weekend open thread – October 31-November 1, 2020 by Alison Green on October 31, 2020 Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: The Smart One, by Jennifer Close. A tale of two sisters who both find themselves living back at home, their lives not working out as they’d planned. * I make a commission if you use that Amazon link. Read the full article →
a Halloween round-up by Alison Green on October 30, 2020 Halloween 2020 is not a normal Halloween, so here’s a round-up of Halloween posts from years past. should I wear a Halloween costume my first week at a new job? my office’s “kid-friendly” Halloween party was terrifying my boss goes overboard for Halloween I live where I work, and now there’s a haunted house next […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on October 30, 2020 It’s your Friday good news, with more accounts of success even in this weird time. 1. About a year ago, I took a new stretch role at my current company in a different department. This job came with significantly more responsibility (both managerial and otherwise), a nice step up in pay, and work that sounded […] Read the full article →
open thread – October 30-31, 2020 by Alison Green on October 30, 2020 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 (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * […] Read the full article →
giving people a heads-up before a coworker is fired, telling your boss he’s unapproachable, and more by Alison Green on October 30, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is it okay to give people a heads-up before a colleague is fired? I am working with HR to let someone go. The person is directly involved in a number of active cross-functional projects. Typically terminations in our organization are communicated post-event, but I feel […] Read the full article →
how to negotiate remote work once you get a job offer by Alison Green on October 29, 2020 A reader writes: I completed final interviews for a fantastic job and I believe I have a good chance of getting an offer soon. My conundrum has to do with remote work: when people return to the office post-COVID, my commute would be more than an hour each way. This is not possible for me […] Read the full article →
where are you now? (a call for updates) by Alison Green on October 29, 2020 At the end of each year, I publish a slew of “where are they now” updates from people whose questions I answered here in the past. In past years we’ve had several hundred each December and it was amazing (and has let me take most of the month off, so thank you). If you’ve had your […] Read the full article →
what’s the most Machiavellian thing you’ve seen or done at work? by Alison Green on October 29, 2020 We need a distraction, preferably one full of intrigue and drama. So let’s talk about the most Machiavellian thing you’ve ever seen done at work — self-serving schemes or manipulation that you watched being carried out (or carried out yourself!). We’re looking for stories of underhanded machinations, double-dealing, and conniving. Share in the comments! Read the full article →
taking work calls on my honeymoon, traveling after graduating, and more by Alison Green on October 29, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Do I really need to take calls from work on my honeymoon? I’m getting married this weekend! Yay! I’m taking two weeks off for the honeymoon. The original plan was to go to Hawaii, but due to the times, we are staying put. I thought […] Read the full article →
my frustrated employee is unlikely to advance by Alison Green on October 28, 2020 A reader writes: I have a direct report, Jill, who has been on my team for a few years now. When I started out as manager for the team, we had an initial one-on-one partially to get a sense of where she saw her career going. (We had worked in the same department before, but […] Read the full article →