my boss pees in a cup and dumps it in the kitchen sink by Alison Green on July 8, 2019 Warning: This is a really gross letter. A reader writes: What can we do with a boss who urinates in a cup in his office and then dumps it in the kitchen sink even when we (all women) are sitting there eating lunch? We are certain of what is in the cup because it smells, […] Read the full article →
my boss makes me wear her clothes, eat her food, and say I’m grateful for my job by Alison Green on June 25, 2019 A reader writes: I was hired about six months ago at a small business. I’m in my mid-20s and this my first professional job after completing grad school. It’s just me, the owner/director, and a part-time assistant. Because we’re such a small office, I spend a lot of time one-on-one with my boss. Sometimes she’s […] Read the full article →
my boss got weirdly aggressive about winning a game and now keeps claiming I’m angry about it by Alison Green on June 19, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a large company. Previously I was in a small team which supported a small department, but at the start of the year it was decided we would merge with another team and become the support group for the whole sector. The new team is headed by Ethel. It was […] Read the full article →
I ran into my new boss in the apartment of my one-night stand by Alison Green on June 10, 2019 A reader writes: I recently engaged in some, um, consensual adult activity under the mutual understanding that it would be a temporary relationship at another person’s apartment. No work productivity was harmed in the making of this hookup. After a pleasant night, I walked out of a room to discover that, not only did the […] Read the full article →
I’m in trouble for re-sorting a coworker’s trash — and I’m enraged by Alison Green on June 4, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve worked at a medium sized tech company as a software engineer for the past two years now. Our city has an ordinance requiring all businesses to compost and recycle. I fully support this ordinance, as I’m a staunch environmentalist and care deeply about the future of our planet, for my sake […] Read the full article →
my coworkers follow me into the bathroom with work questions by Alison Green on May 21, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve worked IT help desk for seven years in this position, and ten years in total. Recently my company has converted to open space offices. This has changed the dynamic in my office, and now people want me to drop everything at any time to help them whenever they walk to my […] Read the full article →
coworker whispers a daily affirmation to me, do I have to tell people I met with about my strep throat, and more by Alison Green on May 21, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker whispers a daily affirmation to me I work in a fairly open plan corporate setting. A new colleague joined another team about a month ago, and passes my station daily on his way to see his boss. Every single morning he briefly stops, […] Read the full article →
we have to write deeply personal poems and share them at a staff meeting by Alison Green on April 29, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a small values-driven company, and recently there has been an effort to do more relationship building among staff. Ahead of our next all staff meeting, we are required to write a “where I’m from” poem, based on the format of this work by George Ella Lyon. While it seems […] Read the full article →
my boss told my office I’m lying about my health condition by Alison Green on March 11, 2019 A reader writes: So I’ve been at my job at an educational institution for about six months now, and live about an hour away (unfortunately, moving is not an option). Over the winter, ice and snow that I experience living in a valley has kept me from getting to work more than once, though my […] Read the full article →
my coworker is setting toilet paper on fire in the bathroom by Alison Green on February 26, 2019 A reader writes: I work in a small office (about 20 people at this branch of our company) and we have two individual restrooms (as opposed to stalls) in our central hallway. There is certainly a smell situation because the hallway leads to all major sections of the office, but in general, people try to […] Read the full article →