Open offices are a panopticon hellhole. They might make it easier to collaborate, and they might help your boss pack more workers into a smaller space, but they leave you in earshot of every little sound your co-workers make. (You get to see and smell them, too!)
Whether it's a hot new movie, a huge sports event, or a TV show that it feels like everyone is watching, it's no fun to be caught out of the loop during water cooler chats or party conversations. If you want to be a part of it all, let go of your pride and ask some dumb questions about it.
If you have a popular name combination, or just get a lot of email at work, you're bound to get an email that wasn't intended for you. You could ignore it, sure, but there are better ways to handle it.
When I joined the workplace Slack, I went in guns blazing. I posted too much, inserted myself into conversations, embarrassed myself in private channels. Don't be like me! But also don't be a terrified wallflower. Here's how to settle into a new Slack without embarrassing yourself.
If you work with someone who refuses to take a sick day, personal-finance site Money has a great idea: Take your own day off to avoid getting sick.
There's a lot to do. There always is. You sit at your desk well past quittin' time each day to ensure it gets all done, but in the end you suffer for it. It's OK to leave work on time, and these tips can help you make it a habit.
Men! Mule Design co-founder Erika Hall has seven ways for you to counteract sexism at work. Some will help you shut down overt sexism; some address more unconscious habits such as interrupting women. And you don't need to be in a position of power to use them. Hall's article is free of filler, so read it all, but here's our favourite tip.
Everyone made fun of the performative pep talk from that Ticketmaster bro who thinks working the holidays turns you into Usain Bolt, but he got one thing right: Most people, even if they're back in the office, aren't working hard between Christmas and New Year's Eve.
You might think that sending work emails is the worst. It's not. It's the second-worst. The worst is waiting for people to reply to your work emails. And some people just never reply, no matter how much you follow up. IT professional Antoinette Maria wrote about one of these problem co-workers, "Alex," a contact from another team who's holding up a whole project.
You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated - in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.
Workplace sexual harassment affects far more women than men, but men are the ones who bear responsibility for ending it. Besides, of course, not harassing women, we need to stand up for them, especially (and unfortunately) as we're more likely to be heard and respected than the victims themselves. Esquire has a guide to noticing, handling, and reporting sexual harassment, including how to escalate a complaint to a superior, HR, and even the press.
Workplaces are funny little ecosystems. You spend all your time working and developing complex relationships with everyone from the security guard to your shared desk mate, but occasionally, these fragile work friendships can go south.
You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.
You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.
You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.
"ATTENTION ARTISTS: Sometimes your friends will have successes, and you'll be jealous, even if you don't want to be," says author and Dinosaur Comics creator Ryan North in an inspirational Twitter thread.
We've all heard the bad news that sitting will kill you. That might be a slight exaggeration, and hey, we're all going to die someday, after all. But our chair-loving lifestyle isn't helping us live any longer, that's for sure. It's associated with everything from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes and even cancer.
You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.
You have problems, I have advice. This advice isn't sugar-coated -- in fact, it's sugar-free, and may even be a little bitter. Welcome to Tough Love.
Picture the scene: You're socialising with co-workers and decide to let off a little steam by joking about how annoying Mary from accounts is. Maybe you even accompany your act with, say, an imitation of Mary's mannerisms or voice. And you're overheard. Mary is enraged and mortified; you wish you had stopped at two drinks or maybe that someone had stuffed your head in the punch bowl before you got up a head of steam. What do you do?
