I’m unprofessional and not detail-oriented — but I still need to earn a living by Alison Green on February 2, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. I am not a detail-oriented person. I’ve had jobs where I was responsible for things like making sure that a packet of materials was the correct color paper, or following a 94-step process perfectly many times. I. Just. Cannot. It’s not a question of effort. I’ve written protocols, […] Read the full article →
what workplace norms surprised you when you were starting out? by Alison Green on January 26, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: In my job I manage a lot of people who are new to the workforce and are just starting to learn the typical, usually-unspoken norms of working in an office environment. This could be anything from “can I call my boss by her first name?” […] Read the full article →
how can I get used to cube life again? by Alison Green on January 19, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I just started a new job in a new city after realizing during the pandemic I wanted to live in a different part of the country. I worked completely remotely for most of the last two years because my previous organization was very Covid-cautious, but […] Read the full article →
the poodle in a stroller, the music file, and other email signatures gone wild by Alison Green on January 17, 2023 Last week I asked about the funniest/weirdest/most inappropriate email signatures you’ve seen. Here are some of the highlights you shared. 1. The nice day I know a woman who is known for being kind of blunt/curt in her emails. I think she was spoken to about it, because she added a “have a nice day” […] Read the full article →
what’s the weirdest/most inappropriate email signature you’ve seen? by Alison Green on January 12, 2023 What’s the strangest/funniest/most unprofessional/most inappropriate email signature you’ve seen at work? To start us off, here are some that readers have shared in the past: “I have a coworker who has a quote from himself as part of his email signature. That’s pretty off-putting.” “Analyst misspelled as Analist” “A customer had her entire multi-day destination […] Read the full article →
are more companies bringing people back to the office? by Alison Green on January 5, 2023 In the last couple of months, dozens of tech companies have announced they’re requiring employees to spend more days in the office — including companies that previously had gone “default remote” but now expect people to be on-site at least part of the week. Some observers have speculated that companies are doing this to encourage […] Read the full article →
the snowflake dance, the infuriating elves, and other stories of holiday madness at work by Alison Green on December 22, 2022 Here are 10 of my favorite stories you shared about holidays at work earlier this month. 1. The snowflake dance “I work for a large publicly traded company and during one Christmas party there was a game where people wore a Kleenex box as a fanny pack and had to twerk out all of the […] Read the full article →
office holiday gift-giving stories: worst gifts and weirdest gifts by Alison Green on December 15, 2022 In the spirit of the season, let’s hear about workplace gift debacles. Did a game of Secret Santa end in tears? Did a coworker throw a tantrum when she didn’t win a raffle? Did your boss try to give you Hanukkah balls? Were you given a jar of mold as a gift? These are all real […] Read the full article →
what’s your company doing for the holidays this year? by Alison Green on December 8, 2022 What’s your company doing about the holidays this year? In 2020, many employers canceled holiday celebrations because of the pandemic, while others devised creative ways to celebrate — like virtual cocktail tastings and drive-in movies. Last year, some parties were back on, while others weren’t. What’s your office planning for this year? Read the full article →
a truly hilarious company holiday party story, told in bullet points by Alison Green on December 7, 2022 This is one of my favorite holiday stories of all time, which was relayed last week by a reader who is a pure angel for sharing it with us: I love me some bullet points, so here goes my holiday nightmare. Picture this: * I was in my early twenties, with my first grown-up job, […] Read the full article →