my coworker showed us an explicit slideshow of her baby’s birth by Alison Green on August 14, 2023 A reader writes: This happened years ago, but I still wonder what (if anything) I should’ve done. I was teaching at a small independent school. I had a colleague, Maria, who was in her mid-twenties; she was enthusiastic, upbeat, and a fine teacher, really good with the kids, and I liked her personally, as well […] Read the full article →
an acquaintance I recommended proselytized to all my clients (with singing) by Alison Green on June 28, 2023 A reader writes: I would appreciate some feedback on a somewhat sensitive religion/workplace conflict that happened a few years ago, and how to respond to the occasional inquiry from colleagues and clients about it. While returning to the states for the summer, I recommended an acquaintance of mine, Jade, to fly in and take over […] Read the full article →
update: my boss told me I’m “not a good human” when I asked to be paid for my time by Alison Green on June 12, 2023 Welcome to the mid-year “where are you now?” event at Ask a Manager! All this week and next, I’ll be running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day. Remember the letter-writer whose boss told […] Read the full article →
update: HR won’t do anything about a coworker who’s angry about my weight loss by Alison Green on April 17, 2023 Remember the letter-writer whose HR wouldn’t do anything about a coworker who was angry about her post-surgery weight loss? Here’s the update. All I have to say for this update is hold on to your bananapants. I saw a lot of comments asking where management was in all this, so I’ll address that first. My […] Read the full article →
I bit my coworker by Alison Green on March 28, 2023 I’m off today, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: So I bit a coworker yesterday. Obviously, I’m mortified. I work in an incredibly dysfunctional office. The tone is set by our office manager. He’s in his fifties, has always worked in an office setting, […] Read the full article →
my ex-boss threatened to contact my husband, his coworkers, and my father-in-law if I don’t return $48 of office supplies by Alison Green on January 18, 2023 A reader writes: I received an email today from my prior boss (I left in November) requiring that I return equipment. However, there was no loaned equipment or return equipment clause that even existed for me to sign. They never provided me with anything outside of a $48 office supplies order from Amazon that included […] Read the full article →
our employee is taking nude photos in our office and posting them to Facebook by Alison Green on January 16, 2023 I’m off for the holiday, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: I am the office manager of a small (two additional employees, two doctors, and one therapist) health practice. One employee, who I will call Jane, has worked there for over 10 years and […] Read the full article →
my interviewer sent me an email saying my scars are triggering by Alison Green on November 1, 2022 A reader writes: I’ve been casually job searching for a few months and had an interview last week. The job was for a logistics specialist at a shipping company. The woman who interviewed me, Marcia, seemed distracted the entire interview, shuffling papers and mumbling her questions. I knew pretty quickly I wouldn’t be taking the […] Read the full article →
my company advertises every job all the time to make sure we know we can be replaced by Alison Green on October 12, 2022 A reader writes: I work at a mid-sized company in a highly competitive field where turnover is usually very high, and most positions are either sales-focused or service-based with a few office/administrative occupations making up the roster. The sales openings do not require any specific training, while the service positions are considered skilled trade jobs […] Read the full article →
company wants references from “coworkers you didn’t get along with” by Alison Green on October 4, 2022 I’m off today. This was originally published in 2016. A reader writes: I’m currently interviewing for a new position with a company that works remotely. Over the past two weeks, I’ve had 10+ video calls with every member of the small team, along with a bunch of unpaid work tests that have included everything from […] Read the full article →