does it look bad to send emails late at night? by Alison Green on March 15, 2023 A reader writes: Does it look bad to send/respond to an email late at night? I am generally forgetful, and the smaller a task the more likely I am to forget about it until later that evening. Randomly, at 10 p.m. I will remember, “Oh shoot, I didn’t tell Jane that Wednesday doesn’t work for […] Read the full article →
the people who are secretly working multiple full-time jobs from home by Alison Green on February 20, 2023 I wrote a piece for Slate about the surge in people who are secretly working two or more full-time jobs without their companies’ knowledge — how they do it, what employers think of it, and the larger social forces that might be driving it. You can read it here. Read the full article →
my boss said my posture is too casual for the office by Alison Green on January 4, 2023 A reader writes: In June, I was really lucky to do a work experience with my state electorate’s representative (I’m not American but I live in a western country). While I certainly got some invaluable experience and built up my skills, I felt like I was treated slightly harshly by my boss, the aforementioned politician. […] Read the full article →
how can I write warmer emails? by Alison Green on December 1, 2022 A reader writes: What tips can you offer to “soften” the tone of business emails? I tend to be direct in real life interactions, possibly erring on the side of blunt. Putting niceties in emails to others feels like a waste of their time, but some feedback I’m getting is that I can come off […] Read the full article →
I get angry when I’m praised for doing work I don’t like by Alison Green on November 15, 2022 A reader writes: Sometimes when receiving positive feedback, I feel irrationally angry about it. This is always when I’m doing a task I dislike. This, of course, causes problems at work when I’m doing a task I didn’t want to do in the first place and a supervisor tries to give me some encouragement. It’s […] Read the full article →
how to say no without sounding negative by Alison Green on November 9, 2022 A reader writes: I’m by nature an over-thinker/highly analytical person. When I make a structural or wording choice, I put a huge amount of thought into which of the many options will be clearest and easiest to understand. When I then bring the draft to my client or to colleagues, they will often have many […] Read the full article →
how to respond to “sorry” when you were inconvenienced by Alison Green on November 3, 2022 A reader writes: Recently, I had a meeting scheduled at two colleagues’ request to help them work through some challenges in an area where I have more expertise. They were about 10 minutes late, with no notice that they were running behind. When the first person arrived they said, “Sorry I’m late, my previous meeting […] Read the full article →
can I ask my boss to coach me on professionalism? by Alison Green on October 24, 2022 A reader writes: I’ve recently started a new job and in, reflecting on my work experience, I’ve realized that I’m not nearly as attuned to professional norms as I would like to be. Given my background, it’s not terribly surprising. My parents are musicians, and there were large parts of my childhood that we spent […] Read the full article →
how should I handle my downtime when I’m working from home? by Alison Green on October 17, 2022 A reader writes: In the Before Times (when a vast majority of us went to another location for work), when you arrived was the start of your day. Now with many people being hybrid, start times seem a little more fluid and I’m wondering what the “right/ethical” way to operate is. For reference, I am […] Read the full article →
all this talk about”quiet quitting” is absurd by Alison Green on October 17, 2022 At Slate today, I wrote about the terribly-named “quiet quitting” trend — how it mirrors a larger change in people’s relationship to work, and why a lot of workers are disgusted with the idea that they should do more than “quietly quit.” You can read it here. Read the full article →