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 →
a coworker prayed for my fiancé’s death so we didn’t invite her to our wedding … and now there is drama by Alison Green on September 28, 2021 A reader writes: My fiancé, “Ted,” has worked for 10 years on a small, very close-knit team, all of whom seem to get along exceptionally well. All the team members and spouses/partners socialize outside of work together as well, and we consider them all to be close friends. We thought they felt the same. A […] Read the full article →
employer wants friends and family to participate in 360 feedback reviews by Alison Green on September 14, 2021 A reader writes: Something odd happened to me today, and I wanted to see if I’m the one off-base for being confused by it. I received a request to fill out a 360 review for my sister. My sister and I are not coworkers; we do not work for the same company (we aren’t even […] Read the full article →
my employee sent me a “letter of intent” to look for another job by Alison Green on September 13, 2021 A reader writes: I manage a small department at a state agency. One of my direct reports, who had been having some issues with other employees (faults on both sides, honestly), just sent me a Letter of Intent to look for another job. The letter itself was beyond odd. It listed all of his contributions […] Read the full article →
my office got us turtles to take care of and bring home on weekends by Alison Green on September 1, 2021 A reader writes: I work for a nonprofit and Covid has been very stressful for us. We are understaffed, overworked and underpaid, like many nonprofits. But recently our president announced something that is suppose to “bring staff together”: they got every office a turtle to keep and take care of. A little back story: our […] Read the full article →