how do I live down a reputation for being “extra”? by Alison Green on October 8, 2024 A reader writes: How does one shake a reputation at work for being “extra”? Three years ago, I joined my current organization and quickly became known as a go-getter, an innovator, and someone good at their job. Senior level colleagues would learn about programs I had developed, express admiration, and ask to borrow the idea. […] Read the full article →
is it OK to have sex while working from home? by Alison Green on September 23, 2024 A reader writes: I am a stay-at-home mom of very young children. My husband works from home one day per week, occasionally two. When he works from home, he watches our baby while I take the older ones to and from school/preschool. Other than that, he works in our home office and I rarely see […] Read the full article →
how to respond when someone’s manager makes them apologize to you by Alison Green on September 3, 2024 A reader writes: I was reading one of your recent posts where you mentioned you don’t believe in forcing adults to apologize in a professional setting. I am on the same page with you about that, and it made me think of a similar type of experience I had once where I was on the […] Read the full article →
I’m pregnant! how do I announce it at work? by Alison Green on August 6, 2024 A reader writes: My husband and I just found out that I’m pregnant, after trying for several years! I’m extremely excited, but also realized that I have no idea how to announce this at work. I’ve only been at my company for about 18 months and, in that time, no one else on my team […] Read the full article →
my job wants me to do public speaking … I don’t want to by Alison Green on July 23, 2024 A reader writes: A few years ago, I accepted a job as a director of strategy at a small agency. One of the perks of this job was that I would deal with clients less, because this company had client managers to do that, and wouldn’t have to do things like public speaking. To be […] Read the full article →
should I apologize for being a bad employee? by Alison Green on July 11, 2024 A reader writes: Do I need to apologize to my managers for being a less-than-stellar employee? I’m a contract employee on my second year of employment with an organization that hires its employees on one-year contracts. During my first year, my performance was good — not outstanding, but at least good enough to have my […] Read the full article →
do I need to ensure my nipples are never visible through my work clothes? by Alison Green on July 3, 2024 A reader writes: I am a mid-40’s woman working in an office setting at a university and would describe our dress code as office casual. I don’t dress in a manner that might be considered revealing or sexy, but have protruding nipples which are visible through my shirt regardless of whether it is cold or […] Read the full article →
was it unprofessional to say I was angry? by Alison Green on June 26, 2024 A reader writes: This year, I was put in a difficult position by my HR representative. My work requires a licensing process with the state, and I’ve moved to a new role whose laws regarding those licenses have recently been updated. Despite having conversations with my HR about these changes and working to navigate them, […] Read the full article →
I used ChatGPT to replace a team’s input when they weren’t responding … and now I’m panicking by Alison Green on June 24, 2024 A reader writes: I messed up royally. I’m two years in my first full-time role. My job is like in-house consulting. My team is trying to improve our internal processes. We interview people in the process about what they’re struggling with and look for ways to improve it. I’ve done a lot of these interviews […] Read the full article →
I’m a terrible procrastinator by Alison Green on June 13, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’ve recently realized something about myself: even though I am a high perfomer with glowing reviews from bosses and coworkers, I am a terrible procrastinator. But instead of procrastinating by doing nothing, I find other things that is of lesser importance but still need doing. […] Read the full article →