we have public shamings about how often we say “um” and “uh” by Alison Green on October 14, 2024 I’m off today. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: Every month, my work has a “pep rally” where the whole staff gets together to highlight what’s going on in each department. My boss, the executive director, has recently decided she wants to cure everyone of using the words “um,” “uh,” and “like” […] Read the full article →
my dad is dating my boss, and they want me to go to couples therapy with them by Alison Green on September 30, 2024 I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: My dad started dating this woman (Jill) about two years ago, after he and my stepmom amicably divorced. As this was going on, I graduated from grad school, ended my student internship, […] Read the full article →
I can’t travel because my cat is sick — and my boss and coworkers are unhappy by Alison Green on September 17, 2024 A reader writes: I joined my employer earlier this year as the only fully remote worker. At my first on-site, the only other coworkers in my department resigned. Instead of being the junior member of a small remote team as I expected, I was suddenly THE team. The CEO told me that day that he’d […] Read the full article →
my husband’s boss was fired after he told the truth about her in an exit interview by Alison Green on September 9, 2024 A reader writes: I’m writing on behalf of my husband, Bob, who recently left his job after two years. During his exit interview, he explained exactly why he was leaving. The reasons included his supervisor’s disorganized management style, expecting him to answer texts and phone calls at all hours, expecting him to log on to […] Read the full article →
when your teenager dates your boss’s son and it goes bad by Alison Green on August 28, 2024 A reader writes: I know that you’ve repeatedly discussed how romantic relationships at work can be problematic, but how do you navigate it when it’s your child? I was catching up with a friend (Sara) who told me that her teenage daughter had started dating Sara’s boss’s teenage son. Sara didn’t want to forbid the […] Read the full article →
I’m in trouble for not answering a midnight phone call … for a non-emergency “emergency” by Alison Green on August 26, 2024 A reader writes: I work freelance in an industry which is notorious for bad work-life balance. I have another job alongside my freelance work to top up my income. It’s seasonal, over a busy summer period for an organization that’s related to my freelance work, and I work 10 hours a week. My role is […] Read the full article →
I’m worried a wedding vendor will complain about me to my boss by Alison Green on August 21, 2024 A reader writes: This starts with my wedding. To make a very long story short, my wedding dress alterations were a complete disaster. The seamstress produced such awful work that I had to have an emergency appointment with another shop to fix the dress, just days before my wedding. The new seamstress showed me how […] Read the full article →
my boss jokes about our bodies, our sex lives, our pregnancies, and more by Alison Green on August 20, 2024 A reader writes: The manager of my department has a habit of saying inappropriate things. It seems like she means them to be jokes, or perhaps it’s a misguided way of trying to connect with people. Regardless of her intentions, she has been making everyone increasingly uncomfortable as time goes on. Before she was a […] Read the full article →
my boss says I need to socialize more with my team by Alison Green on August 20, 2024 A reader writes: I’ve been in my job for about two years, and I’m just going to say it: I don’t have a great manager. The biggest sticking point has been his over-emphasis on the team hanging out and “getting to know each other.” He never bothers to schedule work time for us to do […] Read the full article →
my boss is pressuring me to work more hours … I just came back from stress leave by Alison Green on August 12, 2024 A reader writes: I recently took a couple of weeks off work because of a work-stress-related mental breakdown, and came back today. Our project is a nightmare — toxic culture, inexperienced leadership, over-budget, understaffed. Brian, our project manager and my grandboss, is responsible for a lot of the problems. He also can’t manage the members […] Read the full article →