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 →
I broke my leg, and my team barely acknowledged it by Alison Green on March 6, 2024 A reader writes: I’m a high-performing individual contributor in a small firm that is 100% remote. Our company culture really prioritizes teammate health: we put our therapy appointments on our calendar, take calls from the gym, and offer to pitch in for colleagues when they’re sick or just need bandwidth to deal with personal issues. […] Read the full article →
should I tell my boss my coworker is working a second job during her hours for us? by Alison Green on February 28, 2024 A reader writes: I wanted to get your thoughts on something that has bugged me for a while. My coworker has a second job as a photographer and does photoshoots during work hours when we are required to be in the office (only three days a week, mind you). I am aware that Covid created […] Read the full article →
my coworker doesn’t want me to have a communal candy dish because of temptation by Alison Green on February 19, 2024 I’m off for the holiday, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2019. A reader writes: I keep a candy dish on my desk – have done so for years. It’s communal. I often fill it. Others contribute. It sits alongside some Aleeve and Tums that are also communal. […] Read the full article →
a coworker is harassing my neighbor (who is having chemo) by Alison Green on February 12, 2024 A reader writes: I live in a high-rise condo complex and work for a prominent and large (10,000+ employee) healthcare system. My condo complex has a listserv that gets sent to the 1,000 or so residents — unfortunately with very little moderation. Over the past few months, but particularly today, somebody who works at my […] Read the full article →
my boss and my employee won’t stop asking me to spend the night at their houses by Alison Green on February 12, 2024 A reader writes: I am a mid-level manager at a medium-sized company. I have worked here for four years now, and this problem has been happening since I started. About six months after I started, my boss invited me to a Halloween party at her house. I felt like I should go because she is […] Read the full article →
our admins hate all the coffee I buy the office, but they insist I have to keep trying by Alison Green on February 7, 2024 A reader writes: I … have a problem at my new-ish attorney job at a tiny law firm. There are five people in the office total and we have one communal coffee pot. I was told at the beginning that the office does not supply coffee because the two partners do not drink it and […] Read the full article →