my company won’t allow any name changes, ever, for anyone by Alison Green on July 12, 2023 Two letters, one theme: 1. My company won’t let me use the name I go by in our directory I just started a new job. When I applied, I filled in my legal name and my preferred name. I go by a shortened version of my middle name — let’s say “Beth.” I have never […] Read the full article →
I have to train an aggressive man when I have a trauma history by Alison Green on July 10, 2023 A reader writes: I’m part of a project team creating and launching a new online system, which will mean significant changes in the way employees do their job. There’s some resistance to this change within the organization and one department in particular that is deeply opposed to the new system. We have been on a […] Read the full article →
our remote employees were excluded from our company appreciation day by Alison Green on June 27, 2023 A reader writes: My company is kind of new to remote work. Covid forced us all home, and hiring developers remotely has been significantly more successful than trying to hire them in-person only. Because of those two factors, the small tech company I work for is now about 40% remote employees located all over the […] Read the full article →
the outraged notes littering offices everywhere by Alison Green on June 19, 2023 If there’s one thing I’ve learned from over a decade of writing a workplace advice column, it’s that people will do anything to avoid having an awkward conversation with their colleagues. Sometimes that means that they don’t bring up important topics at all, instead just letting problems go unaddressed while their frustration festers. Other times, […] Read the full article →
my coworker is bringing his kid to work and on Zoom calls … but the rest of us are paying for child care by Alison Green on June 6, 2023 A reader writes: Even posing this question, I am asking myself: AITA? A colleague of mine had his first child during the pandemic. Obviously, like parents worldwide (myself included), he was at a loss for childcare. During that time we all worked from home, and children, pets, and partners appeared in and out of Zoom […] Read the full article →
my office argued for 5 months about whether I could have an ergonomic chair by Alison Green on May 31, 2023 A reader writes: I know you’ve posted in the past about requesting accommodations, but could I gather your thoughts on below? This encounter at my current employer frankly made me feel crazy — like I was dealing with 12 Dwights from The Office crazy. I’ve had a long history of musculoskeletal and orthopedic conditions (think […] Read the full article →
there’s a white noise war in my office by Alison Green on May 25, 2023 A reader writes: When my company mandated a return to in-office work, I did not expect the biggest problem to be the office noise machine. But hear me out. During the pandemic, my company installed a Bose speaker system in the ceilings of our large open office to play white noise (actually brown noise, which […] Read the full article →
my job makes me feel like I’m the worst kid in gym class by Alison Green on May 24, 2023 A reader writes: I work a job that is typically considered high-stress in a low-paying industry. My workplace and the satellite offices will get together on days the workplace is closed to clients and take us for a (paid) day of team-building fun. We go bowling, play paintball, go to arcades, that sort of thing, […] Read the full article →
how to cope when you don’t have an assigned work space by Alison Green on May 11, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have a question for your readers, if you’re willing to throw this to them. My office is starting to mandate that we come back in person (the reasons why are a whole separate can of worms), and the model we’re returning to is not […] Read the full article →
I think my employee is being abused by her partner by Alison Green on May 8, 2023 Content warning for discussion of abuse below. A reader writes: I have been a director at my organization for a few years now in a small town. We have a staff of 23. Some have been here for 20+ years, some are new, but it’s a pretty great group of people and we all work […] Read the full article →