my husband and I share a home office — how do we make this work? by Alison Green on September 21, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: Has anyone successfully shared a home office (permanently) with their spouse/roommate/partner/etc and if so, what are your tips for success? My husband and I both work from home 75% of the time and have a three-bedroom house (currently occupied by our bedroom and our two […] Read the full article →
how can we equitably handle time off for religious holidays? by Alison Green on September 14, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: With the Jewish High Holidays coming up, I’ve been thinking about how workplaces can promote equity around PTO and religious holidays. My workplace has an extremely generous amount of PTO, but I still have to use vacation time for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (and […] Read the full article →
what jobs are good for a mom who wants to lean out? by Alison Green on September 7, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: After struggling to balance it all over the past year, I have decided to join the many moms who lean out of their careers once they have children (I never thought I would be here!). I am highly tempted to stand on my soapbox explaining […] Read the full article →
what weird habits have you picked up from your job? by Alison Green on August 31, 2023 We all pick up weird habits from our jobs that we carry into the rest of our lives. Maybe you still fight the instinct to yell “NO RUNNING” at kids because you used to lifeguard … or you’re an ER nurse who checks out everyone’s arms to see what size IV you’d put in … […] Read the full article →
advice for first-generation college students adjusting to professional work environments by Alison Green on August 24, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work with college students looking for co-ops, and was wondering about advice for first-generation college students adjusting to professional workplaces — maybe an “ask the readers” about what they wished they knew? I’m one such person (though it’s been many years since I’ve been […] Read the full article →
the sweet potato incident, the green lunch, and other tales of terrible work food by Alison Green on August 21, 2023 Last week we talked about terrible food at conferences and other work events. Unsurprisingly, the most egregious examples turned out to be what’s served to people with dietary restrictions … but sometimes everyone gets the same monstrous treatment. Here are 18 of the most ridiculous stories you shared. 1. The lemonade At a business meeting […] Read the full article →
let’s discuss terrible food at conferences and other work events by Alison Green on August 17, 2023 Let’s talk about terrible conference food — or hell, we can broaden to terrible work event food in general. Some stories readers have shared in the past about culinary failures: I have attended several conferences that were bad, but nothing beats the time the group was served chicken on a bed of lettuce. The vegetarian […] Read the full article →
discuss: times when you recovered from mistakes at work by Alison Green on August 10, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question — and it’s an appropriate one for Mortification Week. A reader writes: I’m one of those people who tends to catastrophize internally when I realize I’ve made a mistake at work. I’d love an ask-the-readers post where people are invited to share times that they’ve made mistakes at […] Read the full article →
let’s talk about unusual office traditions by Alison Green on August 3, 2023 One of the most interesting things about offices is how they develop their own subcultures, complete with rituals and traditions. Here are some interesting office traditions that have been shared here in the past: •. For close to 15 years now, dressing up as one of your coworkers has been a Halloween tradition where I […] Read the full article →
what are your best tips for attending professional conferences? by Alison Green on July 27, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I have a question that seems like it would be well-suited for an Ask the Readers. I am looking for tips about attending professional conferences. In particular, I am a grad student who is entering a new field and there is a one-day conference that […] Read the full article →