let’s talk about unusual office traditions by Alison Green on November 21, 2024 One of the most popular “ask the readers” posts last year was on unusual but fun office traditions. Here’s some of what got shared last year: • We had The Team Plant. It was a nice ordinary office houseplant in a basket, and it didn’t belong to anyone in particular. Most of the time it […] Read the full article →
the Rolodex hoarder, the used tea bags, and other stories of territorial behavior at work by Alison Green on November 18, 2024 Last week we discussed territorial behavior at work and here are 12 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The Rolodex I worked with a manager that kept customer information in a Rolodex to prevent any one else from making calls to them. And I mean a classic Rolodex, the big spinning thing that had […] Read the full article →
let’s discuss territory-marking at work by Alison Green on November 14, 2024 Let’s talk about territory-marking behavior at work: people with a high need to make sure you know they they own this work area or this desk or this project (whether or not they really do). Think for example, of this person who left ridiculously excessive “rules” for the person covering her maternity leave (including “do […] Read the full article →
when office potlucks and catered parties go wrong by Alison Green on November 7, 2024 As we approach to the season of office potlucks, catered parties, and other holiday meals with coworkers, let’s discuss the many ways in which they can go wrong — from alarming cuisine to cheap-ass rolls to riots over the chili cook-off to tantrums over insufficiently abundant shrimp. Please share your stories of potlucks, cooking competitions, […] Read the full article →
the miniature diorama, the burn book, the gun, and other weird items left behind in desks by Alison Green on November 5, 2024 Need an amusing distraction today? I do. Last week we talked about the oddest things you’ve found when cleaning out a desk or workspace, and below are 15 of my favorite stories you shared. However, what is not my favorite is the knowledge that 30 of you — 30 separate people — thirty — reported […] Read the full article →
the escape room, the haunted house, and other times Halloween at work went wrong (or right) by Alison Green on October 31, 2024 Happy Halloween! Here are some of my favorite stories about Halloween at work that you shared earlier this week that didn’t make it into my column for Slate on Monday. 1. The escape room At Old Job, the position that I and the majority of the department held was rather soul sucking. The supervisors all […] Read the full article →
what are the weirdest things you’ve found when cleaning out an old office or desk? by Alison Green on October 31, 2024 What odd things have you found when moving into a new office or desk? To start us off, here are some disturbing and/or amusing examples shared here in the past: “A friend of mine went to work for a museum in DC. As she cleaned out the desk she found an old (1920ish?) cigarette box, […] Read the full article →
succeeding at work if you’re neurodivergent by Alison Green on October 24, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have ADHD and learning disabilities. I suspect I have autism too. I just got into a new manager position. With the amount of disabilities I have, it’s amazing how far I made it. As I look for advice for succeeding in the workplace as […] Read the full article →
the bread bag files, the dead language, and other broken but sacred systems by Alison Green on October 22, 2024 Last week, we talked about broken systems that for some reason become sacred and cannot be changed. Here are some of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The bread bags I worked for a publication that had a bread-bag-based content management system. They were these waxy paper bags designed to hold a loaf of bread, […] Read the full article →
when terrible work systems become sacred by Alison Green on October 17, 2024 I once worked for an organization where, years before, an IT person had created a database in an obscure coding language. He was long gone and no one knew how to make changes to it but the CEO loved it so we weren’t allowed to replace it, despite it being central to our work. Nearly […] Read the full article →