I’m struggling with working at home during COVID-19 by Alison Green on August 6, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. This week, it’s two questions on the same theme. A reader writes: What suggestions and recommendations do you have on staying productive and proactive while working from home with COVID stress? To give context, I’m incredibly fortunate to work for a company that has remained profitable and revenue […] Read the full article →
I like to give small gifts at work — am I doing anything wrong? by Alison Green on August 4, 2020 A reader writes: I have a question about gift-giving at work. I agree with the idea overall that gifts should flow downward. That said, I’m the type of person that sometimes shows appreciation by giving someone something small. I suppose you could say my “love language” is gift-giving. I never feel pressured to give a […] Read the full article →
should I tell my boss about my anxieties from past dysfunctional jobs? by Alison Green on July 20, 2020 A reader writes: I worked for a professional services firm for 10+ years, finally leaving a couple years ago. I’ll spare you the nuances, but there were relatively frequent terminations. For perspective, my department that generally had 5-8 people had 11 terminations in a 7-year span. For those of us who were generally well performing, […] Read the full article →
am I being unprofessional on video calls? by Alison Green on July 9, 2020 A reader writes: A little over a year ago, I started to work for a government agency in a very niche field. I started this job straight out of grad school, and there was certainly an adjustment period going from academia to an office job. Since starting, I feel like I have more than adjusted […] Read the full article →
how can I become more self-aware and not be a jerk at work? by Alison Green on June 4, 2020 In response to the letter earlier this week from someone who had behaved badly at work and seemed to be avoiding responsibility, a reader asked this: What advice do you have from preventing this kind of personality from developing in the first place? I’m a year out from college (2019 grad) and have been working for […] Read the full article →
I was difficult at my last job, and it’s standing in my way now by Alison Green on June 2, 2020 A reader writes: I recently quit a job which I excelled at technically, but professionally I struggled. The best way to put it is that I was incompatible with my newly appointed manager. My frustration with that manager led to many inappropriate comments that I made in front of him and a couple of other […] Read the full article →
I’m running out of patience when we need patience the most by Alison Green on May 20, 2020 A reader writes: I wonder if you have any ideas about dealing with minor annoyances that don’t seem so minor in the current situation. Like many people, sometimes I find myself annoyed by some of my coworkers’ habits or quirks that are otherwise fairly harmless (at least I hope it’s many people and not just […] Read the full article →
an example of starting with grace when you’re frustrated with someone by Alison Green on May 13, 2020 A reader writes: I wanted to share a recent example where in the heat of a frustrating situation I took a step back and tried (sort of…) compassion, which completely changed my understanding of the situation. I also lead a team of people on special assignment — they receive extra compensation to work for me […] Read the full article →
my boss told me to work more slowly so I don’t make my coworkers anxious by Alison Green on April 20, 2020 A reader writes: I have an unusual situation at work right now. On an ordinary week, I consistently get 25-30% more work done than the company’s goal and than my closest coworkers, and that has always been reflected on my reviews. Now, with COVID-19, we are all working from home for the first time in […] Read the full article →
I accidentally flashed my team during a video call by Alison Green on April 15, 2020 A reader writes: After a video team meeting today, I hung up the call and proceeded to get undressed for a shower. After a few seconds, when I was significantly but not completely undressed, I noticed that the app had frozen and was still open. The rest of my team had been staying on for […] Read the full article →