our boss cross-examines us over minor mistakes by Alison Green on August 21, 2019 A reader writes: I was wondering if you had any advice for dealing with a boss who really digs in whenever a mistake is made. It’s not enough to acknowledge responsibility and to promise you won’t make the same mistake again; he wants to know “why” you made the mistake in the first place. Fortunately, […] Read the full article →
my boss lectured me about arriving on time – when I’m working a ton of hours by Alison Green on August 13, 2019 A reader writes: I need help to decide if what has happened at work is going to be my hill to die on (or resign on). I started on at a new company about eight months ago. I originally was excited, as it was a bump in title and responsibilities and would put me more […] Read the full article →
how can I get my boss to talk to me in person instead of over chat? by Alison Green on July 18, 2019 A reader writes: I work in a small office that has had a pretty liberal remote work and flex hours policy for years, and about one-third of our employees live out of state and are thus permanently remote. Due to this, a lot of communication between employees has historically taken place over the office chat […] Read the full article →
my boss and mentor runs hot and cold with me by Alison Green on July 17, 2019 A reader writes: The person who brought me to my current company is both my mentor and my supervisor. I met him in a networking capacity and developed a mentoring relationship with him long before the company was able to hire me, so we were somewhat close before we even started working together. He’s taught […] Read the full article →
my boss pees in a cup and dumps it in the kitchen sink by Alison Green on July 8, 2019 Warning: This is a really gross letter. A reader writes: What can we do with a boss who urinates in a cup in his office and then dumps it in the kitchen sink even when we (all women) are sitting there eating lunch? We are certain of what is in the cup because it smells, […] Read the full article →
my boss sends scolding emails to all of us — and then tells me I shouldn’t take them personally by Alison Green on July 3, 2019 A reader writes: My boss and grandboss have a habit of sending out group emails to our team of five with vague directives and complaints. Messages are sent to everyone like, “We had a bad week last week and productivity needs to improve,” or “If you’re not producing your expected targets, you should not expect […] Read the full article →
my boss trash-talks all my coworkers by Alison Green on July 2, 2019 A reader writes: For the most part, I love my job and my coworkers about as much as anyone can. I even enjoy working for my current boss! There is one problem, however: she’s really clique-y and kind of a jerk. This is really only a problem with certain people. Our company is very small, […] Read the full article →
my boss makes me wear her clothes, eat her food, and say I’m grateful for my job by Alison Green on June 25, 2019 A reader writes: I was hired about six months ago at a small business. I’m in my mid-20s and this my first professional job after completing grad school. It’s just me, the owner/director, and a part-time assistant. Because we’re such a small office, I spend a lot of time one-on-one with my boss. Sometimes she’s […] Read the full article →
our boss’s wife camps out in our office for hours at a time by Alison Green on June 24, 2019 A reader writes: I work for an accounting firm with about 40 employees. I’ve been there for about nine months now and generally enjoy it. However, the culture has been a bit difficult for me to adjust to. We sometimes have clients visit for meetings and because there is limited space at the office and […] Read the full article →
my boss got weirdly aggressive about winning a game and now keeps claiming I’m angry about it by Alison Green on June 19, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a large company. Previously I was in a small team which supported a small department, but at the start of the year it was decided we would merge with another team and become the support group for the whole sector. The new team is headed by Ethel. It was […] Read the full article →