I’m supposed to be a superstar, but I don’t know how by Alison Green on June 9, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: After over a year of utterly fruitless job-searching post-graduation (shoutout to my fellow Virtual Grads, Class of 2020), I landed a job, thanks in no small part to your fantastic resume, cover letter, and interview advice. It was not what I pictured myself doing, but […] Read the full article →
how do office relaxation/recharge rooms work? by Alison Green on June 2, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’ve convinced my boss to dedicate a spare office to a recharge/relaxation room, to give employees a place to unwind, get away from their cube mates, meditate, make a private phone call, stretch, etc. It would also serve as a private location for nursing moms […] Read the full article →
should I let my parents help me network? by Alison Green on May 26, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: My question is about networking and family. My parents and I are in the same field, and I definitely was helped from the very beginning of my career by their experience and connections. Now that I’m finishing graduate school however, I feel that I want […] Read the full article →
the popcorn calamity, the chair battle, and more stories of dramatic reactions to small changes at work by Alison Green on May 25, 2022 Last week, I asked for stories about weirdly dramatic reactions that you’ve seen people have to small changes at work. The comment section was full of fantastic stories — so many that I had to split my favorites up into two posts. Yesterday was part one, and here’s part two. 1. The picnic table A […] Read the full article →
the shirt crusade, the bacon crisis, and other stories of dramatic reactions to small changes at work by Alison Green on May 24, 2022 Last week, I asked for stories about weirdly dramatic reactions that you’ve seen people have to small changes at work. The comment section was full of fantastic stories — so many that I have to split my favorites up into two posts. So here’s part one, and part two is coming tomorrow. 1. The shirts […] Read the full article →
strangely dramatic responses to mundane office changes by Alison Green on May 19, 2022 Ever since the letter earlier this year about the office-wide meltdown over a new phone system with fewer speed dial buttons, I’ve been thinking about overly dramatic responses to relatively mundane changes at work. We’ve heard quite a few doozies over the years: • A couple years ago, I led revamping one of our workflows. […] Read the full article →
confess your moments of unprofessionalism here by Alison Green on May 12, 2022 Professionalism isn’t a thing people are born knowing — and it’s often a rocky journey to figure it out. I want to hear about unprofessional things you did in your past (maybe the recent past, who knows). To kick us off, here are some great moments in unprofessionalism that people have shared here previously. • […] Read the full article →
what kind of leave policy should a small business offer? by Alison Green on May 5, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’ve only ever worked at small businesses with less than 25 people. During my time as a manager, and now as a small company owner (consulting/professional services type firms), I have struggled to come up with fair policies on things like PTO and family leave that […] Read the full article →
is rudeness and hostility on the rise in your profession? by Alison Green on April 28, 2022 On last week’s post about the person whose clients have have started becoming abusive after she gives them feedback, several people wrote that they’ve been seeing the same change in their own professions: “I’ve been in retail over ten years and there has been behavior from people in the last few months I’ve never seen, […] Read the full article →
I know my colleagues with kids are struggling … but it’s causing more work for me by Alison Green on April 21, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I think this is just a question of checking in with myself and better enforcing boundaries, but here goes: I’m childless in my late thirties, so I am: 1) surrounded by parents of young kids 2) constantly flexing or taking extra work for colleagues, folks […] Read the full article →