ask the readers

Looking for crowdsourced wisdom? Here are reader discussions about life at work.

let’s talk about your mortifying moments at work

It’s almost time for Mortification Week 2022, and in preparation we need to hear your stories of mortifying experiences at work — yours or other people’s. Maybe you mistakenly emailed your lengthy romantic story to a colleague instead of your husband … or gave a person two noses in an interview Photoshop test … or […]

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coworkers and clients won’t stop commenting on my arms

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am a program director for a very public-facing, often-busy, and somewhat-high-profile mobile health services program. Half of my day is spent mostly outdoors at rotating pop-up sites for which I have long-term relationships with the host, and half of my day is spent in-office. […]

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I love running my own business but it’s killing me

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have been running my own brick-and-mortar business for the past seven years. This business was a dream of mine, and I am lucky enough to say that it has been successful. We currently have two part-time employees to help with the growing number of […]

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I’m supposed to be a superstar, but I don’t know how

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 […]

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how do office relaxation/recharge rooms work?

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 […]

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should I let my parents help me network?

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 […]

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strangely dramatic responses to mundane office changes

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. […]

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