an employee showed up for a video training while lounging in bed and smoking by Alison Green on April 22, 2024 A reader writes: I work in a low-level supervisory role for a social service agency. Most of our employees work remotely and are issued desktop computers with a monitor and camera. The majority of these remote employees do not need to be on camera to complete daily tasks; however, when meetings or training sessions occur, […] Read the full article →
when your awful coworker is the boss’s kid by Alison Green on April 15, 2024 There are a lot of perks to being the boss: You can (often) set your own hours, delegate work you don’t enjoy, get a nicer office, and dine out on the company dime. But in some workplaces, being the boss also means being able to hire your adult children — often to the detriment of […] Read the full article →
my coworker doesn’t like it when I set boundaries on conversation topics by Alison Green on April 10, 2024 A reader writes: I work in an artistic field, which leads to a much more casual environment amongst coworkers and a lot of time for chatting. I’m usually fine with this, but I’m having increasing issues with one coworker, Tommy. Tommy routinely brings up topics that I’m uncomfortable discussing. He initially respected this, but has […] Read the full article →
my coworker’s obsession with coffee is an all-day distraction by Alison Green on April 9, 2024 A reader writes: This is probably going to be more venting. It is bugging me, but I don’t want to risk being the office jerk. I work in an office setting. Bill from another department is a really nice guy. Probably to an obnoxious level. I really am not big on small talk, but usually […] Read the full article →
my coworker is spreading a rumor that I have bulimia by Alison Green on March 27, 2024 A reader writes: I really need some unbiased advice here as I am really struggling with a situation at my job but at the same time love my position and don’t want to leave. I’ve been at my current job for just over two years. Initially, I really enjoyed my job and my coworkers, but […] Read the full article →
my coworkers are obsessed with talking about their kids … and I’m the only childless one here by Alison Green on March 26, 2024 A reader writes: I work in a small public-facing office of a government agency. Due to some staffing changes in the past few months, my coworkers are now exclusively mothers of young children, with one exception who is the grandmother of young children. I am now the only man and only non-parent in the office. […] Read the full article →
my coworker doesn’t take the hint that she’s interrupting me by Alison Green on March 18, 2024 A reader writes: My company is generally pretty casual, collegial, and “open-door.” An employee on my team (not a direct report, but I review a lot of her work and am senior to her) who seems to lack a lot of common sense about professional norms has a tendency to walk right into my office […] Read the full article →
my kind, caring colleague wants to heal my MS by Alison Green on March 18, 2024 A reader writes: I was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after a long period of treatment for increasing pain, joint deformation, and immobility. After the diagnosis, I told my boss, HR, and the team of four that I manage. Since I don’t want this to be seen as weird or embarrassing or something to tiptoe […] Read the full article →
my coworker is working alone overnight despite explicit instructions not to by Alison Green on March 14, 2024 A reader writes: I work in a small research lab (less than 10 people total, including our CEO) as a scientist. I’m in charge of OSHA compliance and ensuring that we’re following local and federal safety standards. We work with hazardous materials, including biohazardous materials, compressed gasses, and chemicals. One of my coworkers, who I […] Read the full article →
can I do anything about a senior-level colleague who doesn’t do any work? by Alison Green on March 7, 2024 A reader writes: We have a new C-level employee at my small nonprofit, Andy, who has been here for six months. I do not work directly with Andy terribly often but my boss, Jane, who is also not C-level but also does not report directly to Andy, has a lot of meetings with Andy and […] Read the full article →