should employees use sick time for doctor’s appointments? by Alison Green on January 8, 2025 A reader writes: As a relatively new manager, I’m wondering about how to navigate sick time. Background: We’re 100% remote. I have weekly standing meetings with employees; apart from that, I don’t require details on what they’re doing through the day. When I know someone is at a doctor’s appointment for a few hours, is […] Read the full article →
how much time can I ask for to consider a job offer? by Alison Green on January 7, 2025 A reader writes: I’ve been conducting a low-key job search for months without much movement, and suddenly within the last few weeks I have what seems like serious interest from two different companies. I’m near the end of the interviewing process with both of them but, from what I can tell, one of them is […] Read the full article →
my employee is too accommodating by Alison Green on January 6, 2025 A reader writes: I am having a very backwards problem with one of my employees, Jill, being too accommodating and self-sacrificing. We have regular hours that we work, but it’s not uncommon for hours to need to change when something comes up. Everyone is aware of this when they come onboard, and we do our […] Read the full article →
the best office holiday party date story of all time by Alison Green on December 24, 2024 A couple of years ago, someone shared what I consider to be the best holiday date story of all time, and it must be shared here again. Enjoy: When I was fresh out of college, a dude in my social circle invited me to his fancy work Christmas party. He was a teacher, so I’d […] Read the full article →
should I demote an employee who can’t do her job? by Alison Green on December 18, 2024 A reader writes: I have a staff member who was promoted beyond her capability. I have tried coaching her, and she simply does not have the skill or aptitude required for the job. I do think she could work in her original role — but to have the budget to replace her, she would need […] Read the full article →
a truly hilarious company holiday party story, told in bullet points by Alison Green on December 16, 2024 There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. This is one of my favorite holiday stories of all time, which was relayed in 2022 by a reader who is a pure angel for sharing it with us: I love me some bullet points, so here goes my […] Read the full article →
our underage intern drank at the company party by Alison Green on December 16, 2024 A reader writes: Earlier this week I was chatting with our intern, Rachel, and another coworker about the staff party the previous week. I had been sick and missed it, and intern Rachel, who is in college and under 21, said that I didn’t miss anything, just her getting a little drunk … because they […] Read the full article →
my employee is vaping on video calls by Alison Green on December 12, 2024 A reader writes: I manage a team that has moved to remote work. We are now holding all of our meetings through virtual interfaces. Recently I have noticed one of our employees vaping during our meetings with me and during all-staff meetings. Do you think this is appropriate or should I say something? I answer […] Read the full article →
“I will confront you by Wednesday of this week” by Alison Green on December 11, 2024 Several years ago, a reader shared with us this epic email that was sent by their company’s boss after a holiday party gone terribly awry, and as we enter the holiday season we remember its glory. “This happened about ten years ago, but the email I received from our boss was so epic I preserved […] Read the full article →
my employee never apologizes for mistakes by Alison Green on December 11, 2024 A reader writes: I manage an employee who’s in his first year out of college. He’s a great employee and has impressed people at all levels of the company and has received recognition for his good work. But there is one thing recently that has been driving me up a wall and I can’t tell […] Read the full article →