our boss tells lies to make us feel bad for taking time off by Alison Green on January 31, 2023 A reader writes: The other week, I took a few sick days due to Covid and a double ear infection. I was legitimately ill and even offered to submit a medical note. When I returned, my manager, Corrine, sat me down to tell me my team was forced to work overtime due my absence and […] Read the full article →
a DNA test revealed the CEO is my half brother … and he’s freaking out by Alison Green on January 30, 2023 A reader writes: My dad gave the whole family DNA ancestry kits for the holidays, and it turns out the CEO of the company I work for is my half-brother. Dad’s not the kind of guy to gift everyone DNA kits as a way of telling us he had a secret love child, so I […] Read the full article →
do managers really want honest feedback? by Alison Green on January 25, 2023 A reader writes: I have a question for you about feedback — specifically, feedback that you’ve been asked to give. I’ve repeatedly been asked for feedback from managers, both at work and at the organization where I volunteer, and then it seems like the same thing always happens: the feedback vanishes into a black hole, […] Read the full article →
my boss collected money for flowers for me … and then kept it for herself by Alison Green on January 25, 2023 A reader writes: Unfortunately, seven weeks ago my dear grandmother passed away at 91. A coworker of mine told me our supervisor collected money from our team for flowers as condolences for her death. No flowers were delivered from my supervisor and team to the funeral home. Two weeks after the funeral, I found out […] Read the full article →
my boss thinks I need a better reason to take vacation days by Alison Green on January 23, 2023 A reader writes: I’ve been working as an executive assistant to a CEO for just over a year now. For the most part, he’s great and we have a lovely relationship, but he can be a bit brutal about taking time off. He never takes any PTO himself and has often declined my requests for […] Read the full article →
my ex-boss threatened to contact my husband, his coworkers, and my father-in-law if I don’t return $48 of office supplies by Alison Green on January 18, 2023 A reader writes: I received an email today from my prior boss (I left in November) requiring that I return equipment. However, there was no loaned equipment or return equipment clause that even existed for me to sign. They never provided me with anything outside of a $48 office supplies order from Amazon that included […] Read the full article →
can bad employees and bad managers change? by Alison Green on January 16, 2023 I’m off for the holiday, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2015. A reader writes: I am a passionate fan of AAM and often try to guess what you would advise for my own dysfunctional job. Boiled down, my boss needs to stop avoiding confrontation and rein in […] Read the full article →
my boss and coworkers are constantly at my house by Alison Green on January 3, 2023 A reader writes: I need your help in reclaiming my home. I am an employee at a small consulting company (my boss plus three employees). We all live in the same small town and I often see my boss and coworkers at social functions around town. We each work from our homes and there is […] Read the full article →
my new boss scolded us about our private chat messages by Alison Green on November 14, 2022 A reader writes: I’m wondering how to address a doozy of an email my new boss sent yesterday, which has left my coworkers and me uncomfortable and a bit panicky. In this email to my whole department, she stated HR and senior leadership had informed her about a private chat group connected to our team […] Read the full article →
I work at Twitter … what do I do? by Alison Green on November 14, 2022 A reader writes: I work at Twitter and have been there for many years. As I’m sure you’ve seen, Twitter was just bought by Elon Musk and ever since the deal closed two weeks ago, the company has been literally falling apart. I was fortunate enough to survive the round of layoffs in his first […] Read the full article →