my coworker lied about having a terminal illness — and we donated money to her by Alison Green on February 24, 2020 A reader writes: A few years back, I had a coworker, “Jane,” who told everyone she was suffering from a terminal illness. She missed a lot of work, but HR and the managers were really kind to her in making sure they accommodated her needs (she was getting treatments and also experienced pain/fatigue from her […] Read the full article →
I had a secret relationship with a coworker and now I’m pregnant by Alison Green on February 18, 2020 A reader writes: A colleague and I have been in a secret relationship for a couple of months. We work in the same team. He is not my manager but is slightly senior to me in terms of the work we do. He doesn’t have influence over my work, but we do occasionally have to […] Read the full article →
my coworker makes mistakes that affect my work by Alison Green on February 17, 2020 A reader writes: I have a colleague who I depend on for data for a recurring project. Every time the update is due, I schedule check-in meetings weeks in advance and make it explicitly clear that I need X by [date] and Y by [date]. And every. single. time. my colleague slips the deadline, running […] Read the full article →
everyone at work is hanging out without me by Alison Green on February 12, 2020 Here is the second post in the collaboration I did with Jennifer Peepas from CaptainAwkward. Part one is here. 1. Everyone in the office is hanging out without me and it feels like high school I work in a very clique-y office where I am just not in the main clique. I have a coworker […] Read the full article →
can I talk about my boyfriend’s other girlfriend at work? by Alison Green on February 10, 2020 I met up with the wonderful Jennifer Peepas of Captain Awkward while she was in town and it was lovely! We decided to collaborate on answering a few questions together and crosspost them to both sites, and this is the first of two posts from that joint effort. 1. Can I talk about my boyfriend’s […] Read the full article →
how can I let coworkers know “no” is an acceptable answer? by Alison Green on February 5, 2020 A reader writes: I am a project manager who works mainly on projects with our most junior team members. I love it! I get to be a mentor while learning a ton from web developers right out of college. One thing I have noticed is that they have a hard time saying no when I […] Read the full article →
my coworker has overstepped with my eating disorder by Alison Green on January 29, 2020 A reader writes: I’ve battled an eating disorder my whole life and it tends to come on when I am experiencing stress in situations that are out of my control. I recently ended my relationship with my fiancé of nine years which, as a result, triggered me to lapse back into old behavior. I thankfully […] Read the full article →
what’s our responsibility for fixing a coworker’s poor work? by Alison Green on January 28, 2020 A reader writes: Several years ago I was hired by a small nonprofit that specializes in technical, skilled work and has a strong reputation of producing very high quality products for a cause that I am very passionate about. I like the work and the general vibe of the place. The problem is one long-time […] Read the full article →
I’m dreading a corporate meeting because of my weight gain by Alison Green on January 27, 2020 A reader writes: I was hoping for some perspective, a pep talk, or some advice. Our large corporate meeting (the one time in the whole year where the whole company gathers) is coming up, and I am so embarrassed that I have put on some weight. I’ve actually put on some weight each of the […] Read the full article →
how do you deal with professional insults followed by with “I’m just kidding”? by Alison Green on January 21, 2020 A reader writes: Fortunately this isn’t a problem I’m dealing with anymore. The offending party left my company. However, the tactic they used still bothers me, and I was wondering if you had any advice about it. The problem coworker was a manager in another department. I count my lucky stars that I didn’t report […] Read the full article →