8, 2024 Readers, can you help with this one? I had a question I’m hoping to get your or your readers’ input on. I live, and work remotely from, one of the Southern Appalachian communities that was most severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. I’m very lucky in that I’m safe, my people are safe, and I didn’t […] Read the full article →
my coworker insisted on inviting her sister to my wedding by Alison Green on October 8, 2024 A reader writes: This happened a while ago, but I’m still weirded out by it. I worked in a very close-knit, small office (five people), where I got along very well with everyone except one person, “Gertrude.” Gertrude was in her first job out of school, so it’s likely she was new to working world […] Read the full article →
group member won’t stop talking, snack bar is in a coworker’s work area, and more by Alison Green on October 8, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Writing group member won’t stop talking and we can’t get any work done I work at an academic institution, and am a member of a writing group that includes people across different departments. We meet every few weeks to write as a way of carving […] Read the full article →
the avenging COO, the salary fix, and other stories of wrongs being righted by Alison Green on October 7, 2024 Last week we talked about times you saw someone right someone else’s wrong. Here are 10 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The COO My first job out of college was working at a large corporation as an executive admin. There were five of us admins who sat in the open space, outside of […] Read the full article →
employee is sending risqué photos of himself to his coworkers by Alison Green on October 7, 2024 A reader writes: My small company has a very laid-back culture — sometimes too laid-back. A lot of the employees are friends outside of work or follow each other on social media. A team of seven employees sits outside of my office in an open floor plan space. They often talk throughout the day and […] Read the full article →