is my melodramatic, credit-hogging boss a deal-breaker? by Alison Green on May 9, 2022 A reader writes: How do I handle a melodramatic boss? I’m aware I have a low tolerance for melodrama, but I’m starting to think this is a bad fit. It’s a small company of ten people, no HR, we work directly under the business owner, “Paige.” I’ve been here about five months, everyone else has […] Read the full article →
I’m a member of The Satanic Temple and got outed at work by Alison Green on May 3, 2022 A reader writes: I’m a member of The Satanic Temple. That information got out at work and now things are unpleasant and awkward. I became a passionate patients’ rights advocate when a family member almost died after they were denied emergency medical treatment on religious grounds. The unexpected delay in care almost cost my family […] Read the full article →
the CEO is obsessed with me and wants me to be his emotional support by Alison Green on April 26, 2022 A reader writes: Please help me understand what is going on with my role as an executive assistant to the CEO of my company. I’m struggling to understand if this sort of thing is normal and I wasn’t prepared for it or if something is actually wrong here. Some days are okay but I’m feeling […] Read the full article →
my boss called a mysterious meeting with me and I’m afraid I’m going to be fired by Alison Green on April 20, 2022 I sometimes correspond privately with people who send me letters. I’m sharing this exchange (with the writer’s permission) because it’s something lot of people worry about. The initial letter: Hi Alison, I’ve been getting great feedback from my boss lately. However, we recently had 2 employees who were fired and I’m on edge. I was […] Read the full article →
when your boss has to correct your behavior, does it impact their impression of you forever? by Alison Green on April 6, 2022 I’m off today. Here’s a post that was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: I’m in a bit of a bind: I struggle with anxiety and PTSD-ish symptoms stemming from my last job. I was in a very toxic environment in which my boss was extremely passive-aggressive and I was basically set up to […] Read the full article →
my boss wants me to do her dirty work by Alison Green on April 5, 2022 A reader writes: I switched to a new team at my company last year, working on a project that was understaffed until several of us were recently brought on. One of my teammates, Joe, staffs a work area that heavily intersects with mine — on which he is supposed to operate fairly independently. Soon after […] Read the full article →
my boss makes me sign personal contracts for every rule he implements by Alison Green on April 4, 2022 A reader writes: Recently my significant other told me that his boss frequently makes him sign personal “contracts” at work. These are not contracts through his (very well known luxury car brand) employer, but a quickly typed Word document with a few sentences. The most recent ones he was given stated, “I will work every […] Read the full article →
my boss won’t stop hassling me about my smoking and my weight by Alison Green on March 29, 2022 A reader writes: I am middle management. My boss has always complimented me both on the way I work and present myself, but as of late she changed her tune. Now she says she really hates that “horrible habit” of mine, which is smoking. Smoking doesn’t impact my productivity, I take little breaks, and the […] Read the full article →
my ex-boss wants me to pay a phone bill for months I didn’t work there by Alison Green on March 28, 2022 A reader writes: When I was hired at my former job, it was to replace two employees who were leaving to start their own business. They were the owner’s only two employees (red flag, I know!). The way this woman talked about it made it seem like they had really screwed her over. I felt […] Read the full article →
my new boss ran his own background check on me by Alison Green on March 23, 2022 A reader writes: I have worked in my department in a large organization for 17 years. A coworker was promoted to be my boss. I suffer from PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and while having a high-stress day, I was called to his office. I just needed a half day to take a timeout and speak […] Read the full article →