my office space is completely open and I can’t concentrate by Alison Green on August 28, 2018 A reader writes: I work for a tiny nonprofit in a small office where the 5-6 of us work. The way it’s laid out, there is a central pod with desks and dividers, two executive offices with thin sliding doors, a separate kitchen with printing station that also has a sliding door, and a “conference […] Read the full article →
my boss is giving us the silent treatment by Alison Green on August 28, 2018 A reader writes: My department is in shambles. We are all miserable, we are all job searching, and we cannot leave fast enough. Unfortunately though, for the time being, we are stuck in our positions. To paint a picture of our situation: On a company-wide survey, our team came in with the lowest morale and […] Read the full article →
sick coworker says he can’t work alone by Alison Green on August 28, 2018 A reader writes: I’m an avid reader and I have a question on behalf of a friend. She works in retail and recently told me she felt too sick to work but couldn’t call in because her coworker, “Bob,” who has stage 4 cancer says he can’t work alone. This sounds off to me. I […] Read the full article →
my coworker is hiding a DUI from our employer, no one at work noticed my haircut, and more by Alison Green on August 28, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker is hiding her DUI from our employer I’m in sales. We take day trips to see clients or prospective ones, and sometimes have to drive them to demonstrations. I overheard one of my coworkers on the phone when she thought no one else […] Read the full article →
should I push back against getting annual bonuses instead of raises? by Alison Green on August 27, 2018 A reader writes: My workplace wants to start giving out annual profit share bonuses in lieu of salary raises. Basically, the base bonus (which is based on how well the company does that year) would be multiplied by the number of years someone is there (so for the sake of simple math, if the base […] Read the full article →
what does it mean to manage up? by Alison Green on August 27, 2018 Most people get annoyed or frustrated with their boss at some point, even when that boss is a good manager. Maybe your manager isn’t responsive enough to email, or she cancels meetings at the last minute, or she changes her mind after you thought a decision had been made—or you might be dealing with another grade […] Read the full article →
job candidate’s wife keeps contacting me, even after I’ve told her to stop by Alison Green on August 27, 2018 A reader writes: I have a candidate in our hiring process. Due to the industry (skilled trades) I work in, we require a number of safety tickets, orientations, supplemental training, and coordination of flights and camp prior to an employee starting. This candidate, we will call him Bob, seems to be a good fit for […] Read the full article →
job candidate talked non-stop, expecting an employee to pick up lunch for others, and more by Alison Green on August 27, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our strongest job candidate talked non-stop In six months, I’m going on maternity leave, and then am transitioning to a completely different part-time position. My manager has asked me to sit in with her on interviews with candidates for my replacement. For reference, this is […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – August 25-26, 2018 by Alison Green on August 25, 2018 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.) Book recommendation of the week: Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan. I finally tried it, and it’s totally decadent and fun. * I make a commission if […] Read the full article →
my coworker argues with every decision I make by Alison Green on August 24, 2018 A reader writes: I work in a design field, and we work in teams of 4-5 people, which rotate by project. I am nine months in at a new firm, which recruited me based on a very strong recommendation from a client. I am the lead for our current project for that client, not only […] Read the full article →