March 2021

my employees ignore my wife

A reader writes: I own a small business, with about seven people working in our local office. My wife runs accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and handles all the books. Besides my wife and me, there is my assistant and four IT techs. We are all within the 25-36 age range, with my wife and […]

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weekend open thread – March 20-21, 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: Sorrow and Bliss, by Meg Mason. It’s about family and relationships and the impact of mental illness on both, and it’s funny and snarky and moving. * […]

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it’s your Friday good news

It’s your Friday good news, with more accounts of success even in this weird time. 1. I just had my annual review, which I was absolutely dreading. This year has been so hard. Transitioning to work-from-home was incredibly difficult, especially sharing space with my husband, who is a middle school teacher and needed the more […]

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open thread – March 19-20, 2021

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. * […]

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is there a professional way to call BS?

A reader writes: I’m working on a project which is being done in a non-standard way. The process we are using is not the norm, but it’s something we end up doing somewhat frequently. While talking about it, a coworker asked me to walk him through something because he “didn’t have any experience with this […]

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managers can’t be held hostage by a bad employee

A reader writes: I belong to a church of the type where people’s families have attended for generations. One of our members has acted as secretary for over 20 years. A few years ago, we hired a new pastor and this secretary does not like him. She’s always been a prickly person to work with, […]

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I’m always late to everything!

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m a recent-ish college grad and am working my first position related to my college major (although I’ve been working since I was 17). My entire life I’ve been late to everything. I have no idea why. I’ve tried clocks and timers and tricks, talk […]

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