how to respond when coworkers IM me “hi” with no indication of what they need by Alison Green on May 21, 2020 A reader writes: At my work, we have an instant messaging system. A lot of people will send an initial message that says nothing but “IM?” or “hi.” In addition to making me irrationally annoyed (just tell me you want already!!), I always panic whenever I receive these because I have no idea what the […] Read the full article →
can I ask my boss if layoffs are coming? by Alison Green on May 21, 2020 A reader writes: I am an admin at a large public university that has gone fully remote. Through the Covid-19 crisis, everyone is keeping their jobs with full pay, even if they can’t fulfill all their duties or find work for all their hours remotely. However, I am worrying about the fall, when the full […] Read the full article →
update: should I talk to my coworker about her off-putting behavior? by Alison Green on May 21, 2020 It’s a special “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, when I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Remember the letter-writer asking if she should talk to her coworker about her off-putting behavior, including yelling and interrupting? Here’s the update. In 2018 I became this colleague’s […] Read the full article →
how do I manage my stress and stay (reasonably) positive in the face of impending layoffs? by Alison Green on May 21, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: My company recently announced that they’re looking at the possibility of significant layoffs in the reasonably near future (6-8 weeks). My industry has been pretty hard hit by the Covid-19 situation, and it’s not something I didn’t see coming, but it still wasn’t great to […] Read the full article →
my team won’t accommodate my allergy, coworker brings in homemade food and hides it from management, and more by Alison Green on May 21, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My team keeps holding lunches at a restaurant that doesn’t accommodate my allergy I have a peanut allergy that isn’t life-threatening, but is severe enough to put me completely out of commission for the rest of the day if I accidentally consume peanuts. I work […] Read the full article →
updates: the sweat lodge, the mentor, and more by Alison Green on May 20, 2020 It’s a special “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, when I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are three updates from past letter-writers. 1. My coworker wants our office to do a sweat lodge ceremony I’m writing with an update from a few years […] Read the full article →
I’m running out of patience when we need patience the most by Alison Green on May 20, 2020 A reader writes: I wonder if you have any ideas about dealing with minor annoyances that don’t seem so minor in the current situation. Like many people, sometimes I find myself annoyed by some of my coworkers’ habits or quirks that are otherwise fairly harmless (at least I hope it’s many people and not just […] Read the full article →
updates: the incompetent temp, the person who lacked ambition, and more by Alison Green on May 20, 2020 It’s a special “where are you now?” season at Ask a Manager, when I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are four updates from past letter-writers. 1. Talking about my future goals when I lack ambition (#3 at the link; first update here) I thought I’d write […] Read the full article →
how to get coworkers to stop texting after-hours by Alison Green on May 20, 2020 A reader writes: I originally wanted to take a position at my current company because it seemed like a friendly work environment. And it is. But I regularly receive multi-recipient texts after work from my coworkers! Sometimes it’s about work, but never anything urgent, and often it’s purely social. I’ve never had this problem before, […] Read the full article →
my over-eager coworker takes over my work and is running roughshod over me by Alison Green on May 20, 2020 A reader writes: I was hired to my company about four months ago and I’m already struggling on how to deal with my over-eager teammate, Jon. Some background: I was told during the hiring process that the company expected to hire two specialists, one of which would take the job of an employee who was […] Read the full article →