my wife’s complaints about work are overwhelming me by Alison Green on February 24, 2022 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: My wife and I have a generally happy household, except for after work times: I think of this as the Airing of Grievances hour. And let me be clear in saying that it is my wife who does the complaining. She is pleasant with her […] Read the full article →
my coworker/friend keeps coming to work drunk by Alison Green on November 23, 2021 A reader writes: I have a friend (let’s call her Becky) I have known since we were in middle school, who is now my coworker. In college, it became pretty apparent that she was developing a drinking problem, which has only got worse as she’s gotten older. Because I’ve been around her so many times […] Read the full article →
I manage my daughter and someone complained about her by Alison Green on September 22, 2021 I’m on vacation today. This was originally published in 2016. A reader writes: I am the director of operations for our practice. I have a daughter who is one of our employees, and I am her manager. She has a seven-month old baby and works part-time from home for our publicly traded company, doing administrative […] Read the full article →
my friend is angry that I can’t help more in her job search by Alison Green on September 15, 2021 A reader writes: How do I align a friend’s expectations of how I can help with her job search with how much time and support I can ACTUALLY provide? I’m a career bureaucrat. Most of my connections are in government and nonprofit industries. My friend is miserable in her job, and has been for a […] Read the full article →
I’m upset that my friend wants to work for the company that laid me off by Alison Green on September 7, 2021 A reader writes: I have a bit of what I feel is an ethical dilemma and would like some help gaining perspective on how it is best to handle this type of situation. I was suddenly laid off from my dream job this past winter. And when I say suddenly, I mean one hour I […] Read the full article →
should I warn my work friend she might get fired? by Alison Green on July 20, 2021 A reader writes: I have worked with a very quirky soul (let’s call her Paula) for a decade now at a small company. We have a new CEO and he’s doing an excellent job. He’s respectful, careful, and thoughtful, but not afraid to make tough decisions. Recently, he fired some very problematic people who were […] Read the full article →
how can a full-time parent support their breadwinner partner? by Alison Green on July 1, 2021 A reader writes: I’ve just been laid off, and we had to take our two young children out of child care due to the expense. My partner and I have decided that I’ll be staying home with our young children for at least the next year, possibly longer if local child care shortages continue. (For […] Read the full article →
should I leave my family business? by Alison Green on June 28, 2021 A reader writes: I need help deciding if I want to stay in my family’s 70-year-old business. At the moment, I work for my father, and my younger brother is also in the business. We’re a construction firm. I’ve worked at the company since I was 14, doing office work over the summers all the […] Read the full article →
what’s the etiquette for people in the background on Zoom calls? by Alison Green on May 20, 2021 A reader writes: Can we have a ruling on whether or not to acknowledge people who pop up in the background of Zoom calls when we’re working at home? My partner and I live in an apartment with two small rooms (living room and bedroom) and two tiny rooms (bathroom and kitchen). I work in […] Read the full article →