your non-compete agreement is now illegal (or it will be in 4 months) by Alison Green on April 24, 2024 The Federal Trade Commission yesterday banned non-compete agreements for most U.S. workers, saying that they stifle wages. The ruling not only makes non-competes illegal, but it also requires employers to to inform employees with existing non-competes that they are null and void. An exception was carved out for existing non-competes for senior executives; the ruling […] Read the full article →
my boss wants us to meet with a spiritualist to fix the negative energy in our building by Alison Green on April 24, 2024 A reader writes: I work at a small nonprofit and recently the employee with the longest institutional knowledge just left her position because of the years of abuse, micromanagement, and overwork she endured. Now, the executive director is trying to set up an all-staff meeting with a “spiritualist” so that she can figure out why […] Read the full article →
should we fire the relatives of Nazis? by Alison Green on April 16, 2024 A reader writes: I am casual friends with a couple who are both teachers at a public high school. One day while catching up, they told me that they found out one of their recently-hired colleagues (“Jane”) is the direct descendant of a Nazi. I don’t know which Nazi, I don’t know how they found […] Read the full article →
the White House has proposed new overtime rules that could increase your paycheck by Alison Green on April 15, 2024 Big news: the White House has approved a proposal from the Department of Labor to change the rules that govern who must receive overtime pay. If it becomes law, your employer would be required to pay you overtime (time and a half for all hours over 40 that you work in a week) unless you […] Read the full article →
employee uses the bathroom stall with the door wide open by Alison Green on March 25, 2024 A reader writes: I have (what I think is) an outlandish question for you, but I promise it’s true. It comes from my coworker’s spouse. At her place of employment, they have found it difficult to retain anyone in the administrative assistant position. It sounds like there was a lot of turnover in that role, […] Read the full article →
how to ask for a disability accommodation for a job interview by Alison Green on February 29, 2024 A reader writes: I hoped you could answer a question –– ideally with a disability/employment lawyer or other specialist –– about disclosing disabilities at the interview stage. Your site is emphatic that disabilities should not be disclosed until an offer is received, due to the possibility for (unconscious) discrimination. This makes sense, but it leaves […] Read the full article →
how to live with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) at work by Alison Green on January 24, 2024 What if you had a medical condition that caused you to have monthly fits of rage and sorrow? How would you deal with it at work? PMDD, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, is a mood condition that impacts 5-8% of menstruators. It can mean wild mood swings, rage, anxiety, depression, and lethargy during the second half […] Read the full article →
a hoarder at work is causing a mouse problem by Alison Green on January 9, 2024 A reader writes: I work in a lab at a university. Back in August, we starting noticing mice. One of the employees in a leadership position, Julie, has a hoarding problem. Her office is full of so many piles of stuff you can’t walk through it, and there are closets full of her stuff as […] Read the full article →
HR says I have a moral obligation to tell everyone I’m autistic by Alison Green on November 6, 2023 A reader writes: I’m a senior manager in a medium-sized organization. We have, in the past, had some issues with the way that neurodivergent employees have been treated — not on my team, but due to the way that they have been managed by other members of the senior management team. We’ve twice had to […] Read the full article →
my employer says we can’t stop patrons from filming us by Alison Green on October 3, 2023 A reader writes: I work at a library in a two-party consent state for recording people. Recently people have been coming in and harassing the staff and filming their reactions. Some of these videos have ended up on social media websites, giving our library a minor amount of fame (much to the staff’s dismay). In […] Read the full article →