who is responsible for anger management therapy when an employee needs it? by Alison Green on July 17, 2024 A reader writes: This is a question about an unfolding situation involving the behavior of a couple of professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing (the UK version of Dancing With the Stars). Last year, one contestant complained about the behavior of her pro partner (Pro A) towards her. Because she’s been publicly vocal about it, […] Read the full article →
my office has a sticker chart for our feelings by Alison Green on July 15, 2024 A reader writes: I work in an office of a large company. The work my team does is often stressful, so sometimes staff morale suffers. The managers of my team have created a feelings chart that has giant emoji representing various levels of being happy, stressed, and angry. There are stickers of all our names […] Read the full article →
we did a trauma-dumping ice-breaker at a work retreat by Alison Green on July 8, 2024 A reader writes: I work for a company that has ~40 people and we gather annually in person. We are otherwise a hybrid organization. We are very open about mental health struggles and work/life balance, and that comes from our leadership. I’m incredibly grateful to work in an organization like this. Last year I had […] Read the full article →
my team went on a Redneck Comedy bus tour and it was as bad as you’d expect by Alison Green on July 1, 2024 A reader writes: I work in the marketing department of a fairly large healthcare company. I’ve been with the company for 15 years and with the marketing team for 12, and my coworkers are one of my favorite things about my job. We all get along really well, my boss and grandbosses are extremely supportive, […] Read the full article →
is it discrimination that all the moms in the company have to have childcare but the one dad doesn’t? by Alison Green on June 25, 2024 A reader writes: Over the past few months, I’ve found myself increasingly frustrated and resentful, and I fear it’s clouding my judgment. Any advice, even if it’s simply to let go, would be appreciated. I work for a nonprofit that operates across several states. We have a predominantly female workforce, many of whom are mothers […] Read the full article →
why is your job asking you for money? by Alison Green on June 24, 2024 When you go to work, you assume you’re there to earn income — so it can be particularly galling when your workplace pressures you to part with your hard-earned cash. Yet, being expected to open your wallet is surprisingly common in the workplace. From collections taken up for office baby showers to retirements to farewell […] Read the full article →
what’s the etiquette for reply-all email disasters? by Alison Green on June 5, 2024 A reader writes: Can we get a definitive ruling on the etiquette when someone accidentally emails an incorrect email list in a large office? Today I went to lunch for 40 minutes and came back to 239 emails — someone emailed the wrong distribution list for a request (there were over 1,000 people on this […] Read the full article →
what comp time policy should I set for my team? by Alison Green on May 29, 2024 A reader writes: I head an agency with around 40 employees. I’m struggling with our policy on compensatory time for travel. For years, every waking minute during travel, from departure to return, has been counted as work time, with staff receiving comp time for any time over eight hours per day. For example, an employee […] Read the full article →
our boss is being a jerk about bereavement leave for miscarriages by Alison Green on May 22, 2024 A reader writes: My company recently updated our bereavement policy. While reviewing it in our company-wide staff meeting, a staff member asked if a miscarriage would qualify and the immediate answer was “no.” No room for discussion. The temperature of the room immediately dropped; it was so uncomfortable. I am not a mother, have ever […] Read the full article →
how does maternity leave work, exactly? by Alison Green on May 14, 2024 A reader writes: I hope to get pregnant in the next two or three years and I have realized that I know absolutely nothing about how maternity leave works in the U.S. Do most companies offer paid leave and, if so, for how long? If it’s not paid, how are people taking months off? When […] Read the full article →