I accidentally threw condoms all over my interviewer’s desk by Alison Green on August 24, 2021 A reader writes: This week I finally landed my very first Big Post-Pandemic Interview! I studied hard, prepared extensively, and dug my circa-2019 interview clothes out of storage, along with my fancy business satchel and leather binder (the interview required me to bring a portfolio of prior work). I was ready to impress! I sat […] Read the full article →
my boss is so pro-remote-work that it’s annoying by Alison Green on August 24, 2021 A reader writes: My boss, Jane, is a very vocal remote work advocate. She is constantly sharing articles on social media about how work from home is the future, and writing long rants criticizing companies that are bringing people back to the office for needing to “get with the times.” Our company is finally re-opening […] Read the full article →
did I burn a bridge by resigning right after I was promoted? by Alison Green on August 24, 2021 A reader writes: The short version is, I tried really hard to resign without burning bridges but I don’t think I succeeded. How can I mitigate the situation and what should I have done differently? The gory details: I have worked for nine years at a small nonprofit — small enough that it thinks of […] Read the full article →
my coworker keeps crying in meetings, my boss only wants to hire friends, and more by Alison Green on August 24, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker keeps crying in meetings A few years back, I was early in my career and one of the more junior members on a small team. One of my coworkers, “Mary,” would regularly cry during internal meetings about really routine stuff. Mary was senior […] Read the full article →
the confetti, the playwright, and other stories of revenge on jerks at work by Alison Green on August 23, 2021 Recently I asked you to share stories of times when you triumphed over a jerk at work. Here are 11 more of my favorites (part 1 was last week). 1. The revenge “I work in engineering, and I had a program manager Todd who had risen through the ranks on his ‘business savvy,’ which turned […] Read the full article →
how do I tell a difficult employee she’s right without undermining my authority? by Alison Green on August 23, 2021 A reader writes: One of the managers I supervise is named Megan; she in turn supervises Sarah, a junior analyst. Sarah is one of the best analysts at our firm, but she’s often difficult, arrogant, and condescending. For example, she often criticizes her coworkers’ ideas in harsh terms or offers to “fix” their work even […] Read the full article →
my employee lies to me about things he just said 30 seconds ago by Alison Green on August 23, 2021 A reader writes: One of my employees, Paul, lies to me regularly about random things. When questioned, he immediately backtracks and acts like I misunderstood. For example, he will tell me that he completed X, Y, and Z reports, and I will say, “Oh, but I didn’t see your report on Z, will you please […] Read the full article →
my coworker throws my papers away, a fingernail conundrum, and more by Alison Green on August 23, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker goes through my desk and throws away things I need to do my job I work part-time in a very small office of five people. I manage the bookkeeping for multiple businesses that the owners are involved in. I mostly work from home […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – August 21-22, 2021 by Alison Green on August 21, 2021 This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: Morningside Heights, by Joshua Henkin. If you’ve learned anything about my taste in books from these weekly recommendations, you might know that I love sweeping family […] Read the full article →
it’s your Friday good news by Alison Green on August 20, 2021 It’s your Friday good news! 1. I’ve been following your site for a few years now and I don’t think I’d be where I am now otherwise! I worked for the same toxic employer for almost 10 years and I wouldn’t have realized exactly how bad it was without reading your website. Looking for a […] Read the full article →