how can companies be fair to people who can’t work from home? by Alison Green on March 4, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: Good news: After observing that productivity hasn’t been substantially affected in the Now Time as compared to the Before Time, my organization is working on a set of policies to allow for remote work long-term. Harder news: We’re a mix of people whose jobs wholly […] Read the full article →
how can I move out of working in retail? by Alison Green on February 25, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I graduated with an MFA in fine arts several years ago and worked briefly as an adjunct after finishing school. The work was low-paying for the effort I put in and so unstable that I found myself abandoning the thought of pursuing a career in […] Read the full article →
a drunken cowboy, gingerbread house chaos, and other office contests that went badly by Alison Green on February 24, 2021 Last week, I asked you to share your stories of workplace contests gone awry. Here are 10 of my favorites. 1. The chili cook-off winner Not my story but my dad’s, and it makes me laugh every time. His workplace hosts an annual chili cookoff and everyone would bring in a crockpot of their chili, […] Read the full article →
the hot sauce contest, soup-gate, and other work contests gone awry by Alison Green on February 18, 2021 “We had a hot sauce eating contest at work years ago that ended with the crowd demanding that the contestants stop before they got hurt (and passing the hat to come up with a second prize) and then one contestant threw up in the bushes on the way to his bus and the other was […] Read the full article →
how do I talk to my husband about his poor work ethic and bad attitude? by Alison Green on February 11, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: My question is regarding my husband’s transition from a manufacturing job to a more corporate environment. My husband (“Jim”) worked on the line in a factory setting for many years. Just over two years ago, he accepted a new job related to his previous field, […] Read the full article →
sore winners: let’s talk about people who get weirdly competitive at work by Alison Green on January 28, 2021 Some people get strongly competitive at work, and about the weirdest things. Remember the manager who got strangely aggressive about winning what was supposed to be a friendly team-building competition? “Ethel (the boss) took it incredibly seriously,” our letter writer reported. “She got really aggressive, shouting that my team were losers and couldn’t keep up.” […] Read the full article →
household employees keep ghosting me by Alison Green on January 21, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m the manager (also parent) for the lives of two kids under 5 years old. Their first childcare provider was a miraculously perfect fit for part-time work; lived nearby (convenient for last minute shifts, never late due to 5 minute car commute) was very flexible, […] Read the full article →
really aggressive spam callers are giving me anxiety attacks by Alison Green on January 7, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: Most of my company has been working from home due to the pandemic, like everyone. The only people in the office consistently right now are me, our VP, and occasionally the president. Since I am the most junior person in the office now, I have […] Read the full article →
the hostage videos, the barfing owl, and other holiday gift debacles by Alison Green on December 25, 2020 Earlier this month, I asked you to share the worst and weirdest office holiday gift debacles you’ve seen. Here are eight of my favorites. (Not all are safe for work!) Also, if you missed the office holiday round-up earlier this week, it’s here, with tales of foraged mushrooms and a rare books department gone wild. 1. […] Read the full article →
the wrong Santa, the mushroom casserole, and other stories of office holiday mayhem by Alison Green on December 24, 2020 Earlier this month, I asked you to share your funniest office holiday stories. Here are 10 of my favorites. 1. The coal I worked in a mess of a frat party type workplace. The Christmas Eve midnight shift was just us two interns, and a big boss. Myself and the other intern were working in […] Read the full article →