my boss and I share an office with a volatile jerk by Alison Green on August 23, 2022 A reader writes: My boss, Ned, shares office space with his partner, Peter, in another business. It was made clear to me in the interview and repeatedly since then that I do not work for Peter, but to help Ned focus on our work I sometimes step in and assist with technology assistance and personal […] Read the full article →
I sent my boss a long, angry email … but I turned out to be wrong by Alison Green on August 16, 2022 A reader writes: I jumped to conclusions after misunderstanding someone else’s statements, and responded quite badly. I have worked at my current company for six years, under the same manager. The first five years were virtually incident-free, and we had an extremely positive working relationship. Last year, he lost some faith in me after I […] Read the full article →
I’ve been overworked for months and my manager won’t help by Alison Green on August 9, 2022 A reader writes: I have been covering for a coworker who is the lead for our shared role for the past two months. Covering her for a few days would normally have been no problem, but due to our clinic being short-staffed and an increase in clientele, this is starting to take its toll on […] Read the full article →
I can’t handle my boss’s stories about her emotionally abusive relationship by Alison Green on August 3, 2022 A reader writes: I’m in my early 20s and I’ve been in my role for two years. It’s my first proper professional job in an office. I’m mostly remote and I’ve met my manager in person only a dozen times (she lives in another state). Professionally and personally, my manager and I click and get […] Read the full article →
my manager posted a “wall of shame” of people who didn’t volunteer to work more by Alison Green on July 6, 2022 A reader writes: I work in a small unit (20 people) that provides direct patient care and is part of a very large healthcare organization. Like a lot of healthcare units, we’ve struggled with staffing for the past few years. It’s been 2+ years of being short-staffed, working mandatory overtime, being asked to pick up […] Read the full article →
my boss is rude to my husband by Alison Green on July 6, 2022 A reader writes: I work as a bookseller, and about a year ago our bookshop got a new manager. This was a great thing for the shop and for me personally — he’s much more competent than anyone we’ve had in the past and has a real drive for developing people. I happen to be […] Read the full article →
why do companies fall for grifter “consultants”? by Alison Green on July 5, 2022 A reader writes: My partner, “Bob,” works in a marketing role (covering everything from social media to events) for a mid-sized, non-corporate, creative company. One of the company’s owners, “Billy,” is a micromanager and cannot delegate even the most minor task to any of the hundreds of staff. For example, he demands to be informed […] Read the full article →
my remote boss wants to know every time I go to the bathroom by Alison Green on June 29, 2022 A reader writes: I recently started working under a different manager at the same job. He works remotely, so we communicate over texting/messaging for the most part. A couple weeks ago, we had a catch-up on the phone and he asked if messaging is the best system for me, since he noticed I didn’t respond […] Read the full article →
my coworker is living in my boss’s house — and we all work there too by Alison Green on June 29, 2022 A reader writes: I have bizarre and sensitive situation, and I just don’t know what to make of it, and what (if anything) I should do! I work in a very small business. There are five employees (three part-time, two full-time) plus our owner, and our work happens in our boss’s house (which has been […] Read the full article →
how do I talk with my incompetent boss about his ridiculously inaccurate organizational chart? by Alison Green on June 28, 2022 A reader writes: My boss, the executive director of a small nonprofit, is grossly incompetent. I won’t go into detail, but please trust that I have it on good authority (friends, colleagues, peers, veteran HR professionals outside of the organization – two of them!) that I am right and he’s completely out of his depth. […] Read the full article →