I want my employee to be more engaged and work more hours by Alison Green on March 31, 2021 A reader writes: Just to preface, I’m not in the U.S. The minimum wage in my country is about $20 an hour, but the cost of living is higher than the U.S. Something that costs $3 in the U.S. will cost $10 here. I am currently a manager of a women’s apparel boutique and I […] Read the full article →
how to deal with meetings that never end on time by Alison Green on March 31, 2021 A reader writes: Something that has always been a little frustrating about my office but has started getting worse: 90% of our meetings go over the scheduled time, sometimes significantly (30 minutes or more). If I actually have another meeting or there aren’t higher-level people there, I’ll excuse myself at the stated end time, but […] Read the full article →
interview with an employee at a majority-autistic company by Alison Green on March 31, 2021 Symone is a regular reader here, and she works for a majority-autistic company and is autistic herself. I asked if she’d let me interview her about what working there is like, in advance of Autism Awareness Month (which starts tomorrow), and she generously agreed to talk with me. Some quick background: Her employer is auticon, a […] Read the full article →
coworkers hold daily prayer sessions, employee might be working a side gig during work hours, and more by Alison Green on March 31, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworkers hold daily prayer sessions while we’re supposed to be working I was recently lucky enough to be hired for a job in my field (special education teacher assistant) at an amazing public school that has a wonderful and supportive culture. Our district recently […] Read the full article →
is “dear sirs” outdated or sexist? by Alison Green on March 30, 2021 A reader writes: I am hoping you can settle a debate that was brought up at work. Is “Good morning Sirs” correct, either grammatically or in modern convention? A female colleague hates it when emails are sent out to senior leadership and contains the greeting “sirs” because she feels that there is an assumption she […] Read the full article →
my coworker suddenly dislikes me by Alison Green on March 30, 2021 A reader writes: I have been working at my current company for a little more than a year. One of my coworkers, Zoe, was really nice to me and friendly in general, but the last month or so, she feels a little cold and honestly like she just does not want to talk to me […] Read the full article →
my coworker is too personally invested in her job by Alison Green on March 30, 2021 A reader writes: I have a question about going over someone’s head to raise concerns to their supervisor. This isn’t a concern with her quality of work, nor anything she’s done wrong — it’s more out of concern for her as a person. She technically outranks me, but only in title, not in the kind […] Read the full article →
boss is pressuring me to attend a drunken weekend, thank-you notes when you resign, and more by Alison Green on March 30, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss is pressuring me to attend a drunken weekend where I’d be the only woman I’m the only woman in our department. Our manager wants to have team-building contest where if you are one of the top performers, you get to go for an […] Read the full article →
should we require resumes from high school volunteers? by Alison Green on March 29, 2021 A reader writes: I work as a year-round educator. I love working with kids, and the greater flexibility during summer has let me show off my passions in ways that I don’t have time to do during the school year. At a recent meeting with my summer boss, I suggested that we have our high […] Read the full article →
why do companies lead candidates on about salary? by Alison Green on March 29, 2021 A reader writes: I recently had a bizarre interview experience. I applied for a job that’s the same title as the one I currently hold, at another company that’s similar in many ways to my current one. I had a phone interview with the person who would be my boss at the new company that […] Read the full article →