should I avoid softening my emails with qualifying language? by Alison Green on September 17, 2020 A reader writes: I am curious about your thoughts on using qualifiers (“I think,” “I believe,” “it seems to me,” etc.) in work emails. I’m a woman in my mid-20s working in grants administration at a nonprofit. I often catch myself writing sentences like “I think the next steps here are…” rather than “The next […] Read the full article →
do I respond to emails too quickly? by Alison Green on September 3, 2020 A reader writes: I’ve always found it easy to focus, keep my work and my time organized and switch between tasks without losing track of what I’m doing. I like to keep my email inbox neat and use it as an organizational system, so whenever an email comes in, I typically stop what I’m doing […] Read the full article →
am I an underachiever? by Alison Green on August 31, 2020 A reader writes: I am in my late 20s and have been working professionally for about four years, plus a handful of co-ops/internships during my education. I work in a field that’s known for attracting overachiever types, and also for somewhat poor/outdated working environments that are stressful on employees and tend to result in burnout […] Read the full article →
are people judging me for looking scruffy at work? by Alison Green on August 26, 2020 A reader writes: I have two bachelor degrees, am in my mid-50s, and work in the public sector. The money isn’t great but I enjoy what I do. I recently heard someone mention that their boss dressed “poorly” and had grey hair, while they themselves “dressed like a professional woman who made X amount should.” […] Read the full article →
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 →