my boss hired his girlfriend and we are imploding by Alison Green on August 3, 2020 A reader writes: I work at a dysfunctional workplace. I will call us a media development company. It’s a high-stakes time in our work and tempers are very short. My boss, Ron, hired his girlfriend, Zelda. By “hired,” I mean that she works for free in exchange for him supporting her with food, rent, and […] Read the full article →
my coworker screamed at me and HR hasn’t done anything by Alison Green on July 28, 2020 A reader writes: I’m writing about a situation from last year that in many ways is still unresolved, in the hopes that I can learn to navigate situations like this in the future. Last January, a woman in another unit and a different chain of command, Dolores, gave my unit a small piece of an ongoing […] Read the full article →
my coworkers’ constant talk about stress is stressing me out by Alison Green on July 15, 2020 A reader writes: My team, like everyone else, is experiencing a high amount of stress right now. Recently I’ve noticed that when team members are announcing they’re taking a break, they will add something along the theme of “I’m incredibly stressed out and need a mental break.” Multiple people have reported having panic attacks. While […] Read the full article →
my coworker says our company is toxic — but is she the problem? by Alison Green on July 15, 2020 A reader writes: I’m three months into this great new job that I’ve spent a lot of time in education and unpaid internships to prepare for. I’m so excited to finally have it! It’s a high-pressure job that requires a lot of attention to detail. I was assigned to a trainer, “Jane,” who’s been here […] Read the full article →
my coworker told me to stop flirting with a student employee by Alison Green on July 13, 2020 A reader writes: I am part of the HR department at my workplace, and we hired “Andre” a few months ago as a part of our student group. He’s only 18, but he’s been a hard worker and always takes initiative around the office. I was part of Andre’s interview panel, so I’ve always been […] Read the full article →
my boss asked me if she should fire my coworker and then threw me under the bus by Alison Green on July 1, 2020 A reader writes: My boss, Jane, is unhappy with my coworker’s performance and asked me in a one-on-one meeting if she should fire this coworker (we’ll call her Sarah). I hold no authority over Sarah, though we frequently work together on projects, and I have been the main person training and giving feedback to her […] Read the full article →
coworker thinks she has the power to heal her own tumor by Alison Green on June 30, 2020 A reader writes: My dad works in a unionized position in a public care facility where he and his colleagues work directly with the residents. His workplace is straight-up toxic and delivers non-stop drama. His coworkers treat the residents terribly, they constantly bicker and bully amongst themselves, they don’t always follow health codes, and don’t […] Read the full article →
my coworkers make fun of poor people by Alison Green on June 29, 2020 A reader writes: I’m a receptionist at a small firm, and all of my coworkers are at least 15 years my senior, often twice my age. Generally, this wouldn’t be an issue, but the topic of money casually comes up a lot at work. I’m in my early 30s with no college degree, but tons […] Read the full article →
my coworker knowingly exposed me to COVID-19 by Alison Green on June 24, 2020 A reader writes: I found out yesterday that the person who shares a desk cluster with me, who works five feet from me, tested positive for COVID-19. The thing that really pisses me off about it is that “Stacy” was very clearly showing symptoms and lying to everyone about it for the past two weeks, […] Read the full article →
my colleague wants to fire a domestic violence survivor by Alison Green on June 9, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a midsize office in a building that houses multiple businesses. We share reception and security, but little information flows between different businesses, as you would expect. Recently, there was a terrible incident where the ex-boyfriend of one of my reports, Sansa, got into the building by booking a job […] Read the full article →