my new employee fell asleep in a meeting by Alison Green on April 5, 2023 A reader writes: I have a new employee who started this week. So far she seems great. But we were just in a kind of boring but important meeting with internal colleagues and she kept nodding off to sleep. She was trying to fight it, but it happened multiple times. Is this something I should […] Read the full article →
I had a great interview — why haven’t I heard anything back? by Alison Green on April 4, 2023 You had a great job interview, nailed every question, and left feeling optimistic about your chances of getting an offer. Your interviewer told you they would get back to you either way next week, but now it’s been two weeks and all you’ve heard is silence. Should you follow up with them? Is the silence […] Read the full article →
my intern is refusing assignments because of her politics by Alison Green on April 3, 2023 A reader writes: I run a large museum, and we are currently running a major special exhibition. We’ve been asked to give a private tour of this exhibition to a prominent and controversial political figure. I have a summer intern and have offered to let her come along as an observer. This kind of inclusion […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps challenging my expertise by Alison Green on March 28, 2023 A reader writes: I’m a manager at a small advertising start-up that has a very open and transparent culture. I actively encourage my team to challenge and disagree with me, but I’m having issues with one of them doing so in a way that I perceive as disrespectful. He frequently disagrees with me, which is […] Read the full article →
my employee keeps flipping from great to terrible by Alison Green on March 27, 2023 A reader writes: I have a direct report who was at one time my star performer and was on track for leadership. She had some challenges in her personal life over a couple years, and over time her performance slipped until it became a problem. Accuracy errors, chronic lateness, and a general negative attitude that […] Read the full article →
should I insist my employees get comfortable with public speaking? by Alison Green on March 22, 2023 A reader writes: As a director, a large part of my role involves public speaking and training, which I enjoy and am good at. Two junior people I supervise are not public speakers. They, each to varying degrees, hate it to the point that they will avoid it at all costs. It gives them a […] Read the full article →
office kitchen wars are back by Alison Green on March 20, 2023 With many companies bringing people back to the office at least part-time, office kitchens wars are back! Today at Slate, I wrote about workplace kitchen aggravations — the take-out food from months ago left rotting in the fridge, the politics of who gets stuck cleaning up after others (and who doesn’t), the brazen thefts of […] Read the full article →
does it look bad to send emails late at night? by Alison Green on March 15, 2023 A reader writes: Does it look bad to send/respond to an email late at night? I am generally forgetful, and the smaller a task the more likely I am to forget about it until later that evening. Randomly, at 10 p.m. I will remember, “Oh shoot, I didn’t tell Jane that Wednesday doesn’t work for […] Read the full article →
here’s a huge discount on the Ask a Manager job-searching bible by Alison Green on March 14, 2023 Looking for a job? Once a year, I offer a big discount on my my e-book, How to Get a Job: Secrets of a Hiring Manager, and it’s happening now. Use this discount code today for a massive 40% discount off the regular $24.95 price: newjob If you’ve ever wished that you could look into the brain of […] Read the full article →
how can I hire good people to work in a dysfunctional organization? by Alison Green on March 13, 2023 A reader writes: My small organization is currently in transition. We have had significant staff turnover in the last two years, and the result has pushed the organization into a level of dysfunction that I know will drive many good quality candidates away. However, I still have to hire people (I have two positions currently […] Read the full article →