passive-aggressive notes at work by Alison Green on January 14, 2019 Take a look around any office, and you’re likely to find at least one passive-aggressive note. It might be the note someone taped above the kitchen sink, reminding you not to leave dirty dishes around, or it might be the exasperated note on the copier, sternly reminding you to refill the paper tray rather than […] Read the full article →
the weird world of writing an advice column by Alison Green on January 8, 2019 Over at Buzzfeed today, I joined Daniel Ortberg of Dear Prudence, Jolie Kerr of Ask a Clean Person, Jennifer Peepas of Captain Awkward, Nicole Cliffe of Care and Feeding, and Harris O’Malley of Dr. Nerdlove in a roundtable about writing advice columns. We talked about weird letters, whether we give advice to family/friends, how to get […] Read the full article →
me, talking about burn-out by Alison Green on December 10, 2018 I’m on the Stuff Mom Never Told You podcast this week, talking about burn-out — how to recognize burn-out, what to do if you’re burned out, my own experiences with burn-out, why it might be different for women, and more. The episode is 52 minutes long and you can listen here. Read the full article →
why don’t companies give managers more training? by Alison Green on November 21, 2018 Would you ever hire an accountant with no bookkeeping training? How about a doctor who hadn’t been to medical school? We tend to agree that most skilled jobs require some amount of formal training – and yet for one of the jobs that is most key to companies’ success, we frequently throw people in with […] Read the full article →
you need to ask for more money by Alison Green on November 2, 2018 When’s the last time you asked for a raise at your job, or negotiated a higher salary when taking a new job? If you’re like a surprising number of people, the answer is never. I’m frequently startled by how many people confess to me that they’ve never asked an employer for more money. They just […] Read the full article →
me, talking about awkward conversations and politics at work by Alison Green on October 12, 2018 If you wish you had a magic wand that you could wave to get your boss or your coworkers to change their behavior without you having to actually, you know, talk to them about it, you are not alone. I recorded a piece for the BBC about how people shy away from even minor conversations that […] Read the full article →
what is going on with hugging at work? by Alison Green on September 13, 2018 You’re greeting a colleague who you haven’t seen in a while – and suddenly, without warning, they’re enthusiastically opening their arms and going in for a hug. Whatever happened to the simple handshake at work? Hugging used to be reserved for close family and friends, but it’s been infiltrating professional contexts for a while now, […] Read the full article →
Ask a Manager in the media by Alison Green on September 3, 2018 Here’s some coverage of Ask a Manager in the media recently: I’m on the Lifehacker podcast today, talking about bad bosses, setting boundaries at work, how to know if you’re the bad boss, and more. (My segment is 11:40-28:00, and then again 38:35-40:35.) I was on the CBS This Morning podcast, talking about dating at work, […] Read the full article →
team-building events are weird and not very useful by Alison Green on August 23, 2018 I recorded a piece for the BBC about team-building events: how bizarre and ineffective they can be, and why employers often schedule them without putting real thought into how they’ll produce better results … or even use them as a substitute for more meaningful work on communication or cooperation issues. (And it includes some of the […] Read the full article →
your workplace isn’t your family — and that’s OK by Alison Green on August 13, 2018 “We’re like family here.” Not words you should want to hear from an employer. I did a Q&A with the New York Times about why that phrase tends to pop up at dysfunctional workplaces — and tends to breed more dysfunction too — as well as how you can navigate that kind of culture and a healthier way […] Read the full article →