my mother is a destructive force in my professional life by Alison Green on November 23, 2015 A reader writes: I emailed you back in August when I was struggling to find a job, and I was worried about the backlash I would get from my family if I went on benefits. (Note from Alison: This was a private email exchange rather than a post, so there’s no past post to link to.) […] Read the full article →
restrictions on plus-ones at a company dinner, employee sent abusive texts from a work phone, and more by Alison Green on November 23, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Only spouses and significant others are allowed at holiday dinner Is it typical for office holiday dinners to restrict an employee’s guest to include only a spouse or significant other? I’ve worked as a doctor for more than a decade in a very successful privately […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – November 21-22, 2015 by Alison Green on November 21, 2015 This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school. If you have a work question, you can email it to me or post it in the work-related open thread on Fridays.) Book Recommendation of the Week: […] Read the full article →
can I keep this vendor gift, jobs keep hiring me quickly and then it doesn’t work out, and more by Alison Green on November 21, 2015 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Do I have to give this vendor gift away? Last week, I scheduled a demo from a vendor for today on a project I was leading, and the next day I had an interview and accepted the job. I immediately gave notice to my boss, […] Read the full article →
are unnatural hair colors getting more acceptable in professional jobs? by Alison Green on November 20, 2015 In this Minneapolis Star-Tribune article, I say yes. With caveats. Lots of caveats. If you don’t feel like clicking through, the gist is this: The world is changing. But different parts of the world and different industries change at different paces. There are still plenty of places where green or blue hair isn’t going to […] Read the full article →
3 things I learned by starting my own business in a recession by Alison Green on November 20, 2015 In 2010, I quit my job to go to work for myself. I was super nervous about it — I had no idea if I’d be able to pull it off or not. But I haven’t had a moment of regret; to the contrary, I’m thrilled that I did it. Since then, I’ve thought a lot about the ingredients that […] Read the full article →
open thread – November 20, 2015 by Alison Green on November 20, 2015 It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything work-related that you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. Also… Site enhancement! Lots […] Read the full article →
wedding gift favoritism, stinky office-mate, and more by Alison Green on November 20, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My company gave me a much smaller wedding gift than it gave my coworkers I work for a small but successful international company. I am the office manager, but I take care of all accounts payable/receivable, HR, and building management. Three of my coworkers, including […] Read the full article →
we hire people to work in a really tough location — and they keep dropping out before their start date by Alison Green on November 19, 2015 A reader writes: I work for a contractor; our primary industry is providing professional staff at locations around the globe. One of the locations where we have staff is something like the the Wall in Westeros — it’s a far-away military installation, and it has an incredibly strong reputation as a place where you don’t […] Read the full article →
are you a bottleneck for your staff? by Alison Green on November 19, 2015 Do your staff’s work or requests end up sitting in your in-box for weeks because you’re swamped with other priorities? If your workload means that you’re creating a bottleneck in your team’s workflow, here are some ways to get that flow unstuck, so that work keeps moving. 1. Take a fresh look at what work […] Read the full article →