people lose their minds over free food: discuss by Alison Green on June 1, 2023 People are weird about free food at work. Really weird. Free food can make some people lose all sense of decorum and manners (and interestingly, the employees who get the most vulture-like are often the highest-paid). Some reports of free food havoc that have been shared here over the years: • “I had a coworker who thought […] Read the full article →
how do I come to terms with giving up on my dream job? by Alison Green on May 25, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have a very specific training and “dream job,” which for the sake of this question let’s say is archaeology (although it’s not). I’ve been passionate about archaeology since I was a teenager and have both an undergraduate degree and master’s degree in it, as […] Read the full article →
how can I slowly roll out a different look at work? by Alison Green on May 18, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m a 30-year-old engineer. For the first years of my career I was very focused on fitting in and establishing my competence. I’ve been at my current firm for five years now and I feel reasonably well established. I’ve recently started experimenting more with my […] Read the full article →
how to cope when you don’t have an assigned work space by Alison Green on May 11, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have a question for your readers, if you’re willing to throw this to them. My office is starting to mandate that we come back in person (the reasons why are a whole separate can of worms), and the model we’re returning to is not […] Read the full article →
how should we handle remote work and extreme weather? by Alison Green on May 4, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work for a small nonprofit, and most of our employees telework full-time. They live all over the state, some in urban and some in rural areas. We have been experiencing regular major extreme events (fires, floods, storms, etc.) that have substantial impacts on the […] Read the full article →
what admin assistants really want from their coworkers by Alison Green on April 27, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question — and since yesterday was Administrative Professionals Day, this is timely. A reader writes: I’d love to talk about what other admins would like in their job to feel appreciated and perform effectively. We’ve established we don’t want flowers on Secretary’s Day, so I’d love to centralize what […] Read the full article →
8 horror stories for Administrative Professionals’ Day by Alison Green on April 26, 2023 Administrative Professionals’ Day is today, so please enjoy these horror stories submitted by readers in the past. 1. The dance lesson For Administrative Professionals’ Day (a “holiday” that must die), my company used to order snacks and cheap wine and give us a little token like a mug with the company name on it. One […] Read the full article →
can we talk about GOOD companies for a change? by Alison Green on April 20, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work for a large company that, when I started, I thought was going to be really great. It isn’t. It is the opposite of great. On an almost daily basis, I am blown away by how cruel this company is to its workforce. What […] Read the full article →
how do you decide whether or not to relocate for a job? by Alison Green on April 13, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am currently in a position where I am content, but I keep my LinkedIn to “open” because, well, why not? Recently I was contacted by a recruiter for a position I’m interested in but I’m not sure about the location. It would require a […] Read the full article →
let’s talk about layoffs — how to prepare and the fall-out afterwards by Alison Green on April 6, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have a question I’m hoping you can ask your readers. The tech industry is going through massive layoffs right now and it’s a pretty stressful time for those of us who are 35 and under, who didn’t go through the Dot-Com Bubble or were […] Read the full article →