ask the readers

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

how do I learn what is and isn’t okay at professional jobs?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m in high school, and I recently discovered your blog, and I was reading some posts. One of them was the infamous “fired for circulating a petition for a lax dress code” post. If I were in the shoes of one of the OP’s coworker-interns, […]

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should my office allow parents to bring babies to work?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: My company has recently proposed implementing a program that would allow new parents to bring their child to work until they are six months old. The proposed policy includes rules that would be put in place to mitigate any disruptions in the office. Even with […]

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how do I put together a business casual wardrobe?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m a woman in my late 20s with a graduate degree. I work in a professional office, but we don’t interact with the public, and our office dress code is nonexistent — some people wear t-shirts with writing and ratty jeans, while others routinely wear […]

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ask the readers: what do I do once I retire?

A reader writes: My concern skews to an older audience than most of your readers but it’s one that I probably should have given more thought to years ago. How do I prepare to retire and what do I do once I retire? I’m not talking about the money piece of retirement, but rather, what […]

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how can I help a job-searching friend who can’t catch a break?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: My small, very tight-knit group of friends and I are all suddenly finding ourselves in an exciting season of job transitions and moves … except for one (let’s call him Ross). Over the last several years, Ross worked in a really challenging field/environment while finishing […]

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share your salary negotiation success stories

In response to last week’s salary negotiation success story, people asked for more salary success stories. So: In the comments, share your stories of successfully asking for and getting more money, either as part of a job offer or when asking for a raise. Be as specific as possible — what did you say, how […]

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