Archives Looking for past posts? You can find posts from 2021 below, or find earlier years here: 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2021 January February February 2021 how can I convince my employee not to work until 2 AM? I got promoted, but I can’t get a fair salary our staff aren’t underpaid but think they are what are you wearing on work Zoom calls these days? start-up founder with no work experience, my boss says I killed the business, and more update: my new team is taunting me because I have a nut allergy what to do when a low performer asks for a massive raise my boss called me “disgusting” for not cleaning up my male coworkers’ mess my ex-friend is my new boss, employer sending rides for us in the snow, and more weekend open thread – February 20-21, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – February 19-20, 2021 my boss won’t manage a terrible employee, my coworker scream-yawns, and more interviewers want to know how I’ve been spending my time out of work … during the pandemic is applying for jobs a numbers game? the hot sauce contest, soup-gate, and other work contests gone awry board member brings a gun to meetings (but he’s a cop), coworker leaves early every day, and more how should I handle joking around during mental health discussions with my team? how to manage an employee with anxiety my employee keeps criticizing my food the best time of day to apply for jobs, working for an unethical industry, and more when asked about salary, I say “I’ll start for $X and earn the rest through merit” is it irresponsible to quit my job without having another one lined up? my company punishes single people who have to quarantine more than once — but not married people my coworker is copying my look, I blasted a recruiter for not answering me, and more thoughts on rejection from a hiring manager in a competitive field my employee debates every assignment I was used as a public example of what not to do at a team meeting can I ask my employee to remove his pronouns from his email signature, stuck paying for a business hotel, and more weekend open thread – February 13-14, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – February 12-13, 2021 boss sends us daily sales pitches for a money management app, pressure for virtual socializing, and more should we provide the name behind anonymous feedback to a customer? updates: the coworker who came to work with Covid and more how do I talk to my husband about his poor work ethic and bad attitude? do I have to cover self-harm scars, boss resents that I can work from home after having a baby, and more I negotiated and got more money — why do I feel so weird? should I re-hire an employee with a bad attitude? my employee told me “I prefer not to” when I tried to give him a new project boss gives hand-me-down clothes to staff, employee wants help cutting the vaccination line, and more can my job make me travel during the pandemic? can I refuse more work without a raise? when I asked for a raise, my boss went through my bills my boss is being catfished, can I ask to be laid off instead of a coworker, and more my boss won’t talk to me and gave me a document of anonymous criticism employees who won’t wear masks should be fired HR treats my autistic employee like he’s an incompetent child colleague’s wife and mommy group attended our work talk, references from a romantic partner, and more weekend open thread – February 6-7, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – February 5-6, 2021 coworker keeps buying me gifts, explaining a surrogacy pregnancy, and more is reading books at work ever OK? update: my boss’s stress is out of control what are you doing to advance racial justice? (plus win a free copy of Authentic Diversity) warning coworkers about my book’s adult content, returning to work 2 weeks after having a baby, and more my interview was great — but they hired no one instead of me should a job offer be “take it or leave it”? our new hire started another full-time job the same week he started ours interviews when you have food allergies, snow days when not everyone can work from home, and more I have to read my boss’s emails … including ones about the love nest he’s setting up to cheat on his wife I want to quit … but if I leave, my project will die my employee fired someone whose mother had died the night before I shaved my head and now my coworkers think I have cancer, I don’t want to take time off, and more people keep asking me for meetings that could just be an email how much do you need to self-promote when you apply for a job? I’m furious that my boss refused to interview my partner my assistant lies about days off, I don’t like our new hire, and more January 2021 weekend open thread – January 30-31, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 29-30, 2021 employee cursed at a coworker over politics, boss has weaponized her personality test, and more how do I adjust to not being the boss anymore? update: how can we get privacy with a live-in nanny? sore winners: let’s talk about people who get weirdly competitive at work my employee got vaccinated ahead of high-risk people, my boss says you can’t negotiate salary, and more my employee started a false rumor that two coworkers were having an affair what to do when a top job candidate has another offer how companies can build more equitable workplaces … and what’s getting in the way company delayed telling us about a possible Covid exposure, coworkers won’t use my correct title, and more my boss’s relative treats me like his personal assistant should I fake interest in the job during an interview? your culture does not include everyone … or what employers need to do for racial equity I’m in trouble for sharing confidential info, boss is spying on our Zoom meetings, and more my colleague’s auto-reply says she might never answer your email how to manage a combative, negative employee my coworker refuses to wear a mask what does an “end of day” deadline really mean, bathroom breaks on video calls, and more weekend open thread – January 23-24, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 22-23, 2021 anti-vaxx coworker is verifying vaccinations, paying for a cover letter, and more my networking meetings aren’t leading to interviews update: we’re being re-hired for work that doesn’t exist household employees keep ghosting me yelling at work, coworkers smokes e-cigarettes after being told to stop, and more my awful former boss is my new coworker’s sister how big of a deal is lying on a resume? my coworker is changing her appearance to match mine and rips my work off the walls when she’s mad should I tell a candidate her goals are unrealistic, I don’t want to lead all our meetings, and more am I being a dress code snob? my coworker hijacks our meetings with endless questions my boss wants me to help him jump the line for the Covid vaccine should I apologize if my fly is down, telling my bosses they need to work more, and more I pushed back on my coworker’s bigotry: a success story what to do (even now) if you’re stuck in a job you hate my boss complains constantly, mending things with a job I ghosted, and more weekend open thread – January 16-17, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 15-16, 2021 quitting would destroy my company, I gossiped about a coworker, and more is it a red flag when a job is posted for a long time? can I keep working from home after my office re-opens? how to become a slacker … with Laurie Ruettimann my boss sits outside my house for hours, parking woes, and more should we let an employee resign instead of being fired? updates: the micromanagement, the fertility treatments, and more the head of my division gave me (and my niece and friend) COVID-19 and no one cares I resent coworkers coming back from furlough, I took over a colleague’s work, and more I didn’t even get interviewed for an internal role I was told I was a strong candidate for my boss’s stress is out of control was my company right to fire my coworker for accidentally sending me a graphic email? you need life insurance – and now you don’t need a medical exam can I ask my interviewer to get a Covid test, should my resume say I’ve been vaccinated, and more can I freeze out my coworkers who aren’t social distancing and refuse to work with them? my employee overshares medical details my coworker asked me to hide my breast milk because she doesn’t like seeing it in the office fridge is this resume writer shady, telling my boss I’m sober, and more weekend open thread – January 9-10, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 8-9, 2021 coworker is throwing a tantrum over having to interview for a promotion, inviting coworkers to your wedding, and more can we all just keep working from home forever now? update: can job-hopping BE my career somehow? really aggressive spam callers are giving me anxiety attacks my job told me to ignore safety rules for kids, should I tell my boss a coworker is job-searching, and more am I being inflexible for not doing non-work things during work hours? how to support a struggling new manager 2 of my coworkers spend all their time together and don’t do any work my boss bought me new clothes, couriers who don’t wear masks, and more I accidentally threw a sandwich and it caused a work crisis should I disclose my depression to my boss? I work at a boarding school and my partner can’t visit during the week because we’re unmarried I have a crush on an older coworker, my wife read her boss’s diary, and more my coworker put a magical curse on her boss my team’s assistant is grumpy and impatient we went to the home of an employee who didn’t show up for work — and it went badly my boss is upset I won’t drive long distances, getting reimbursed for pole dancing classes, and more weekend open thread – January 2-3, 2021 it’s your Friday good news open thread – January 1-2, 2021