what’s the strangest first impression you’ve seen a new hire make? by Alison Green on April 24, 2025 Most people try to make a good impression when they start a new job. Others … do not or, perhaps, cannot. Think, for example, of the new hire who was already badmouthing the business on Twitter, the employee plotting a coup on her second day, and the new hire who brought their mom to orientation. And […] Read the full article →
what niche job boards do you use to find job openings? by Alison Green on April 17, 2025 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. Today we have two letters, one question. The first: I’m a fed in a (relatively) safe job in a (relatively) safe agency, and while I’m hoping to stay, I am keeping an eye out for other opportunities. But as someone who went straight from academia to the federal […] Read the full article →
what’s a secret about your field that would surprise outsiders to hear? by Alison Green on April 10, 2025 For the Thursday “ask the readers,” what’s a secret about your field that would surprise outsiders to hear? Spill the beans in the comment section. (Make sure to specify your industry!) Read the full article →
the storage labyrinth, the tape terrorism, and other things you thought were normal early in your career but were actually very weird by Alison Green on April 7, 2025 Last week we talked about things that you thought were normal early in your career … but later learned were actually just weird things your old workplace did and which were not typical at all. Here are 15 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The packed hotel rooms My very first internship was the […] Read the full article →
things your company did that you thought were normal … but were actually very weird by Alison Green on April 3, 2025 Especially early in your career, it’s common to think that they way your workplace does things is normal — and then you move somewhere near and discover that having a goat shrine isn’t normal at all. This can also happen if you stay at one job for a long time, or if you move to […] Read the full article →
how to serve patients when you’re feeling fragile yourself by Alison Green on March 27, 2025 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’d appreciate your and other workers’ advice on how to cope providing service when you are feeling fragile yourself. I work in a somewhat frazzled, frantic healthcare environment seeing around 30 patients a day in an inner city, low income area. It’s … a lot […] Read the full article →
the pinstripe suits, the fancy espresso machine, and other weird hills coworkers chose to die on by Alison Green on March 24, 2025 Last week we talked about weird hills to die on — people who became so strongly committed to a minor fight that they lost all sight of logic and decorum — and here are 10 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The newsletter Our Fortune 500 company hosted a weekend company-wide softball tourney, which […] Read the full article →
let’s discuss the weirdest hills to die on you’ve seen at work by Alison Green on March 20, 2025 Over the years, we’ve heard about people who chose some pretty odd hills to die on — people who became so strongly committed to a minor fight that they lost all sight of logic and decorum. To wit: “Our break room has a giant whiteboard calendar in it. Last year the company sent us a […] Read the full article →
the wet carpet, the pickle jars, and other stories of final F-you’s to jobs you hated by Alison Green on March 17, 2025 Last week we discussed final F-you’s to jobs or bosses you hated, and here are 18 of the best stories you shared. (Caveat: appearing on this list is not an endorsement of said behavior in every case! Stories are shared primarily for entertainment value.) 1. The revenge A legal secretary at the Big Law firm […] Read the full article →
let’s discuss final F-you’s to jobs or bosses you hated by Alison Green on March 13, 2025 Most of the time when you leave a job you hated, you do it professionally — you give notice, you transition your work, you move on, even when there’s malice deep in your heart. But sometimes you get the opportunity to go out with a bit more verve — for example, the person who quit […] Read the full article →