share your funniest office holiday stories by Alison Green on December 1, 2022 We have once again entered the season of forced workplace merriment, holiday party disasters, and other seasonal delights! Thus it is time to hear about your office holiday debacles, past or current. Did you pass out naked in the break room? Did your manager provide you with a three-page document of “party procedures”? Did a drunk Santa […] Read the full article →
the baby grand piano, the legend of Buddy, and other tales of holiday woes by Alison Green on November 23, 2022 All this week I’ve been sharing holiday stories from years past. Here are eight more. 1. The piano “I work for a nonprofit that currently gets almost all of our funding from one donor, which means if she gets a bee in her bonnet about the way things should be done, we generally try to […] Read the full article →
the cake hoarder, the missing egg, and other stories of holiday mayhem by Alison Green on November 23, 2022 All this week I’ve been sharing holiday stories from years past. Here are 10 more. 1. The stench “Years ago I worked at a cookware company. Every year the owners gave us a week off with pay, an amazing Xmas party at a restaurant, and a fresh turkey. One coworker who wished mightily to be […] Read the full article →
the holiday perfume, the ancient fruitcake, and other stories of holidays at work by Alison Green on November 22, 2022 All this week I’m sharing holiday stories from years past. Here are 10 more. 1. The perfume “My father’s story from a good 25 years ago. One time he’s telling us about what gifts they bought for all the staff. It was perfume (don’t get me started on the gendered nature of it, that’s a […] Read the full article →
the thief and the hero, the crockpot discrimination, and other stories of potlucks at work by Alison Green on November 22, 2022 Here are 12 more of my favorite stories you shared about potlucks and other food gatherings at work earlier this month. (Part one was yesterday.) 1. The cook-off “We had a chili cook-off and the winner admitted she didn’t make the chili. She got it from Wendy’s.” 2. The sushi “Before he retired, my spouse […] Read the full article →
the Thanksgiving tyrant, the very special salad, and other stories of potlucks at work by Alison Green on November 21, 2022 All this week to get us in the holiday spirit, I’m going to be featuring holiday stories readers have shared here in the past … and then updates season will start next week! To kick us off, here are 12 of my favorite stories you shared about potlucks and other food gatherings at work earlier […] Read the full article →
how do I manage a “regular” job with a parallel career as a musician? by Alison Green on November 17, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am a musician (classically trained soprano, to be specific) and I’m in my late twenties. I recently returned to school after several years out in the workforce, where I had singing gigs and a musical life which I tried to combine with various “regular” […] Read the full article →
when office potlucks go wrong by Alison Green on November 10, 2022 As we approach the season of office potlucks and other meals with coworkers, let’s discuss the many ways they can go wrong … from alarming cuisine to the person who takes an obscenely large share and never contributes anything of their own. To kick us off, some stories from years past: • “One of my […] Read the full article →
the gong, the missing reply-all button, and other weird things companies thought would boost productivity by Alison Green on November 7, 2022 Last month I asked about weird and misguided things your company has done in the name of boosting productivity. Here are 12 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The gong “I had a boss (one of THREE CEOs at a tiny company) do a lot of reading on what other CEOs/companies were doing and […] Read the full article →
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 →