my employee barely speaks to me by Alison Green on May 13, 2021 A reader writes: I manage two wonderful employees who share an office next to mine. One of my employees (we’ll call him Neal) is very outgoing and friendly. We have some similar views on life (politics, child-rearing, etc) and talk easily and often. My other employee (we’ll call her Beth) is wonderful at her job […] Read the full article →
interview with an employee at an employee assistance program (EAP) by Alison Green on April 28, 2021 We sometimes talk here about EAP (Employee Assistance Programs) but have never explored how they work. A reader, Em, who works for one, left an incredibly interesting comment about her work on a post last week, and generously agreed to talk with me more about what she does. Here’s our conversation. How would you describe an […] Read the full article →
Ask a Manager speed round by Alison Green on April 14, 2021 It’s the Ask a Manager speed round! Until 4 pm ET today, I’ll be answering as many questions as I can live, in the comment section below. How to ask questions: Submit a comment below with your question. This quick format is best suited to questions that don’t require lengthy, nuanced answers. Questions won’t appear […] Read the full article →
speed round — submit your questions by Alison Green on April 13, 2021 It’s the Ask a Manager speed round! On Wednesday from 2-4 pm ET, I’ll be answering as many questions as I can live on the website during that time. To submit a question in advance, use the form below. (You’ll also be able to submit questions during the speed round itself tomorrow.) These will be […] Read the full article →
interview with an employee at a majority-autistic company by Alison Green on March 31, 2021 Symone is a regular reader here, and she works for a majority-autistic company and is autistic herself. I asked if she’d let me interview her about what working there is like, in advance of Autism Awareness Month (which starts tomorrow), and she generously agreed to talk with me. Some quick background: Her employer is auticon, a […] Read the full article →
Ask a Manager in five languages by Alison Green on March 25, 2021 1. All the foreign editions of the Ask a Manager book! Top row: U.S., UK, Poland. Bottom row: Ukraine, South Korea, China. 2. Separately, an announcement: When you are reading a letter in the archives that later had an update, you will now see a note at the bottom of the post with a link […] Read the full article →
how to talk about past jobs as a former sex worker by Alison Green on March 11, 2021 A reader writes: For nearly two years I’ve been a self-employed independent sex worker (mostly an escort, but I’ve also sold photos and videos and done some cam work). I’m registered self-employed in the UK, have an accountant who knows exactly what I do, and pay my taxes, and I chose this line of work […] Read the full article →
what are you doing to advance racial justice? (plus win a free copy of Authentic Diversity) by Alison Green on February 4, 2021 Last week we talked about how companies can build more racially equitable workplaces — including an excerpt from Authentic Diversity: How to Change the Workplace for Good and an interview with the book’s author, Michelle Silverthorn. Michelle and her publisher are giving away two copies of the audiobook version of the book to Ask a […] Read the full article →
how to become a slacker … with Laurie Ruettimann by Alison Green on January 14, 2021 I’ve long been an admirer of Laurie Ruettimann, since her days running Punk Rock HR, a hilarious blog where she called out the BS of HR. (The blog is no more, but she now has a podcast of the same name.) Laurie has always called it like she sees it without pulling any punches, and […] Read the full article →
most popular posts of 2020 by Alison Green on December 31, 2020 Here are the posts that interested people the most this year, via two lists: the most read posts and the most commented on posts. Most read posts of 2020: 10. Our boss told us to camp in tents when we travel for business 9. The Leap Day employee finally gets her birthday off this year […] Read the full article →