should I avoid wearing pricey status items at work? by Alison Green on February 18, 2020 A reader writes: I inherited a watch recently from my late grandfather, and it happens to be a Swiss model which is frightfully expensive — as in over $2,500 new. He purchased it upon his retirement 20 years ago, and its been in the family ever since. Due to its high cost and recognizable brand, […] Read the full article →
how much stuff can I “move in with” on my first day at a new job? by Alison Green on February 17, 2020 A reader writes: I’m starting a new job in a week and a bit, my first after finishing my PhD. I’m wondering how much stuff it’s acceptable to “move in with” on the first day. I’ve seen the space, it’s a large-ish desk in a three-person office. I don’t want to just show up with […] Read the full article →
my boss called me “overly emotional” because I cried at work when I thought my grandmother was dying by Alison Green on February 11, 2020 A reader writes: As a sophomore in college, I was fortunate enough to find an internship in an industry I was very excited about. The company was small — the owner, three employees, and me. About halfway through the four months that I worked there, my family dealt with a serious crisis — my grandmother […] Read the full article →
my coworker told me I smell by Alison Green on February 4, 2020 A reader writes: A week ago, a coworker in a manager position (not my department) who is also a friend sat me down in her office and talked to me because, apparently, I am the smelly coworker. She was very kind and I could tell that it was incredibly hard for her. I think I […] Read the full article →
is it okay to drink before a presentation? by Alison Green on January 22, 2020 A reader writes: Presentations are a small but regular part of my role, but I often get nervous and end up hurting my message by criticizing my slides, adding excess caveats to my points, and just general blunders from lacking confidence. Last time I presented, I discreetly took a few swigs of vodka a few […] Read the full article →
I’m burned out and overworked and my bosses keep piling more work on me by Alison Green on January 13, 2020 I had an exchange with someone on last week’s open thread that I want to reprint here (and expand on) since so many people struggle with this. A commenter wrote: I am beyond the point of burnout at my current job and don’t know what to do. I’ve worked 2.5 days since taking 2 weeks […] Read the full article →
how do I tell my boss if she doesn’t fill the empty position I’m covering, she’ll lose me too? by Alison Green on January 8, 2020 A reader writes: Seven months ago, I got promoted from an entry-level client-service position at a medical facility to my current position as a case manager for hospitalized patients. The way our office works is that each case manager works for between one and three departments, and the responsibilities vary pretty widely depending on which […] Read the full article →
is it bad that I Gchat my friends while I’m at work? by Alison Green on December 12, 2019 I wrote a piece for the New York Times about the new digital etiquette at work: Is it bad that you chat with friends on Gchat or Facebook throughout the workday? How do you follow up with coworkers who haven’t answered your emails? Can you avoid the phone at work? Is it okay to post on social […] Read the full article →
how much detail do you have to give when you call in sick? by Alison Green on December 10, 2019 A reader writes: My friends and I (all 25ish, fairly new to the working world) are divided on how to call in sick. Mainly, how much detail are you supposed to go into about what is wrong with you? (“I’m not feeling well”? “I have a cold”? “I was up all night with terrible diarrhea”?) […] Read the full article →
I’m not getting credit for my ideas … but my coworkers are by Alison Green on November 27, 2019 A reader writes: I’ll often share ideas with my coworkers, like “If we make teapots out of porcelain, we can sell them for a higher price at the same cost to produce.” Then one of my colleagues (all male) will say, “Yeah, and we can paint birds on them.” Then later, someone will be like, […] Read the full article →