argumentative coworker always says, “repeat back to me the point I just made” by Alison Green on October 21, 2024 A reader writes: I am a middle manager who works with an employee I’ll call “John.” John does not report to me, but there are scenarios in which I supervise aspects of John’s work and am in a position to give him feedback. John has a lot of experience (he’s been doing his job about […] Read the full article →
coworker’s wife works remotely from our non-remote office by Alison Green on October 15, 2024 A reader writes: Weird thing just came up at my work that I’d be curious to hear you weigh in on. I work at a university that is 100% in-person, on-the-ground. My colleague Fergus has an office in an obscure little corner of the building. We rarely see him come in and out, and he […] Read the full article →
my coworker won’t stop telling me that I smell by Alison Green on October 14, 2024 I’m off today. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: I enjoy wearing perfume, but tend to stick to indie oil scents, since the smell tends to stick closer to my skin (so, in theory, I don’t bother my coworkers) and also because I seem to be sensitive to the alcohol that a […] Read the full article →
how do I live down a reputation for being “extra”? by Alison Green on October 8, 2024 A reader writes: How does one shake a reputation at work for being “extra”? Three years ago, I joined my current organization and quickly became known as a go-getter, an innovator, and someone good at their job. Senior level colleagues would learn about programs I had developed, express admiration, and ask to borrow the idea. […] Read the full article →
my coworker insisted on inviting her sister to my wedding by Alison Green on October 8, 2024 A reader writes: This happened a while ago, but I’m still weirded out by it. I worked in a very close-knit, small office (five people), where I got along very well with everyone except one person, “Gertrude.” Gertrude was in her first job out of school, so it’s likely she was new to working world […] Read the full article →
our coworker lied about having a sick child and a rich fiance by Alison Green on October 7, 2024 I’m off for a few days (probably back tomorrow), so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: I’m really curious about what you would have done in this situation. I’ve worked for a company for a little over 10 years and there is a person, who […] Read the full article →
my coworker is setting toilet paper on fire in the bathroom by Alison Green on October 3, 2024 I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2019. A reader writes: I work in a small office (about 20 people at this branch of our company) and we have two individual restrooms (as opposed to stalls) in our central hallway. There is certainly […] Read the full article →
I get angry when my coworkers make mistakes by Alison Green on October 2, 2024 I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: I’ve got a question regarding how much “mistake tolerance” is expected in the workplace. Just to give you some background, I’m a (tech) team lead, which, in my case, means my daily […] Read the full article →
I’m in trouble for re-sorting a coworker’s trash — and I’m enraged by Alison Green on October 1, 2024 I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 2019. A reader writes: I’ve worked at a medium sized tech company as a software engineer for the past two years now. Our city has an ordinance requiring all businesses to compost and recycle. I fully […] Read the full article →
my coworker told me to stop flirting with a student employee by Alison Green on October 1, 2024 I’m off for a few days, so here’s an older post from the archives. This was originally published in 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 […] Read the full article →