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 →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 →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 →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 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 →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 →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 →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 →I’m writing a column for later this month about the ways Halloween at work can go wrong and want to hear your stories. Did your coworker get fired for refusing to remove his unicorn mask to get through security? Did your office put up decorations so grisly that they were traumatizing people? Did a coworker […]
Read the full article →Readers, can you help with this one? I had a question I’m hoping to get your or your readers’ input on. I live, and work remotely from, one of the Southern Appalachian communities that was most severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. I’m very lucky in that I’m safe, my people are safe, and I didn’t […]
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