I don’t want to fist-bump my coworker multiple times a day by Alison Green on August 5, 2019 A reader writes: This seems so petty and insignificant in the grand scheme of things but it’s bugging me and I’m not sure how to handle it. Fergus is my peer and we have the same title and work in the same department. Broadly speaking, we’re supervisors in customer service. Part of our job involves […] Read the full article →
our intern’s cube is covered in handwritten affirmations of her worth by Alison Green on July 30, 2019 A reader writes: We have an intern who recently started in our office who sits near me. We sit in cubes, so you can easily see everyone’s decorations and whatever they’ve put on their walls as you walk around the office. The intern has filled the most prominent cube wall with hand-written affirmations and inspirational […] Read the full article →
my coworker writes a mean blog about me by Alison Green on July 11, 2019 A reader writes: I have a work colleague we’ll call J. We I sit next to each other and have been friendly the entire time we worked together. She has told me about things in her personal life and I’ve shared the same type of stuff with her. A couple days ago, J showed me […] Read the full article →
coworkers treat me as a therapist and I just want to get back to talking about work by Alison Green on July 2, 2019 A reader writes: I’m trying to figure out how to deal with a situation I’ve been facing quite frequently. I’m a (younger, female) assistant professor. Rather frequently, (mainly but not always) male students mistake me for their therapist. To be sure, I’m happy to help students navigate campus/academic life beyond the scope of my class, […] Read the full article →
my coworker is always dieting — do we have to accommodate her? by Alison Green on June 26, 2019 A reader writes: I have seen you suggest responses for accommodating coworkers with dietary restrictions due to health or religious needs, but what about coworkers who CHOOSE to go on diets? I have a coworker that has been willingly doing the Keto diet for the last year, and she still is insufferable about it. Anytime […] Read the full article →
I joked about a coworker’s slowness — and he overheard by Alison Green on June 24, 2019 A reader writes: I am the first-level manager of a small group of about half a dozen people. I sometimes work with non-management-level staff outside my group, one of whom is an exceedingly capable, but highly idiosyncratic, person, “Karl.” He is very focused on any work that he does, and will go far above and […] Read the full article →
my employee caused a drunken scene at coworker’s wedding by Alison Green on June 17, 2019 A reader writes: I am a team leader in a very small company. My team only has two other members. A few weeks ago, one of them, Jamie, got married. A few other colleagues and I were invited to the evening reception. The other member of the team got drunk and was abusive to many […] Read the full article →
my coworkers love talking about murder by Alison Green on June 12, 2019 A reader writes: I have a weird problem and I don’t know what to do. A group of my coworkers loves discussing murder. Like, they love it. True crime is their favorite form of entertainment. They spend long periods talking about the gruesome details of their “favorite” crimes. (Yes, they have referred to certain rapes, […] Read the full article →
should I report coworkers for mean tweets about an intern if someone could get caught in the crossfire? by Alison Green on June 12, 2019 A reader writes: My workplace currently has an internship program in place. One of the universities that sends interns is a religious school — it has strict worthiness guidelines, tells students to report their fellow students who might be breaking rules, etc. Having attended it myself, I can understand how that atmosphere might set one […] Read the full article →
our HR director might be a pathological liar by Alison Green on June 11, 2019 A reader writes: I’d really appreciate your advice and guidance with a big secret I’ve had to keep at work. I’m an assistant-level employee in a small, California-based publishing company. We have about 30 employees and our HR director, “Jane,” does double duty as the HR and finance director. As such, she manages all personnel […] Read the full article →