my new coworker is obsessed with other people’s weight by Alison Green on January 30, 2024 A reader writes: I recently started a position at an organization working on a long-term project with two others (my boss and a colleague, “Brad,” who is in the same position as I am). Given the nature of our industry, the three of us will work closely together for a long time without much work-related […] Read the full article →
how can I get people to stop misreading professional friendliness as a real connection? by Alison Green on January 17, 2024 A reader writes: I’m an events freelancer who works on a variety of projects. Most are just a one-day event, but a number of times per year I will do a longer-term project which spans a few weeks to a month. An increasing problem I have is people misreading my professional friendliness and problem-solving abilities […] Read the full article →
I feel weird telling coworkers I live with my parents in my 30s by Alison Green on January 2, 2024 A reader writes: I graduated into the recession and took some time to find a job. As a result, after living in an apartment in college, I moved back home. My initial job was much lower-paying than I’d hoped for and I owed student loans, so I couldn’t move out right away. And so on. […] Read the full article →
my coworker’s white fragility is getting in the way of DEI discussions, and other questions about race by Alison Green on November 15, 2023 It’s part two of our discussion with Michelle Silverthorn! Michelle is the founder and CEO of Inclusion Nation, a recognized keynote speaker on inclusion and belonging, and the author of the best-selling book, Authentic Diversity: How to Change the Workplace for Good. Sign up for Monday Mornings with Michelle, her weekly newsletter with practical steps for allyship at […] Read the full article →
my awful coworker’s employees want me to help them by Alison Green on November 14, 2023 A reader writes: My counterpart — let’s call him John — and I each manage workers who are part of various teams in the same department. Some of John’s employees recently approached me with concerns about his management style. From what I can gather, after being moved to these employees’ team to “help them out” […] Read the full article →
how can I support my Black employee who doesn’t want me to report anything, and other questions about race by Alison Green on November 13, 2023 I’m thrilled to welcome back Michelle Silverthorn to answer readers’ questions on race. Michelle is the founder and CEO of Inclusion Nation. A recognized keynote speaker on inclusion and belonging, she speaks on hundreds of virtual and in-person stages every year and her interactive e-learning suite, Inclusion LAUNCH, is in use by organizations across the world. […] Read the full article →
can I ask my manager to fire my coworker? by Alison Green on November 9, 2023 A reader writes: Today my supervisor had a meeting with everyone about our recent employee survey because she was upset and surprised with the results. Our survey has us on average lower than other sections in things like job satisfaction, safety, stress levels, happiness, diversity, working together as a team, etc. She wants to address […] Read the full article →
my coworkers resent that my boss no longer yells at me by Alison Green on October 18, 2023 A reader writes: During the interview for my current job at a small family-owned company, I was informed that one of the people I would be working with, Bob, had a strong personality and was challenging to work with. What I wasn’t told is that Bob is the owner’s husband. One of the reasons he’s […] Read the full article →
our disruptively cheerful new coworker treats us like toddlers by Alison Green on October 9, 2023 I’m off today, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2018. A reader writes: I work for a company that has grown quickly in a couple of years. We have an informal reporting/management structure, no HR, etc. The boss is the owner, who works about 20 hours a day […] Read the full article →
did my intern frame my coworker for credit card theft? by Alison Green on October 9, 2023 I’m off today, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: This past summer, the section I supervise had some interns working here. All of them were offered jobs here once the internships were over. However one of them has created a situation where she lied […] Read the full article →