my company wants us to sign a loyalty oath by Alison Green on August 2, 2022 A reader writes: My workplace is incredibly weird and, oftentimes, problematic. In the past there have been issues with religious harassment, sexual harassment, and general abuse all coming from management and administration. You can’t complain to HR because they are part of the harassment as well. They all answer to our CEO, who is also […] Read the full article →
my boss makes me sign personal contracts for every rule he implements by Alison Green on April 4, 2022 A reader writes: Recently my significant other told me that his boss frequently makes him sign personal “contracts” at work. These are not contracts through his (very well known luxury car brand) employer, but a quickly typed Word document with a few sentences. The most recent ones he was given stated, “I will work every […] Read the full article →
our new phones have fewer speed dial buttons and everyone is freaking out by Alison Green on February 21, 2022 I greatly enjoyed this story I spotted in Friday’s open thread and hopefully so will you: So, a few months ago our 20+ years old phone system started to show signs that it wasn’t going to last any longer. I researched for a while but end up finding us a system that was pretty close […] Read the full article →
my coworker passes me messages “from the CEO” … that I think are really from her by Alison Green on February 15, 2022 A reader writes: I’ve worked for an 80-person organization for two years in an outward-facing, sales-like role. I come with 20+ years experience. The organization has one HR employee coordinating interviews, terminations, and benefits paperwork. Most of my colleagues work in roles that require casual clothing (a branded t-shirt and jeans). My role, however, requires […] Read the full article →
the new hire who showed up is not the same person we interviewed by Alison Green on January 31, 2022 A reader writes: This is a situation currently unfolding at my husband’s office so I’m a very amused bystander and thought I’d get your opinion on this craziness. My husband works in IT and is on the leadership team at a midsized private company. He was part of a panel that recently interviewed a number […] Read the full article →
my office Secret Santa gave me a gift from a pornstar by Alison Green on January 5, 2022 A reader writes: I’m a mid-level employee on a team of about 20 within a larger organization. I started in 2019, though we’ve all been remote since March 2020. We’ve had pretty little turnover since then, so apart from a few newer folks, I’ve met everyone on the team in person and have good rapport […] Read the full article →
my boss shows up at parties she’s not invited to, I have to pick my own punishment, and more by Alison Green on December 15, 2021 I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. I don’t invite my boss to our work parties but she keeps showing up My team likes to throw parties: once a month we have a sit-down lunch, once a quarter we […] Read the full article →
my employee refuses to lie to customers — but that’s our policy by Alison Green on November 22, 2021 A reader writes: My employee is refusing to abide by company policies due to religious conviction and I’m not sure how to handle this. I am the owner of a very small company, around 15 people total. We are a niche online retailer. We do the vast majority of our sales through a popular online […] Read the full article →
my VP of HR says my service dog is too small by Alison Green on November 15, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a small-ish company (80) people. I have epilepsy and I have a seizure alert dog. She can detect when I am about to have a seizure, which helps me get somewhere safe (she’s alerted when I’m on the stairs so I know to sit down immediately, or if I’m […] Read the full article →
I walked in on the company owner having sex in his office by Alison Green on November 2, 2021 A reader writes: I started a new job last Thursday at a small consulting company. I’m very excited about the company and the role, and it’s a better fit than my previous opportunity. It’s an eight-person team, consisting of the owner, two VPs who report to him, an executive assistant who reports to him, and […] Read the full article →