2012

fast answer Friday — 6 short answers to 6 short questions

It’s fast answer Friday — six short answers to six short questions. Here we go… 1. Workplace doesn’t have hot water or heat in the bathroom Can a business owner turn off the hot water and heat in a public/business bathroom to save money? My boyfriend is working in a huge empty theater with just […]

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5 more reader updates

Here are five more “where are they now” updates from readers who had their questions answered here this year. 1. The reader asking how to tell a new coworker that she was over-sharing Everything has worked out really well. The gal is still with our company. My boss had a informal meeting with her about the […]

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should you use return receipts on emails to hiring managers?

A reader writes: After reading the column about hiring salespeople, I wondered about one aspect of email — return receipts. I don’t generally ask for a return receipt, but I had one boss who liked them. One HR manager I had used them on the policy-related emails. I’ve also dealt with a lot of academics […]

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update about the employee who wouldn’t stop hugging people

Remember the letter about the employee who wouldn’t stop hugging visitors to the office? And to make matters worse, these were “longer-than-necessary, full-body hugs,” sometimes accompanied by talking about how good it felt to be hugged (a detail that might have amused me more than anything else printed here this year). Here’s the update: I […]

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terse answer Thursday — 6 short answers to 6 short questions

It’s terse answer Thursday — six short answers to six short questions. Here we go… 1. Do I have to repay my sign-on bonus if I resign after a month? I recently accepted an administrative assistant position with a new company. A staffing agency introduced me to the position, and my new employer paid the […]

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update from the reader with the farting, burping coworker

Remember the reader who couldn’t get away from her aggressively flatulent office-mate? Here’s her update: Unfortunately, I have no good news to report. This is, without contest, the most unbelievable thing that has ever happened to me. First, let me state in response to to many of the comments: I worked in a steel mill, […]

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why didn’t I get a bonus this year?

A reader writes: For the last two years, I have received year-end bonuses (second year was larger than the first) for my work. After thanking my boss for them, each time he has said, “You deserve a lot more and hopefully next year’s will be larger.” Now, I never expect a bonus, but this year […]

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holiday open thread

Traffic here goes way down in the days before and after Christmas, but here’s an open thread for those of you who are still around and reading. The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything you want to talk about.

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if you’re not getting interviews, read this

I have talked to a lot of people lately who aren’t getting interviews and who can’t figure out what the problem is. They tell me that they know their resume and cover letter are fine (and often people have looked those over for them and verified that), and they can’t figure out what they’re doing […]

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