my mysterious boss disappears for hours and can’t be reached by Alison Green on October 26, 2022 A reader writes: I work on a small team. The nature of my job means that I often need to check in with other team members about my projects before moving forward. I also regularly need to contact my manager, Dave, to get info/data that only he is authorized to pull. Unfortunately, Dave is frequently […] Read the full article →
can I ask my boss to coach me on professionalism? by Alison Green on October 24, 2022 A reader writes: I’ve recently started a new job and in, reflecting on my work experience, I’ve realized that I’m not nearly as attuned to professional norms as I would like to be. Given my background, it’s not terribly surprising. My parents are musicians, and there were large parts of my childhood that we spent […] Read the full article →
how do I rebuild trust in my incompetent manager? by Alison Green on October 20, 2022 A reader writes: My manager was an amazing individual contributor, but a year in, it’s fairly obvious that management is not a good fit for her. She’s defensive, disorganized, thin-skinned, and quick to blame others. But I love the rest of my job, so I’ve made my peace with this trade-off and found ways to […] Read the full article →
should I report my fatphobic boss or am I being too sensitive? by Alison Green on September 28, 2022 A reader writes: I’m dealing with a boss now turned grandboss who has no boundaries and has some unconscious fatphobia that’s impacting her perception of me, and I’m not sure if I should report it or just let it go. I started at my job at a mid-sized nonprofit that serves a very diverse client […] Read the full article →
my new boss needs constant reassurance by Alison Green on September 21, 2022 A reader writes: I’m in a situation that’s new to me in almost 15 years in my field. I’ve been at my employer for four years, and a new manager was hired four months ago to lead my team. I used to report to the person who’s now my grandboss. My new manager, Jim, handles […] Read the full article →
my boss only wants to hire attractive young women by Alison Green on September 20, 2022 Announcement: At 2 pm ET today, it’s part of 2 of last month’s speed round! Last month’s speed round had 700+ questions submitted, so this time I’ll be answering some of the questions I didn’t get to in round 1. Follow along live on the home page later today. A reader writes: My boss, Todd, […] Read the full article →
how can I tell my boss I work better when she’s not here? by Alison Green on September 8, 2022 A reader writes: I’m a junior level employee in a small-ish business. I only have about a year of experience in full-time work, but worked a lot throughout college. I also have ADHD and was diagnosed almost two years ago. My job is a lot of layered tasks—some things to be done ASAP, some to […] Read the full article →
my boss took away part of my job and I feel humiliated by Alison Green on September 6, 2022 A reader writes: Almost eight months ago, I accepted a job on the leadership team of a moderate sized company. This job was a step up in responsibility, because it would allow me to lead a larger team. I supervise three managers, who in turn supervise other junior staff. Today my boss, the CEO, informed […] Read the full article →
when should I let my new boss fail? by Alison Green on August 29, 2022 A reader writes: I (23) have been at my current job for about one year. This is my second job out of college and I love the work I’m doing, and I’m compensated quite well compared to others in my industry. About seven months into my job, my director accepted a position with another organization. […] Read the full article →
my manager says my shyness is seen as rudeness by Alison Green on August 24, 2022 A reader writes: I received an email today from my manager that I am feeling a bit upset about. Here is the situation. My boss came over to the cubicle farm and was talking to a couple coworkers when it came time for me to leave for an errand. We have glass panes on our […] Read the full article →