do I need to ensure my nipples are never visible through my work clothes? by Alison Green on July 3, 2024 A reader writes: I am a mid-40’s woman working in an office setting at a university and would describe our dress code as office casual. I don’t dress in a manner that might be considered revealing or sexy, but have protruding nipples which are visible through my shirt regardless of whether it is cold or […] Read the full article →
was it unprofessional to say I was angry? by Alison Green on June 26, 2024 A reader writes: This year, I was put in a difficult position by my HR representative. My work requires a licensing process with the state, and I’ve moved to a new role whose laws regarding those licenses have recently been updated. Despite having conversations with my HR about these changes and working to navigate them, […] Read the full article →
I used ChatGPT to replace a team’s input when they weren’t responding … and now I’m panicking by Alison Green on June 24, 2024 A reader writes: I messed up royally. I’m two years in my first full-time role. My job is like in-house consulting. My team is trying to improve our internal processes. We interview people in the process about what they’re struggling with and look for ways to improve it. I’ve done a lot of these interviews […] Read the full article →
I’m a terrible procrastinator by Alison Green on June 13, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’ve recently realized something about myself: even though I am a high perfomer with glowing reviews from bosses and coworkers, I am a terrible procrastinator. But instead of procrastinating by doing nothing, I find other things that is of lesser importance but still need doing. […] Read the full article →
how can I shut down gossip at work? by Alison Green on May 28, 2024 A reader writes: I like my job and my coworkers, but there’s one thing that keeps bugging me: There’s a real culture of gossiping, and I keep getting sucked into it. I used to be a huge gossiper myself, but at a previous job I was the target of some untrue and hurtful gossip, and […] Read the full article →
is it rude to read in the car on work trips? by Alison Green on May 16, 2024 A reader writes: For my job, I often travel five to eight hours in a car to get to a destination. I have been a field scientist and now work for a five-state program so I have hundreds of hours of experience of driving with coworkers. An unspoken rule seems to be you talk to […] Read the full article →
can I discuss NSFW shows at work? by Alison Green on May 14, 2024 A reader writes: In this age of streaming, it seems like every show I watch is very, very R-rated. I feel a little uncomfortable talking about these shows during normal coworker chit-chat about what everyone has been watching lately. I wondering how best to navigate these conversations. Here are two specific examples that I felt […] Read the full article →
is working from an armchair hurting my credibility? by Alison Green on April 30, 2024 A reader writes: Since starting my first work-from-home job last year, I’ve noticed the unexpected perk that being able to work from an armchair, recliner, or my couch has SIGNIFICANTLY reduced chronic pain from an old injury because I’m able to support my body in ways that a desk chair doesn’t allow. My concern is […] Read the full article →
I feel overwhelming guilt about taking time off work by Alison Green on April 23, 2024 A reader writes: I genuinely don’t understand how folks deal with the overwhelming guilt of taking time off work. I’ve had this problem since I started working right out of college, and it’s persisted through multiple job and industry changes and multiple PTO policies — from seven days to unlimited — in my over 15 […] Read the full article →
an employee showed up for a video training while lounging in bed and smoking by Alison Green on April 22, 2024 A reader writes: I work in a low-level supervisory role for a social service agency. Most of our employees work remotely and are issued desktop computers with a monitor and camera. The majority of these remote employees do not need to be on camera to complete daily tasks; however, when meetings or training sessions occur, […] Read the full article →