I’m so anxious about working that I keep ghosting employers before I start by Alison Green on September 19, 2019 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am having a really hard time transitioning into the professional world and it’s at the point where I am worried I don’t have the ability to be a professional working person. I graduated from college a little over a year ago and I got […] Read the full article →
employee keeps leaving early, coworker’s son’s bathroom etiquette, and more by Alison Green on September 19, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee keeps leaving early I’ve been a manager for two months, coming from an individual contributor role and building a new team in my organization. I’ve hired a few people, they are all settling in well, and the team is gelling. I’ve tried to set […] Read the full article →
my boss spends too much personal money on us by Alison Green on September 18, 2019 A reader writes: I work at a nonprofit institution, and my coworkers and I are paid far below market value for our skills. My manager Sam knows this and has advocated for us, but our industry and salary bands being what they are, this is unlikely to change anytime soon. In light of these facts […] Read the full article →
how to research the company you’re interviewing with by Alison Green on September 18, 2019 A reader asks: When I first started job searching, I tried to research the companies a lot. That was a waste of time. No hiring manager I ever talked to quizzed me about my company knowledge. They wanted to talk about the specifics of the job. Yet I always hear you should research the company […] Read the full article →
my boss’s angry husband calls multiple times a day for her by Alison Green on September 18, 2019 A reader writes: I work in a customer service type role where I routinely deal with people face-to-face and also answer queries on the telephone, and I am required to be considerate about taking calls if I have customers waiting in line to talk to me. The working environment can be very busy but it’s […] Read the full article →
I’m being physically bullied at work, coworker leaves bathroom in chaos, and more by Alison Green on September 18, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m being physically bullied at work I’ve worked in the same office for about five years now. The department I work in seems to be run by a large clique of tight-knit friends (we’re all women), who are also close with management (they all hang […] Read the full article →
my office banned email — we can only use Slack and all messages disappear after a few days by Alison Green on September 17, 2019 A reader writes: I’m one of several part-time workers for a growing start-up. We all work remotely, so I communicate with my managers and coworkers entirely electronically. I’m one of the higher performers in my department, so I’m trusted with more responsibility, but my position is pretty peripheral in the organization so I don’t really […] Read the full article →
I’m my boss’s favorite — and it sucks by Alison Green on September 17, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve had my current position at a small nonprofit for about nine months. My coworker, Liz, and I have the same boss, but she has a slightly higher-level position than me and has reported to our boss a few years more than I have. Neither of us like our boss very much, […] Read the full article →
how to say “it’s not okay” at work by Alison Green on September 17, 2019 A reader writes: Is there a professionally acceptable way to push back when someone apologizes for causing problems at work? For example, this morning, my coworker slept through a meeting we had scheduled. Since I’m on the west coast (we’re a remote team) this meeting required me to wake up at 5 am. She messaged […] Read the full article →
can I steal my boss’s job while he’s on leave, women in menswear, and more by Alison Green on September 17, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I’m the interim manager while my boss is out — can I make a play for the job? I work with a small team of people who historically have only had a team lead. About eight months ago, we hired a true manager for our […] Read the full article →