I’m working for my parents’ company — and my colleagues are being jerks by Alison Green on April 22, 2025 A reader writes: Through a bit of misfortune, I had to fall back on working at the company my parents own, in order to pay my bills. It is a challenging job market, to say the least, so I am grateful that I have this safety net I can fall back on. However, it isn’t […] Read the full article →
my coworker’s constant babbling is drowning me in info, and my boss won’t help by Alison Green on April 21, 2025 A reader writes: I’m an admin in a small office, with a centrally located desk. One of my coworkers, Miranda, literally never stops talking. I counted for a while and she averages two major interruptions per hour, mostly extended monologues about personal minutiae, intimate relationship problems, or absolute and total nonsense. Basically, her entire internal […] Read the full article →
my coworker makes absolutely everything about herself by Alison Green on April 15, 2025 A reader writes: I work in a department of nine people. We all get along well, but I’m struggling with how to handle my frustrations with my colleague, Margo. Margo is possibly the most well-intentioned person I’ve ever met, but she has the infuriating habit of bringing every conversation back to herself to explain how […] Read the full article →
how to deal with a rude coworker by Alison Green on April 10, 2025 Here’s a round-up of advice about how to deal with rude coworkers. how to deal with a coworker who’s rude to you dealing with a cranky, unpleasant coworker how to work with a jerk who raises his voice, when “that’s just how he is” new coworker is a rude know-it-all my coworker is rude and […] Read the full article →
should I write a list of rules so a colleague treats me decently? by Alison Green on March 31, 2025 A reader writes: This is a community organizing issue, but it is ultimately about working closely with someone where there’s conflict, and one where I think a professional approach might be most useful. I (they/them) am a leader in a social justice-oriented community organization along with someone I’ll call Paul (he/they). We have the same […] Read the full article →
how to get people to answer my questions, without sounding rude or snarky by Alison Green on March 26, 2025 A reader writes: I need help figuring out how to point out to someone they haven’t answered my question in a way that doesn’t sound rude. I’m a 40-year-old woman who has recently been diagnosed with both ADHD and auditory processing disorder. I’ve found that this is the reason why I have a hard time […] Read the full article →
my coworkers won’t answer their phones, ever by Alison Green on March 25, 2025 A reader writes: I feel bananas asking this, but could you give me a read on how/whether people still use phones in office/remote office work in 2025? I have a fully remote, customer-focused job for a tiny organization, and no one on my team will use phones. I have the most customer interactions and am […] Read the full article →
my coworker refuses to share her calendar and says she’ll quit if she’s ordered to by Alison Green on March 24, 2025 A reader writes: I work at a small creative business with about 25 employees, Our structure is pretty flat, and there is no traditional HR or processes that come with working at larger organizations. There are three main departments. I run one, and my coworker who I am writing about, Maggie, runs one of the […] Read the full article →
everyone likes me, so why am I not in the group chat? by Alison Green on March 19, 2025 A reader writes: I started a new job about four months ago in a team of six people in a mid-sized company, and my five immediate coworkers have been nothing but nice and helpful. They answer all of my questions, take lots of time to explain stuff, include me in lunch plans, go out of […] Read the full article →
my coworker isn’t willing to tell a teenager helper that he’s accidentally killing all our fish by Alison Green on March 18, 2025 A reader writes: I work in the five-person office of a large pre-school. My colleague, Amy, keeps a five-gallon fish tank near her desk with between two and four fish in it. The tank is in full view of the office door and the lobby beyond. The fish are important to the school; when our […] Read the full article →