family, friends & significant others

When your family, spouse, or partner intersects with your job or work, things can go badly. Here’s advice to navigate it well.

how much can I pet my cat on video calls?

A reader writes: I have a somewhat low-stakes question that has been puzzling me lately. I’m wondering where the line is for interactions between me and my cat on Zoom calls. What is professional and what is not? My team is informal, with no dress code, and we sometimes show off our cats on video […]

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how to work with a friend who has stopped talking to me

A reader writes: I could use help with handling a work friendship that is going through some ick. Lou is a remote worker (now in another country) whom I have never met in person. Shortly after he started a few years ago, we became close friends even with that distance. We’ve provided personal and professional […]

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my husband and I share a home office — how do we make this work?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: Has anyone successfully shared a home office (permanently) with their spouse/roommate/partner/etc and if so, what are your tips for success? My husband and I both work from home 75% of the time and have a three-bedroom house (currently occupied by our bedroom and our two […]

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how do you balance two “big” jobs in a family?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: How do you sensibly balance two “big” jobs in a relationship? My husband is an executive at a high-profile company, and I am the head of a small but very busy specialist department at my firm. Both our jobs are slightly flexible, but less and […]

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