my employer is being too helpful about COVID and it’s making things worse by Alison Green on April 22, 2020 A reader writes: I’m fortunate to work for an incredibly supportive employer and to have a really great manager. Last year I escaped an abusive relationship, confirmed my autism, and got therapy to process PTSD both from my ex and my childhood. My employer’s insurance covered all my therapy. I had a lot of days […] Read the full article →
my employee cries whenever I give her feedback by Alison Green on April 22, 2020 A reader writes: One of the people I supervise is “Mary,” a woman in her early 20s. Every time she gets critical feedback (even very mild and accompanied by praise), she turns bright red and starts crying … like, a lot. Tears streaming down her face. Other than that, though, she responds calmly and rationally. […] Read the full article →
should people who sell MLM products put “business owner” on their resumes? by Alison Green on April 22, 2020 A reader writes: My sister and I have a difference of opinions on whether an MLM (multi-level marketing) consultant could put “business owner” as their title on a resume. My sister’s opinion is, “You’re putting your own money into it, you’re paying to use the name, you’re hiring your people, and responsible for all sales, […] Read the full article →
the end of open offices, I keep missing meetings, and more by Alison Green on April 22, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is this the end of open offices? Do you think coronavirus will be the end of open office floor plans and hot-desking? It should be. Will it? I’m not optimistic. Employers have moved to open offices and hot-desking because it saves money, and so I’m […] Read the full article →
if the job that laid me off wants to bring me back, can I decline and still collect unemployment? by Alison Green on April 21, 2020 I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately like this one: I’ve been laid off for the past three weeks, and now my employer has asked me to return. Legally, do I have to accept? And if I don’t accept, will that give me a problem filling for unemployment? I want to move on from them […] Read the full article →
I feel terrible about having to lay off my staff by Alison Green on April 21, 2020 The idea of work is stressful as hell right now. People are worried about how to keep their jobs or find new ways to replace the income they’ve lost. For some people, workloads are way too high and for others worryingly low. Video calls are regularly being hijacked by kids and half-clad spouses, or worse, […] Read the full article →
my awful coworker put us through something traumatic and now she’s coming back to work by Alison Green on April 21, 2020 Note: Contains mention of a suicide threat. A reader writes: I have been with my current job now for 10 years. It is a very professional and corporate setting. Approximately six years ago, Sansa was hired on. Sansa was very crude and what she herself would call an HR nightmare. She would openly make inappropriate […] Read the full article →
HR says I can’t tell an older colleague they’re wrong, coworker stole creative work, and more by Alison Green on April 21, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. HR said telling an older team member they’re wrong is ageism I’m an IT manager and when our company went 100% online work, my small team of 3 staff and I helped set up 35 employees with hardware in their homes. The department we support […] Read the full article →
my boss told me to work more slowly so I don’t make my coworkers anxious by Alison Green on April 20, 2020 A reader writes: I have an unusual situation at work right now. On an ordinary week, I consistently get 25-30% more work done than the company’s goal and than my closest coworkers, and that has always been reflected on my reviews. Now, with COVID-19, we are all working from home for the first time in […] Read the full article →
some weird stuff is going down on video calls by Alison Green on April 20, 2020 With so many people working from home now, lots of us are on more video calls than we ever were before, and it’s pretty evident we don’t have video etiquette mastered. I wrote a column for Slate with some of the funniest stories readers have shared here recently about video calls gone very wrong … including […] Read the full article →