my office Secret Santa gave me a gift from a pornstar by Alison Green on January 5, 2022 A reader writes: I’m a mid-level employee on a team of about 20 within a larger organization. I started in 2019, though we’ve all been remote since March 2020. We’ve had pretty little turnover since then, so apart from a few newer folks, I’ve met everyone on the team in person and have good rapport […] Read the full article →
my boss shows up at parties she’s not invited to, I have to pick my own punishment, and more by Alison Green on December 15, 2021 I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. I don’t invite my boss to our work parties but she keeps showing up My team likes to throw parties: once a month we have a sit-down lunch, once a quarter we […] Read the full article →
my employee refuses to lie to customers — but that’s our policy by Alison Green on November 22, 2021 A reader writes: My employee is refusing to abide by company policies due to religious conviction and I’m not sure how to handle this. I am the owner of a very small company, around 15 people total. We are a niche online retailer. We do the vast majority of our sales through a popular online […] Read the full article →
my VP of HR says my service dog is too small by Alison Green on November 15, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a small-ish company (80) people. I have epilepsy and I have a seizure alert dog. She can detect when I am about to have a seizure, which helps me get somewhere safe (she’s alerted when I’m on the stairs so I know to sit down immediately, or if I’m […] Read the full article →
I walked in on the company owner having sex in his office by Alison Green on November 2, 2021 A reader writes: I started a new job last Thursday at a small consulting company. I’m very excited about the company and the role, and it’s a better fit than my previous opportunity. It’s an eight-person team, consisting of the owner, two VPs who report to him, an executive assistant who reports to him, and […] Read the full article →
coworker keeps interrupting my work and told me it’s “good practice” to keep myself focused by Alison Green on October 28, 2021 A reader writes: I have a coworker (Jane) who is a very nice person, if a bit socially clueless. That’s not unusual in our industry, but in this case it’s beginning to encroach on my work. It’s made worse by the fact that she seems to have latched on to me as a work friend. […] Read the full article →
my employee wasn’t respectful enough after the company messed up her paycheck by Alison Green on October 19, 2021 A reader writes: I’m not comfortable with one of my new staff members and how overconfident she is. Her work is great and she needed very little training but she’s got very big britches. “Jane” has only been with us for two months. Just today she asked for a meeting with me and our payroll […] Read the full article →
my boss flirts with (and sometimes sleeps with) our vendors — and tells me all about it by Alison Green on October 12, 2021 A reader writes: I am hoping for some help here. I’m really not a prude; I am afraid that is the way I might come off. My manager has put me in a weird position. I’m not sure if I’m overthinking things and would appreciate some advice. Within the past year, I have noticed that […] Read the full article →
employer says candidates must accept the job if it’s offered by Alison Green on October 11, 2021 A reader writes: I recently was referred to a job posting by a friend in my industry. While I am happily employed, it was definitely something I would consider. However, the posting ended with the line, “It is understood that any candidate applying for a full-time position will accept employment. Please do not apply if […] Read the full article →
my coworker keeps whispering sexually explicit things in the office bathroom by Alison Green on September 28, 2021 A reader writes: This happened to me a couple years ago now, but I still occasionally think back on it (and cringe) and still don’t really know what I should have done! I know I didn’t handle it well, or really at all, when it happened. This was my first real job after college and […] Read the full article →