short answer Sunday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions by Alison Green on October 16, 2011 It’s once again short answer Sunday — seven short answers to seven short questions. We’ve got a manager feeling crabby about his employees’ flextime, renegotiating a job offer, and more. Here we go… 1. Is this discrimination? Recently I heard about a job within my current department that was going to be posted. I am […] Read the full article →
sleeping coworker’s snores are disrupting my work by Alison Green on October 14, 2011 A reader writes: What do I say to a woman I work with who is constantly falling asleep at her desk, in her office with the door wide open? She snores so loudly that it disrupts my work, and at first it scared me. I have told the manager and his suggestion was to drop […] Read the full article →
some things about my dad by Alison Green on October 13, 2011 This is me and my dad, Steve Green. He would have turned 71 today, except that he won’t because he died in 2001. Here are some things about my dad: * He worked as a journalist for 40 years, covering Congress and national security, among other things. After he died, Senator Barbara Boxer gave a really […] Read the full article →
was I burned in this salary negotiation? by Alison Green on October 12, 2011 A reader writes: I was contacted by the recruiter of a company about a position a few weeks back. Titles for what I do for a living are often arbitrary, so I expressed to her that I wasn’t sure the salary would be enough in that it was a “specialist” role — even though the […] Read the full article →
how to deal with unreasonable deadlines by Alison Green on October 12, 2011 If you find yourself constantly struggling to meet impossible deadlines at work, it’s worth stepping back and taking a different approach to the problem. Here are six strategies that might help you cope. 1. Look at your colleagues. If you have colleagues who do similar work, do they also face similar deadlines? If so, how […] Read the full article →
how to handle 7 cringeworthy coworker situations by Alison Green on October 12, 2011 Whether it’s a smelly coworker or a colleague who sees meetings as a stage for her own monologues, you’re guaranteed to run into some awkward situations at work from time to time. Here are seven of the most awkward, and some tips on handling them. 1. The Smelly Coworker The problem: Your coworker smells so […] Read the full article →
manager publicly criticized me in an email to our whole office by Alison Green on October 11, 2011 A reader writes: I work in IT in an office full of men where I’m the only girl. I’ve felt left out for a while and generally keep myself to myself. This morning, an email was sent by a supervisor to the entire office giving 2 examples of how inputting certain details on a spreadsheet […] Read the full article →
how can I help my struggling coworker, who’s possibly learning-disabled? by Alison Green on October 11, 2011 A reader writes: I’m in a creative, non-managerial position and I’ve recently been given the task of managing the work of one of my colleagues. I’m not his formal manager; he and I have the same job title, and we both report to the same manager. I’m more of his editor or lead (we’re both copywriters at […] Read the full article →
awful advice: lie and cold call your way into a job! by Alison Green on October 10, 2011 A reader writes: I wanted to know what you think of the advice in this blog post: 3 Steps To Network Your Way Into An Interview. I find it weird that the writer basically advises cold-calling and calls it “networking.” Then there’s the other suggestion: “Call anyone the hiring authority has recommended.” Wouldn’t you find […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: when everything is an emergency by Alison Green on October 9, 2011 From my sickbed, I’m posting a few questions for readers to answer. Here’s the next one. A reader writes: I am in a work environment where I have multiple people, usually project managers (my internal clients) coming to me with “emergencies” to fix. Generally, these “emergencies” are caused by someone other than me, I may […] Read the full article →