my boss makes me wear her clothes, eat her food, and say I’m grateful for my job by Alison Green on June 25, 2019 A reader writes: I was hired about six months ago at a small business. I’m in my mid-20s and this my first professional job after completing grad school. It’s just me, the owner/director, and a part-time assistant. Because we’re such a small office, I spend a lot of time one-on-one with my boss. Sometimes she’s […] Read the full article →
what to do if you’re being paid less than a male coworker by Alison Green on March 26, 2019 If you’re a woman who suspects you’re being paid less than male coworkers for the same work, you don’t need to just stew quietly. You can raise the issue with your employer and insist that your company follow the law – which says that paying men and women differently for the same work performance is […] Read the full article →
the overtime pay law may finally change by Alison Green on March 11, 2019 Back in 2016, the federal government announced it was making major changes to who is eligible for overtime pay. Currently, if you earn less than $23,660, you must receive overtime pay (time and a half) for any hours over 40 that you work in a week. In 2016, the Department of Labor announced it was raising […] Read the full article →
some men in my office refuse to be alone with women by Alison Green on February 19, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a mid-sized private company that, while not a religious organization, does have “Christian values” as one of its organizational tenets, and has many Christian employees (of which I consider myself one, but more on the liberal progressive side). Generally, they treat employees well, have flexible workplace policies, and overall […] Read the full article →
my office is requiring us to disclose all medications we take by Alison Green on January 14, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a small office (around 20 people) with a director who has a tendency towards micromanagement and distrust of employees — think paranoia that people are constantly trying to get out of doing “enough” work. The director recently announced a new policy requiring employees to disclose prescription and over-the-counter drugs […] Read the full article →
my employer fined me $90 for being late by Alison Green on November 14, 2018 A reader writes My company has a ridiculous late fine policy: you will be fined $2 for every minute, starting from 9:01 a.m. So if you come in at 9:05 a.m., that’s $10 you gotta pay up in cash. (This is not somewhere where down-to-the-minute coverage would be essential. It’s just typical deskbound, back-end work. […] Read the full article →
sick coworker says he can’t work alone by Alison Green on August 28, 2018 A reader writes: I’m an avid reader and I have a question on behalf of a friend. She works in retail and recently told me she felt too sick to work but couldn’t call in because her coworker, “Bob,” who has stage 4 cancer says he can’t work alone. This sounds off to me. I […] Read the full article →
our employee says she’s not comfortable having her desk near men by Alison Green on August 20, 2018 A reader writes: I work in a department of about 100. We are a slight majority female, maybe 60/40. Recently a desk opened up just behind a woman who has worked for us for over a year and we moved a new employee, who is male, into the empty spot. Shortly thereafter, the woman approached […] Read the full article →
a consultant complains about our off-site meetings but doesn’t want to skip them by Alison Green on May 9, 2018 A reader writes: I have a team with locations throughout the U.S., both in office and remote, comprised of full-time associates and contractors, most who come to us through a contractor agency, but one of whom is a consultant and bills us through his LLC. Because we need to be very collaborative, we do have […] Read the full article →
what happens if I get hired at a dog-friendly company when I’m allergic to dogs? by Alison Green on May 8, 2018 A reader writes: I am going to have an-person interview with a company that would be a great fit for me, and me for them. When I did research on them, I found out that they have a work environment where dogs are brought in daily. I am allergic to dogs. I would not be […] Read the full article →