I manage a habitual phone checker by Alison Green on December 19, 2023 A reader writes: One of the people I supervise is a good, solid employee. He does his work on time and to deadline, juggles multiple projects, and supervises some temporary workers. I have no complaints! However, he has a terrible habit of being on his phone during larger presentations and trainings. On two recent occasions […] Read the full article →
should we hire a candidate who’s unhappy with the salary? by Alison Green on December 18, 2023 A reader writes: We’re looking for a temp to come in and cover one of my colleagues, Melissa, who is going on extended medical leave for six months. The staffing agency has sent us lots of candidates, but only one of them had the skills we were looking for. Anne has a few years of […] Read the full article →
parents in my office stick non-parents with all the holiday coverage by Alison Green on December 14, 2023 A reader writes: With the holidays coming up, things are getting tense in my office. There’s a divide between employees who are parents and employees who don’t have kids. We are open on the holidays, full stop, no exceptions; we are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We’re […] Read the full article →
how do I tell an employee he isn’t welcome at our holiday party? by Alison Green on December 13, 2023 A reader writes: We have an employee, Steve, who has just resigned. He has a history of being rude, explosive, and verbally abusive. I’ve lost count of how many times he’s yelled at or insulted coworkers, including higher-ups. In fact, he is currently refusing to speak to Dave, his department head. Steve’s last day will […] Read the full article →
how can I stop giving gifts this year if I’ve always given them previously? by Alison Green on December 12, 2023 A reader writes: Every year that I have been a manager, I’ve given my team members a holiday gift. I have 15 direct reports and in the past I’ve spent around $20-25 per person, sometimes gift cards, other times things like a Rocket notebook, an Echo dot, etc. However, my financial situation took a hit […] Read the full article →
the best office holiday party date story of all time by Alison Green on December 11, 2023 There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. 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 […] Read the full article →
my junior employee won’t stop sharing his “expertise” by Alison Green on December 11, 2023 A reader writes: I run a seven-person office. One of my direct reports is both not very experienced and not very good at his job, which requires extremely specific legal knowledge and a strong attention to detail. Despite this, he’s got an irritating habit of positioning himself as a subject matter expert around the office […] Read the full article →
I have a crush on my employee by Alison Green on December 7, 2023 A reader writes: I’ve worked with a male colleague who is close in age to me (I am female) for several years, and last year I was promoted to manage him and others. We have a great working relationship and complementary skill sets; people have remarked on what a great team we make. We have […] Read the full article →
“I will confront you by Wednesday of this week” by Alison Green on December 6, 2023 There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. 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 […] Read the full article →
when your new hire is in jail on his first day by Alison Green on December 6, 2023 A reader writes: My company hired a new person on my team. He was scheduled to start on a Monday but he pushed back a week at the last minute, and he didn’t notify us until minutes before he was expected in. The next Monday he didn’t come in, and no one could get in […] Read the full article →