there’s nothing I can do about my nightmare workload … right? by Alison Green on March 13, 2024 A reader writes: I’m in a rough spot at work. When I started nearly two years ago, this was a six-person company: two owners and four staff. One staff member, who split a workload with me, moved away a few months later. They posted his position immediately, but nobody from the first wave of applicants […] Read the full article →
can I do anything about a senior-level colleague who doesn’t do any work? by Alison Green on March 7, 2024 A reader writes: We have a new C-level employee at my small nonprofit, Andy, who has been here for six months. I do not work directly with Andy terribly often but my boss, Jane, who is also not C-level but also does not report directly to Andy, has a lot of meetings with Andy and […] Read the full article →
an employee is out to get my star performer, and no one else cares by Alison Green on February 6, 2024 A reader writes: I manage Tina, who is a genius. She’s fresh from school but has already saved our department tens of thousands. We acquired a few failed companies and Tina dove in, learned all their systems, and automated the pulling of data in a week. This saved us hundreds of hours in training and […] Read the full article →
I had a one-night fling with my new boss’s husband, coworkers say I’m too loud, and more by Alison Green on December 27, 2023 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 had a one-night fling with my new boss’s then-husband The company I work for is going through a merger with two others. Some people have taken retirement, but other than that […] Read the full article →
a “thought experiment” is causing a cold war in my office by Alison Green on July 10, 2023 A reader writes: I work in an office of ~20 people. The majority of us have lunch together in the conference room most days. It’s not organized or mandatory, just a preference for most of us. People drift in and out and sometimes skip if they have errands or out-of-office meetings that day. The only […] Read the full article →
rude instructor comments on our food choices, husband won’t wear noise-canceling headphones at home, and more by Alison Green on June 26, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Instructor keeps commenting on everyone’s food choices I’m taking a four-day online class (I’m federal government and the class is put on by a private sector training company). We get a break for lunch, and when we return, the instructor checks in to make sure […] Read the full article →
I’m in trouble for being a few minutes late, weighing my food at a business lunch, and more by Alison Green on June 5, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m in trouble for occasionally arriving a few minutes late I recently quit the worst job I ever had, in favor of one I like quite a bit better. Mostly. But my new job has a very perilous commute, involving two sets of train tracks, […] 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 →
how do I avoid “mom energy” with my younger employees? by Alison Green on April 25, 2023 A reader writes: I’m a 40-year-old woman managing a team of 10 in a tech company, where several of the team members are 10-15 years younger than I am. How do I avoid “mom energy”? Specifically, my employee Annie and I met in-person for the first time last week at a workshop. In a group […] Read the full article →
my coworkers keep asking about my assault by Alison Green on April 12, 2023 A reader writes: I’m an executive assistant at an accounting firm, which means that this time of year I’m averaging between 60-70 hours a week. By nature of spending that much time with them, I’m much closer with my coworkers than I have been at any other workplace. I was recently assaulted after a horrible […] Read the full article →