my company’s accountant is nitpicking my pretty frugal travel expenses by Alison Green on August 31, 2017 A reader writes: I travel once or twice a month for work, almost all domestic and for fairly short trips. As a resident of Washington, D.C., I almost always fly American from DCA simply because it’s much closer to my house and I have the widest range of non-stops. This has never been a problem, […] Read the full article →
4 updates from letter-writers (the clock watcher, the over-sized chair, and more) by Alison Green on August 31, 2017 Here are four updates from people who had their letters answered here recently. 1. My employee constantly talks about waiting for 5:00 and the weekend This employee’s overall performance did not improve. I did not speak to her about her “5 o’clock” habit, but I did address other performance concerns as they arose. She called […] Read the full article →
what mistakes did you make as a new manager? by Alison Green on August 31, 2017 I wrote last week that for new managers, the first year of managing is usually one long string of mistakes. Among the most common: not addressing problems early and instead waiting until they’re bigger and more serious … not thinking through work before you assign it and then frustrating everyone by swooping in late in the game […] Read the full article →
an employee punched a manager who didn’t approve her day off, getting out of a training session, and more by Alison Green on August 31, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. An employee punched a manager who didn’t approve her day off A incident of violence happened at my office. I manage several departments and one of the supervisors was assaulted by an employee. It happened near her office, the employee went there because she was […] Read the full article →
my coworker constantly complains, gossips, and is generally unpleasant by Alison Green on August 30, 2017 A reader writes: How do I deal with a nearby coworker (in an open office workplace) who spends a great deal of her work shift gossiping, using profanity, complaining, and being unpleasant? Every day consists of her complaining about clients; trashing our product by saying no one uses it and it is worthless; complaining about […] Read the full article →
new job offered me a lower salary than I expected by Alison Green on August 30, 2017 A reader writes: I was recently interviewed for a job I was very excited about. I completed an online application for the job, and I know the starting wage was what I was looking for. When I looked at the job posting a few days later, the starting pay was gone. I didn’t think anything […] Read the full article →
I was in a car accident and everyone is livid with me for not being on top of my work by Alison Green on August 30, 2017 A reader writes: While driving to my temp job recently (all I could get after losing my job earlier this year in a mass layoff), I was hit and pushed for about half a mile by a large commercial vehicle at highway speed. Multiple lawsuits — civil and criminal — are pending against him. After calling […] Read the full article →
I got caught lying about a sick day, my boss calls me “pet,” and more by Alison Green on August 30, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I got caught lying about a sick day I did something stupid. I finished college this spring and had just started working a full-time job in the industry I attended school for. The company I got the job at has a policy where new employees […] Read the full article →
I received a networking email from a stranger who’s job searching for her husband by Alison Green on August 29, 2017 A reader writes: I received an odd email from an alum of my university (“Jane,” a stranger to me), asking for help finding her husband “Bob” a job in my state, where they were planning on moving. The email was bcc’ed, so I assume she searched for “wide job field” and “state” and sent an […] Read the full article →
should I tell my coworker about my crush, and other workplace romance questions by Alison Green on August 29, 2017 It’s “It’s Complicated” week at New York Magazine’s The Cut — a week of stories on modern relationships. This week my column there tackles a whole bunch of questions about office relationships: What do you do if you think your boss is having an affair with your coworker? Can you ask an old date for […] Read the full article →