is reading books at work ever OK? by Alison Green on February 4, 2021 A reader writes: My husband works as a bank teller at a local bank. Even before COVID, he worked at a very slow branch. He was assured when he started that though they had very little lobby traffic, the bank made plenty of revenue from local businesses, so his job was secure (they need at […] Read the full article →
how do I adjust to not being the boss anymore? by Alison Green on January 28, 2021 A reader writes: I recently made a transition from being the executive director of a nonprofit and responsible for everything (very stressful) to middle management at a much larger government entity, with better hours, pay, benefits, etc. and I’m no longer in charge. This is a good thing overall and a good step for my […] Read the full article →
am I being inflexible for not doing non-work things during work hours? by Alison Green on January 6, 2021 A reader writes: Am I a jerk for “being inflexible” and not wanting to do non-work stuff during work hours? I’m a librarian and work part-time at two different libraries. Both are closed to the public. One lets us work from home, the other is having us come in, but is letting us work from […] Read the full article →
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 →