can you be spontaneous when you have a full-time job? by Alison Green on November 17, 2020 A reader writes: Can you still have a spontaneous personal life when you work full-time? My husband and I have conflicting schedules: he works nights and weekends part-time, and I work a traditional full-time job 9-5 weekdays, so we often don’t get to do much together socially. My husband is off work for the next […] Read the full article →
am I going to regret not pursuing a more high-powered career? by Alison Green on November 4, 2020 A reader writes: I graduated from college about two and a half years ago, and have worked at least part time in my field for closer to five years (but have been a full time employee since graduating). I used to have very high career aspirations for myself and always imagined I would be a […] Read the full article →
when you’re inexperienced, how can you know if something is worth complaining about or leaving a job over? by Alison Green on October 12, 2020 I’m off today, so this is a reprint of a post from 2013. A reader writes: If one is unhappy at their work, whether it’s due to their actual responsibilities or problems with their bosses, coworkers, clients, etc., how would one then determine whether it’s a legitimate grievance that grants the right to action, such […] Read the full article →
my partner freaks out over any background noise when working from home by Alison Green on October 12, 2020 A reader writes: My partner works in tech. He recently became a consultant after working for companies of various sizes, and he’s used to busy open offices, etc. The problem is, he’s derailed by any disturbances. If, for instance, our dog barks at the postman during a meeting, I come home to rants about how […] Read the full article →
should I really bother with taking vacation time this year? by Alison Green on October 8, 2020 A reader writes: Is it a bad idea not to take all of one’s allotted vacation time? Abe, my one partner (I’m polyamorous), feels strongly that I should use all my time, but I don’t really see the point. I can’t travel, do things, or see family/friends; I’d just stay home and be in the […] Read the full article →
how can I stay organized when I’m working from home? by Alison Green on October 8, 2020 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’m an analyst, and we’re working at home during Covid. In the office, I used a lot of physical space to stay organized: white board wall, sticky notes, task lists, and I kept a lot of it in my head. Now that we’re at home […] Read the full article →
am I being too self-deprecating at my new job? by Alison Green on September 30, 2020 A reader writes: Over the summer, I landed a new job during the pandemic, thanks to your guidance on your website and your book. It was a significant increase in pay over my last position, I like my boss and coworkers, and I realize now I was previously in a more dysfunctional workspace than I […] Read the full article →
I can’t seem to stop being late to meetings by Alison Green on September 28, 2020 A reader writes: With COVID still in full force and us working from home for months now, I’ve had a recurring issue with me constantly being late to meetings. At the beginning of this year and again in June, I told my manager I was burnt out due to constantly being overlooked at work, not […] Read the full article →
does it look unprofessional to draw in meetings? by Alison Green on September 23, 2020 A reader writes: I am a college student in my low 20s, two years in to my absolute dream job. I work for a medium-sized nonprofit that functions as an umbrella organization for six branches. I am the first assistant to one of these directors, and I’ve known her for years. The executive director (my […] Read the full article →
how do I let go of my previous role? by Alison Green on September 21, 2020 A reader writes: I work in a large department (50+ people) and was recently promoted to a separate role that is still within my department. While I still have contact with the same upper management, I have entirely separate responsibilities with almost no overlap from my previous role. They brought someone new in to take […] Read the full article →