my male coworkers keep vomiting emotionally on me by Alison Green on November 3, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am the sole female Turtle Analyst on my team (job title changed for anonymity, obviously). I’m young and new at the company (just had my two-year anniversary). I use the our database’s coding language daily. Part of my job is collaborating with the Turtle […] Read the full article →
my coworker is teasing me with a mascot of an animal I’m scared of by Alison Green on October 25, 2022 A reader writes: I work for a school, and our mascot is an animal most people find lovely – think of a lion or a puppy. In past years, we’ve had a very large stuffed toy of our mascot that travels between homerooms a few times a month, usually to celebrate a homeroom that has […] Read the full article →
should I put more effort into making friends at work? by Alison Green on October 18, 2022 A reader writes: I started at my company almost five years ago. I’m married and was pregnant when I started, and though I worked full-time and more than satisfied my boss, I didn’t get along well with many of the other women on my team who were in different life stages and had different work […] Read the full article →
our health committee chair is anti-vax, anti-science, and out of control by Alison Green on October 17, 2022 A reader writes: I’ve decided what my own actions will be here, but wanted to get your thoughts on whether or not an employer has an obligation to shut this down. My workplace (a state government agency) has various Employee Resource Groups. All 100% voluntary, and there are limits to how much time we can […] Read the full article →
a coworker’s child keeps saying insulting and bigoted things to me by Alison Green on September 22, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work in a nonprofit child care setting and the environment can be toxic at times. These people have all known each other for decades and have habits of lying for one another in professional settings to make the organization sound better than it actually […] Read the full article →
how should I deal with an anxious and needy coworker? by Alison Green on September 21, 2022 A reader writes: I have a coworker in her late 20’s, Patricia, who has been a part of my team for about five months now. I have been employed at this company for two years, but have been called back into the office after work from home was revoked. Patricia is supposed to be a […] Read the full article →
my coworker keeps trying to undermine me by Alison Green on September 20, 2022 A reader writes: I left a toxic job back in June, and accepted a higher-paying, higher-title job at a nonprofit organization I respect very much. The culture here is wonderful, my manager is fantastic, and, for the most part, so are my coworkers. There is one coworker, though, who I’m having a tough time with, […] Read the full article →
I stood up to a sexist coworker who wanted me to take all the notes for a team I’m not even on by Alison Green on September 14, 2022 A reader writes: Your recent letter about office housekeeping and calendar invites reminded me of an incident that happened at work about a year ago. I am the director of architecture for a company and work closely with a man who is my peer, the director of construction — we both directly report to the […] Read the full article →
I can’t escape Halloween Town by Alison Green on September 14, 2022 A reader writes: I live in a small city which doesn’t have many employment opportunities. The city has a high unemployment rate, and it’s rare to find work that isn’t in shops, farming, etc. Six years ago, the city council launched a project to fund start-up business ideas for marginalized individuals, including those with disabilities. […] Read the full article →
my remote coworkers refuse to chat or make social pleasantries with me by Alison Green on September 13, 2022 A reader writes: I’m having an ongoing, anxiety inducing problem at work I’m hoping you can help me with: Remote work is now the permanent state at my company, and I’m happy about that. However, when I try to ask my coworkers about their weekend, their opinion on something non-work related, or other “small talk” […] Read the full article →