my boss wants me to help him jump the line for the Covid vaccine by Alison Green on January 19, 2021 A reader writes: I work in a medium-sized office in HR. My company’s CEO, a man in his early 40’s, has requested that my boss (the VP of human resources) help him get on a list for a Covid vaccine within the next few days. This task has been passed down to me. However, my […] Read the full article →
the head of my division gave me (and my niece and friend) COVID-19 and no one cares by Alison Green on January 13, 2021 A reader writes: I’m working remotely but I had to go in for a once-a-year task that can only be done from the office and is legally required to be completed. While I was there, I ran into my division head (my manager’s manager). She said she was asked to quickly pick something by her […] Read the full article →
the worst boss of 2020 is… by Alison Green on December 10, 2020 We have a winner! The final votes are in, and the worst boss of the year is the company that planned to absorb any government stimulus checks that employees receive for themselves — with 52% of the vote in the final match-up. There was a lot of debate of the nominees year! Here are some […] Read the full article →
my new team is taunting me because I have a nut allergy by Alison Green on October 26, 2020 A reader writes: I have a nut allergy and carry an epipen. It’s never been an issue in the 12 years I’ve worked for my company. I have recently been promoted to a new department. As usual, I explained to the manager I have a nut allergy but it doesn’t effect anything (i.e., it’s not […] Read the full article →
should you create a fake workload to test how much pressure an employee can take? by Alison Green on September 21, 2020 A reader writes: My husband works for a small firm founded by veterans. Last week, his supervisor assigned him an extreme amount of work, including some tasks that weren’t fully feasible. He ended up working back-to-back, 11-hour, stress-filled days, including starting the second day at 6 am. At some point on the second day, he […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps getting deadnamed by a coworker by Alison Green on August 27, 2020 A reader writes: I have managed “John,” a transgender man, for about two years. John does not keep his transgender status a secret, but he also doesn’t go out of his way to tell people, so some people know and some don’t. “Lizzy” recently transferred to a department that works closely with ours. She previously […] Read the full article →
my boss forced me to do a video call — with eye contact — while I was driving by Alison Green on August 19, 2020 A reader writes: The other day I survived a car trip while doing one of those things we know we’re not supposed to do while driving: holding my phone in my hand while giving lots of eye contact with the camera. Since I do not typically use my phone while I drive, I did not […] Read the full article →
our new boss doesn’t know how awful her second-in-command is by Alison Green on August 18, 2020 A reader writes: I am an upper level manager in a mid-sized company with about 200 employees. This past year, the head of our company, Jim, who was problematic but visionary, decided to retire after decades in leadership. I used to report to Jim, but in the changeover it was decided that I would report […] Read the full article →
my older male coworker is obsessed with my weight and baby plans by Alison Green on August 5, 2020 A reader writes: I am a 30something newlywed woman and have been at my current job for just over a year and a half. Prior to accepting my job, my health took a devastating blow and I learned that I had a very rare genetic disorder and had two baseball size tumors in my digestive […] Read the full article →
my boss sent a friend to spy on me at my house by Alison Green on July 6, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a very large company and am working from home. When I spoke to my manager on the phone recently, she hinted about whether I was watching TV while working. I told her I can’t watch TV while I work because it’s too distracting, but I listen to podcasts for […] Read the full article →