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Alison Green

Columnist, the Cut
See all their articles from across New York Magazine
@AskAManager
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Alison Green is the Cut’s workplace-advice columnist. In addition to “Ask a Boss,” she has run her own career-advice website, Ask a Manager, for 15 years and is the author of Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work and Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Manager's Guide to Getting Results.

  1. ask a boss
    ‘Is It Irresponsible to Quit My Job Without Having Another One Lined Up?’I’m a big fan of asking, If the worst happened, then what?
  2. ask a boss
    ‘Can I Refuse to Take on More Work Without a Raise?’Often the way people “earn” a promotion is by starting to take on responsibilities outside the scope of their current job.
  3. ask a boss
    ‘I Want to Quit, But My Project Will Die If I Leave’As with other abusive relationships, when you’ve stayed at a toxic job for a long time, it can be hard to see that you need to get out.
  4. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Be Exaggerating Enthusiasm in Job Interviews?’If you do, you need to be prepared to keep up the act once you’re on the job.
  5. ask a boss
    ‘My Co-worker Hijacks Our Meetings With Endless Questions’It’s hard to tell someone to talk less, especially in a spur-of-the-moment conversation that you aren’t prepared for.
  6. ask a boss
    My Boss’s Stress Is Affecting Everyone Around HerSometimes people genuinely don’t realize how they’re coming across in situations like this.
  7. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Disclose My Depression to My Employer?’We’re talking here about the professional world as it actually is, not the one I wish we lived in.
  8. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Keeps Inviting Herself Over to My House’Even during non-pandemic times, this would be highly inappropriate — she is abusing her power by trying to force herself on people socially.
  9. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Expects People to Work While They’re on Vacation’There can be real power in numbers, so if you can, get your co-workers on board with a strategy.
  10. ask a boss
    ‘Is My Job the Problem, or Is it Me?’Your organization is making it so much harder on you than it needs to be.
  11. ask a boss
    ‘How Can I Get Feedback After Being Rejected for a Job?’Be sure your request makes it clear that you understand you’re asking for a favor.
  12. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Is Awful. Is It Worth Going to HR?’They can make suggestions, but it’s often up to individual managers to decide what to do with that input.
  13. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Never Praises My Work’The fact that you’re not getting any positive feedback at all (while others do), and even after explicitly asking for it, alarms me.
  14. ask a boss
    ‘My Co-worker Berates Me All Day Long’Sometimes just knowing that someone’s problematic behavior is about them, not you, can make it easier to deal with.
  15. ask a boss
    ‘How Do I Draw the Line on Political Conversations at Work?’Burying our heads in the sand isn’t the answer, but people need boundaries too.
  16. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Warn Job Candidates About How Bad My Company Is?’Imagine if someone assured you a job was fine, and then after accepting it, you found out they knew it was a nightmare.
  17. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Wants Us On Zoom All Day Long’Decent bosses know that monitoring isn’t the same as managing.
  18. ask a boss
    ‘How Am I Supposed to Network in a Pandemic?’Be specific, show you’ll use the other person’s time well, and be appreciative
  19. ask a boss
    ‘My Co-Worker Keeps Pressuring Me to Get Pregnant’She’s forcing your hand: She’s so over the line that you don’t really have a choice but to be extremely direct.
  20. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Wants to Be My BFF, and It’s Making Me Uncomfortable’It’s hard to receive critical feedback from someone who you got drinks with the night before (it’s hard to give it in that situation too.)
  21. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Tell My Boss About My Slacker Co-Worker?’When something impacts your team’s work, there can be an argument for having a onetime, discreet conversation with your manager.
  22. ask a boss
    ‘How Can I Make a Good Impression in Phone Interviews?’Phone interviews can level the playing field a bit, and that’s a good thing, even if it’s different from the interview set-ups you’re used to.
  23. ask a boss
    ‘I’m Worried My Boss Will Flip Out When I Quit’Keep in mind that once you’re on your way out, you have a lot more power.
  24. ask a boss
    ‘I Deeply Dislike My Try-Hard Co-Worker’Your frustrations are not misplaced, but your response is actually hurting you.
  25. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Give Up on My Dysfunctional Workplace?’It’ll be hard to convince your bosses to fix your work culture. That’s because they’re the ones who need to change.
  26. ask a boss
    Is It Okay to Lie Just a Little Bit on My Résumé?This is a terrible idea, and could easily torpedo a job offer.
  27. ask a boss
    ‘My Stressful Job Is Giving Me Panic Attacks, But I Feel Guilty Leaving’If you wait for an easy time to go, you could be waiting years.
  28. ask a boss
    ‘My Manager’s Venting Is Stressing Me Out’He is asking for emotional labor from you that he doesn’t have the right to expect.
  29. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Knows I’m Trying to Leave and Won’t Stop Asking About It’He didn’t need to know you were job searching at all!
  30. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Won’t Give Me Any Direction’You’re stuck guessing, and then you’re both frustrated when your guess turns out to be wrong.
  31. ask a boss
    ‘My Company’s Reopening Plan Is a Complete Disaster’Unionize. Seriously.
  32. ask a boss
    Should I Wear a Mask During My Job Interview?Err on the side of caution, and be wary of any employer that penalizes you for taking your health seriously.
  33. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Keeps Pressuring Me to Stop Working from Home’Some managers assume that their trustworthy employees will suddenly transform into slackers if no one’s watching them. It’s insulting.
  34. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Wants to Cut My Hours But Keep My Workload’Do what you can. It isn’t your responsibility to get everything done.
  35. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Is Smothering the Hell Out of Me’Ma’am — I am sheltering in place. Please stop asking if I did anything fun last night.
  36. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Ask an Employee to Dress Better for Video Calls?’ Truly, who cares?
  37. ask a boss
    ‘I Feel So Guilty About Laying Off My Staff’You can ensure they are handled with empathy and compassion rather than soullessly.
  38. ask a boss
    ‘I’m So Lonely — But Is Talking About It Annoying My Co-workers?’People might not have the emotional bandwidth for this right now.
  39. ask a boss
    ‘Is It Okay to Fire Someone in the Midst of a Pandemic?’You shouldn’t take away someone’s livelihood right now if you can avoid it.
  40. ask a boss
    How Am I Supposed to Focus on Work Right Now?Remember, these aren’t normal times.
  41. ask a boss
    How the Hell Are We Supposed to Work Now?I’m hearing from people who are concerned about all the ways coronavirus and social distancing will impact their jobs.
  42. ask a boss
    ‘My Manager Expects Me to Babysit Her Rambunctious Kid at Work’She’s abusing her power, whether she intends to or not. You weren’t hired for this.
  43. ask a boss
    That Big Interview
    Job Interview Tips: How to Survive 10 Awkward SituationsWhat should you say when you don’t know the answer to a question? How do you explain you were fired?
  44. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Keeps Trying to Hang Out With Me’Few people want to receive critical feedback on their work from the person they had drinks with last night.
  45. ask a boss
    ‘How Can I Stop Being So Nervous in Job Interviews?’Often you can change that dynamic in your head by deciding that you’re there to interview them.
  46. ask a boss
    ‘Apparently, I Am the Smelly Co-worker’You shower daily, wear deodorant, and keep your laundry clean. The more you can see this as a weird thing rather than a personal failing, the better.
  47. ask a boss
    ‘I’m Stuck in Endless Interviews With a Company That Can’t Make Up Its Mind’They’re showing you that these managers have an inability to make decisions, disregard people’s time, and perhaps a worrisome comfort with chaos.
  48. ask a boss
    ‘My Employee Has an Attitude Problem’If you haven’t been crystal clear in the past about what needs to change and how critical the problem is, make sure it’s unmistakable now.
  49. ask a boss
    ‘My Rich Boss Won’t Pay Me Back for Lunch’Let him know he owes you money, and assume that if he’s not a monster, that will take care of it.
  50. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Keeps Blowing Off Our Meetings!’What’s important is that you get what you need, not that you never get bumped.
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