Last fall, we had a letter from someone frustrated with a coworker, Jane, who was constantly out of the office and had taken far more personal and sick leave than anyone else in the office received. The letter said, “I find it incredibly unfair that Jane is given so much lenience … I’m having a […]

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’d like your input on excelling as a remote worker. I’m a full-time employee working from home in a state that differs from where my department is located. For the past few years, I have been working in this capacity for a large, multi-national company. […]

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: Longtime reader here and you’ve answered a question of mine in the past. I’ve noticed a lot of people who, like me, have ADHD in comment threads, which is SUCH a helpful community for me to crowdsource coping strategies. I’m wondering if you might do […]

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers.” A reader writes: I’m going to try to start getting pregnant soon and unless I meet the woman of my dreams tomorrow, it’s likely that I’ll be a single mom when baby is born. I live in California which has a bit of maternity leave. I’m looking for pointers on […]

You’re at work and get an email about yet another team-building event and write back “kill me now,” intending to send it to your work friend, but accidentally hit reply-all … and now your whole team has it. Or you email your manager the many reasons why you disagree with a new process decision but […]

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am a woman in my late 20s, and work for a nonprofit in a mid-sized city. I grew up in a bigger city than this one, and went to college in a city with a higher crime rate than where I am now, but […]

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: What should I expect from my first ever business trip? In terms of lodging, meals, travel, the really basic scheduling stuff that may seem obvious after one or two of them but would surprise a first-timer — I just want to get a mental lay […]

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work in a large-ish department (about 40 people), and the majority of my colleagues are women my same age (20s and 30s). Because of the age range and gender of our department, we almost constantly have a pregnant woman in the office. I think […]

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m in my tenth year of working in an elementary school, not as a classroom teacher but in a role that is still certified and student/teacher/parent-facing. My school and district serve a suburban community of mixed income…we have some very white collar, professional families, as […]