let’s discuss territory-marking at work by Alison Green on November 14, 2024 Let’s talk about territory-marking behavior at work: people with a high need to make sure you know they they own this work area or this desk or this project (whether or not they really do). Think for example, of this person who left ridiculously excessive “rules” for the person covering her maternity leave (including “do […] Read the full article →
can you be fired for making a pass at your boss’s spouse, volunteer dropped the ball, and more by Alison Green on November 14, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can you be fired for making a pass at your boss’s spouse? I am a longtime watcher of the CBS soap The Bold and the Beautiful and recently a plot line came up that I thought would be fun to run by you! On the […] Read the full article →
our new boss is ruining the organization and is upset that I’m pushing back by Alison Green on November 13, 2024 A reader writes: I really need an outside perspective on somethings happening at my work. I am the assistant director at a small organization where there are 10 full-time staff (including the director) and two part-time. About a year ago, our longtime director left. She basically built the current version of our organization from the […] Read the full article →
job candidate says she would need to work for us secretly by Alison Green on November 13, 2024 A reader writes: We interviewed a candidate for a part-time position who had been out of our line of work for 10 years. I interviewed her because she had some other things on her resume that seemed really interesting (from a business she’s been running with a family member). Still, we are a quickly-changing industry […] Read the full article →
our ex-CEO’s son can’t do his job and is overpaid by Alison Green on November 13, 2024 A reader writes: I took over a new job about eight months ago, and knowingly inherited an abundance of issues, ranging from minor (previous CEO of 20 years did not believe in pest control so there were mouse remnants everywhere) to complex (ex-CEO had hired their unqualified child, Jasper, into a role that has large […] Read the full article →
manager dislikes his new employee, firing an employee who went viral for attacking football fans, and more by Alison Green on November 13, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I manage a manager who dislikes his new, qualified employee I run a small nonprofit. I’m less than six months into the position and have inherited some HR challenges. One of the directors I manage, Dave, is, frankly, a terrible manager. He only manages three […] Read the full article →
a team whose boss was AWOL for 2 years is angry and resentful now by Alison Green on November 12, 2024 A reader writes: My department had a manager, Beth, who spiraled into a drug addiction crisis post-Covid. The details of how that happened and how long it took to remove her from her position could make up several letters, but I will leave out those details as it’s not what I’m writing about now. Beth’s […] Read the full article →
this is how to write a good cover letter by Alison Green on November 12, 2024 Over the course of my career, I’ve read probably tens of thousands of cover letters. (And yes, that’s as boring as it sounds.) What I’ve learned from doing that is that most job applicants’ cover letters are truly awful – and as a result, if you’re willing to put in the time to write a […] Read the full article →
my boss treated me like her therapist … and it blew up by Alison Green on November 12, 2024 Warning: contains mentions of a suicide threat. A reader writes: I had an insane boss situation a few years ago that still lives rent free in my head and I’d love to see if there’s anything you think I could have done differently. While I don’t think I’ll ever be in a situation quite like […] Read the full article →
asking to change desks because you don’t like someone, are typos in a draft a huge deal, and more by Alison Green on November 12, 2024 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is it unprofessional to ask to change desks because you don’t like someone? Two years ago I started a job as an engineer at my current company and was assigned a mentor, “Rob.” My cubicle is directly adjacent to his. For various reasons related to […] Read the full article →