my very nice coworkers talk to me like I’m a child – and I think it’s because of my autism by Alison Green on August 7, 2018 A reader writes: I am a 28-year-old professional woman and I’ve been at my job for two years. I am also on the autism spectrum. Everyone in my office, from coworkers to managers, knows this about me. I usually disclose it freely in case I seem a little “off” to people. My autism usually displays […] Read the full article →
my nosy coworker keeps joining my conversations by Alison Green on August 2, 2018 A reader writes: My nosy coworker (“Nancy”) and I both joined the company at the same time and sit in neighboring cubicles at the office. There are walls to our cubicles, but the walls are short. Whenever another coworker come up to my cube to chat about anything at all (work-related or not), Nancy pops […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: helping a coworker who’s grieving by Alison Green on August 2, 2018 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work in an office with several other women in the same late 20s-early 30s range. We all get along well, but we don’t spend time together outside of work. One of these coworkers, Sarah, is recently bereaved. Nine months ago, her 34-year-old husband was […] Read the full article →
how do I handle questions about my religion at work meetings? by Alison Green on July 31, 2018 A reader writes: I’m still Monday morning quarterbacking my response to this one in my head, I’d love your opinion. This past week, a colleague (let’s call him Samwise) and I traveled to visit a vendor out of state. The first night, the vender’s (super enthusiastic and talkative) head of sales, Bilbo, took the two […] Read the full article →
my coworker brings her five kids to our work meetings by Alison Green on July 31, 2018 A reader writes: I work from home, for a start-up. My only coworker has five kids, ages one to 11, and very little access to childcare (husband thinks she’s doing just swimmingly at this SAHM+working-parent thing and doesn’t want to pay for a nanny). This means she brings between one and five kids to all […] Read the full article →
my coworker is a terrible driver — and I have to ride with him on work trips by Alison Green on July 25, 2018 A reader writes: I am a young professional working with a small company on a part-time/as-needed basis as a social media and public relations pro. This is not my primary job. I am getting to the point where the company will send me to trade shows and similar events throughout the USA. I enjoy these […] Read the full article →
my coworker says her husband died — but he didn’t by Alison Green on July 23, 2018 A reader writes: I have a coworker who mentions her deceased husband fairly frequently in conversation. It’s been several years since he passed away after a protracted illness. (He had lupus, and she says that they knew it was coming for seven years, so he was able to put away money to provide for her.) […] Read the full article →
my coworker keeps interrupting me in person rather than emailing, despite my many requests by Alison Green on July 19, 2018 A reader writes: I was promoted to a lead position within my company earlier this year, which means that I am not a manager but I am responsible for delegating tasks and overseeing projects. A slightly more junior person was recently assigned to assist me on a project. His manager insists that his work is high-quality, […] Read the full article →
my child-free coworkers constantly complain about people with children by Alison Green on July 17, 2018 A reader writes: I recently started a new job in an office. Overall the work environment is great — everyone is expected to work hard, but we are treated like adults and our individual methods and moment-to-moment doings aren’t policed much at all. I share a work-space with a coworker, V, which also houses the […] Read the full article →
my coworker dumps emotions all over us and wants to be coddled by Alison Green on July 16, 2018 A reader writes: My coworker, Dionne, and I are struggling with our other coworker, Amber. We are all the same level, but in charge of different departments. Dionne and I are young to have the positions we have, but we’ve both worked extremely hard and actively pursue opportunities to address any skills gaps we have. […] Read the full article →