our email signatures have to say “unhappy with my service? email my boss!” by Alison Green on September 30, 2015 A reader writes: I work in a (fairly large) group of about 50 people, liaising with clients on a daily basis. Clients have always been able to ask to escalate problems and talk up the chain of command by requesting this. Typically, this is a very infrequent occurrence; as far as I know, all my […] Read the full article →
when flexible schedules hurt other coworkers by Alison Green on September 30, 2015 A reader writes: My colleague and I work in a particularly specialized area in our firm. There are the two of us, plus our director, who is not a specialist. My colleague, Mary, recently returned from having her second child and asked to work 10 am til 3 pm, 5 days a week, which she […] Read the full article →
my boss is a yes-woman by Alison Green on September 30, 2015 A reader writes: My boss is a great person. We get on well and I feel I can have an honest discussion with her. This needs to happen, as I’ve noticed a troubling pattern of behavior that has an impact on my work. When she’s dealing with senior staff, my boss is a yes woman […] Read the full article →
I think my coworker has a learning disorder, employee is always too busy to sign paperwork, and more by Alison Green on September 30, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Getting an employee to sign paperwork when she’s always too busy I’m in HR and have an employee that gives me a very hard time when it comes to signing any new policies or procedures, evaluation forms, or notes. It is draining to constantly follow […] Read the full article →
can I ask for a raise at my new job since I got a higher offer somewhere else? by Alison Green on September 29, 2015 A reader writes: I recently just started working for a new company 2 weeks ago that I really enjoy. The benefits are great, I have flex-time, and my boss has been very enthusiastic during my onboarding (basically running around telling everyone how excited she is to have me join the company). A company that I […] Read the full article →
how can remote managers address problems they hear about secondhand? by Alison Green on September 29, 2015 When you’re a remote manager – or your team members are remote – there’s lots that you can do to mitigate the disadvantages of being in a different location than your team, like using technology to track projects and communicate. But one challenge is hard to overcome: when you hear about a problem but haven’t […] Read the full article →
my new company wants me to change my name by Alison Green on September 29, 2015 A reader writes: I am starting a new job next week. Somehow another employee, who is a favorite of the regional manager, objects to my name, so I have been told I cannot use it. My middle name is King and it is a name that has been in our family for years. I have […] Read the full article →
interviewer wants me to bring $350 to the interview, administrator asks staff to do his personal research work, and more by Alison Green on September 29, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Interviewer wants me to bring $350 to the interview Today I received a call from an armed security company for an interview. I was excited, but when he mentioned I needed to bring my driver’s license, social security card, AND $350, I started to become […] Read the full article →
will turning down an offer hurt my chances with that company in the future? by Alison Green on September 28, 2015 A reader writes: I had an interview where I liked the people and I absolutely loved what they had to offer in terms of salary and rank, but the job itself wasn’t what I thought. I think that while the benefits are great in the short term, in the long term there may not be […] Read the full article →
how to interpret common things job interviewers say by Alison Green on September 28, 2015 Job seekers tend to overanalyze everything that happens during the hiring process – from how long it takes a company to respond to their application to how friendly the person calling to schedule an interview sounds. But what they analyze more than anything are the specific words they hear from interviewers. My mail is full […] Read the full article →