September 2019

how do I deal with a lazy coworker?

A reader writes: I have a coworker who’s become too comfortable in her job; she knows she is retiring in several years and seems to have thrown in the towel. Her job is to greet visitors, but she sits at her desk with ear buds in and a scowl. Everyone now comes to me instead. […]

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my company says we’re dog-friendly — but we’re not

A reader writes: My office just published an updated handbook, and one of the major changes was the addition of a pet policy. Background: A coworker had been bringing her extremely well-behaved and well-trained dog into the office several days a week for about a year, and the dog (who I’ll call Mr. Goodboy) had […]

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weekend free-for-all – September 28-29, 2019

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: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, by Elizabeth Taylor. An older woman moves into the Claremont Hotel and befriends a young writer who agrees to pose […]

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open thread – September 27-28, 2019

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. * If you submitted […]

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cooking fish at work, unusually long layoffs, and more

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker cooks fish at work — and the smell makes me vomit I work in a multi-floored corporate building with break rooms on each floor. Some are walled in with doors and others open into the floor. I work on an open floor and I’m […]

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how do I know when it’s time to give up on a promotion?

A reader writes: I work as an analyst in a highly technical field and have been at my place of employment for six years, with three different internal jobs that have been escalating in terms of responsibility, technical difficulty, and pay. Last year, there was an opening for a team lead that has responsibility for […]

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can job-hopping BE my career somehow?

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am in my early 30s and the longest I have ever had a single full-time job is 11 months, while the longest I’ve ever had a single part-time job is about two years. When I put together a resume, I’m picking the relevant positions […]

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