household employees keep ghosting me by Alison Green on January 21, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m the manager (also parent) for the lives of two kids under 5 years old. Their first childcare provider was a miraculously perfect fit for part-time work; lived nearby (convenient for last minute shifts, never late due to 5 minute car commute) was very flexible, […] Read the full article →
really aggressive spam callers are giving me anxiety attacks by Alison Green on January 7, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: Most of my company has been working from home due to the pandemic, like everyone. The only people in the office consistently right now are me, our VP, and occasionally the president. Since I am the most junior person in the office now, I have […] Read the full article →
the wrong Santa, the mushroom casserole, and other stories of office holiday mayhem by Alison Green on December 24, 2020 Earlier this month, I asked you to share your funniest office holiday stories. Here are 10 of my favorites. 1. The coal I worked in a mess of a frat party type workplace. The Christmas Eve midnight shift was just us two interns, and a big boss. Myself and the other intern were working in […] Read the full article →
office holiday gift-giving stories: worst gifts and weirdest gifts by Alison Green on December 17, 2020 We have so many updates this year that I’m going to be posting six to seven times a day this week — so keep checking back throughout the entire day. In the spirit of the season, let’s hear about workplace gift debacles. Did a game of Secret Santa end in tears? Did a coworker throw […] Read the full article →
should I lay off myself instead of my team? by Alison Green on December 10, 2020 We have so many updates this year that I’m going to be posting six to seven times a day for the next several weeks — so keep checking back throughout the entire day. It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m writing because for the first time in my managerial experience, I’m […] Read the full article →
share your funniest office holiday stories by Alison Green on December 3, 2020 We have once again entered the season of forced workplace merriment, inappropriate gifts, holiday party disasters, and other seasonal delights! Will there be fewer amusing debacles this year since so many of us are remote? Or will human nature triumph and bring us nude, spray-painted gold Barbies, tantrums over holiday raffles, and Hanukkah balls? I have faith that […] Read the full article →
how do I talk about my work when my work is depressing? by Alison Green on November 25, 2020 It’s the weekly “ask the readers” question (I’m bumping it up to today since tomorrow is a holiday). This one is tough. A reader writes: How do I talk to my friends and family about my work when it is depressing? I work for an international development nonprofit. The situation in the country where we […] Read the full article →
how do I change careers? by Alison Green on November 19, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” — and this week we have two questions on a similar theme: changing careers. Here’s the first letter: I daydream about doing “something else” — but I’m not sure if it’s just “grass is greener” or if I should plan to do something about it! My job (software engineering […] Read the full article →
what do we do about end-of-year celebrations during the pandemic? by Alison Green on November 12, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question: I work for a multinational company. Normally at the end of the year, various geographic offices would have holiday parties/dinners. Obviously this won’t happen this year due to the plague. One of our teams in the UK is investigating online escape rooms, which sounds fun! But are there […] Read the full article →
how can we keep morale up during our busy holiday season when we’re all at home? by Alison Green on November 5, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: As we’ve moved into holiday season mode (already!) my team is taking on a huge load of work that is both physically and emotionally draining. I’m looking for some ways to help keep morale up, and help us push through until our holiday break. I’m […] Read the full article →