my employee’s toddler screams in the background of work calls by Alison Green on October 9, 2024 A reader writes: I am a first-time manager of a virtual team, and one of my direct reports works from home 100% of the time. On a recent call, this employee was providing an overview of a new system and in the background, everyone on the project team could hear his three-year-old child screaming. It […] Read the full article →
employee is sending risqué photos of himself to his coworkers by Alison Green on October 7, 2024 A reader writes: My small company has a very laid-back culture — sometimes too laid-back. A lot of the employees are friends outside of work or follow each other on social media. A team of seven employees sits outside of my office in an open floor plan space. They often talk throughout the day and […] Read the full article →
how can I tell if I’m a good manager? by Alison Green on October 2, 2024 A reader writes: I’ve recently started managing a team of several employees. While I love the work, I’m not oblivious to the fact I’m still very new at managing people and have lots of room to develop. I once heard a speaker say that bad bosses are typically clueless about how they are perceived by […] Read the full article →
I walked in on employees having sex — and I think there’s a sex club in my office by Alison Green on October 2, 2024 I’m off for a few days so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2015. Is it real? Is it fake? I honestly don’t know. I normally don’t print letters that I think are likely fake, although the update made me less sure. Ultimately I don’t think it matters (as […] Read the full article →
employee expects us all to attend her destination wedding by Alison Green on October 1, 2024 A reader writes: I’m the owner of a company. Our team is mighty, but tiny — only 10 people, three of whom are in leadership/senior positions. One employee firmly believes that since we spend most of our time at work, coworkers should function more like family than like, well, coworkers. We try to find ways […] Read the full article →
my new employee ran a background check on me and asked me about what he found by Alison Green on September 25, 2024 I’m off today, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2019. A reader writes: I started a new position recently and was promoted quickly to a management position. Great, I have a long supervisory background, looking forward to helping in a wider capacity. One of my direct reports is […] Read the full article →
should I promote an employee who doesn’t get along with coworkers? by Alison Green on September 24, 2024 A reader writes: I am a general manager of two quick service restaurant locations. Running two locations has left me stretched very thin. Last September, I lost my assistant general manager, who helped me with all the day-to-day to make sure things ran smoothly at both stores. Now enter my employee Abby. Abby is a […] Read the full article →
how can I be a more gracious senior leader? by Alison Green on September 19, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I was recently attending a departmental meeting when I realized that — through a combination of steady promotions, organizational shakeups, and senior colleagues leaving over the years — I have somehow become the #3 ranked person in the department, both in terms of title and […] Read the full article →
birthday cards are causing mayhem in our office by Alison Green on September 18, 2024 A reader writes: I’m a team lead with a ridiculous problem. This January, a coworker who reports to me, Diana, said she thought it would be great if she kept a list of everyone’s birthdays and passed around a birthday card for everyone else to sign and then give to the birthday-haver. She said she […] Read the full article →
my employee is a great worker but she’s quiet and aloof by Alison Green on September 11, 2024 A reader writes: A staff member I manage, Marianne, is very good at her job. She’s easy to manage in that she’s on top of her work, understands the organization, and takes constructive criticism very well. She’s also the most aloof person I’ve ever met. Though she’s been part of our small team for years […] Read the full article →