The Workplace Stack Exchange
The Workplace Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
76
votes
4 answers

boss smokes and colleagues who smoke get insider info

I recently started a new job and my boss is a smoker, so she frequently has smoke breaks together with my other colleagues who are also smokers. During these smoke breaks, they often discuss important information and as a non-smoker, I feel that I'm…
watson
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76
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7 answers

First job in an office, very small company, am I screwing up by overdressing?

First job in an office, not even a real job yet but it's paid and I have a very good chance at becoming full time in a few months - super small web based company right now with only 3 of us in house and another dozen or so being contract…
GabL
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76
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9 answers

A new coworker is working too much and management doesn't understand it's neither normal nor healthy, what can I do?

My working hours (as a software developer and team lead) was pretty OK, 9 to 6 every day with some overtime occasionally necessary. Pretty standard stuff. A few months ago a new coworker got hired and, after a first period where he worked like the…
heapOverflow
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75
votes
11 answers

How can an employee perform a self-appraisal without being arrogant?

Recently, everyone in my company has been required to do their annual self-appraisals for the upcoming performance reviews. And as I struggled to write my own, this got me to wondering... How can an employee possibly complete this task well? It…
asteri
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75
votes
11 answers

Are decals on a personal laptop unprofessional?

I am purchasing a laptop for college soon, and I have several decals that I would like to put on the back of it. During my time in college however, I intend to take several internships, and I don't presently know whether or not I may need to use the…
Timpanus
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75
votes
8 answers

How do I maintain a good relationship with an employer after resigning?

I'm working my first job and would like to have my current boss as a reference if possible. But if I leave, it's almost certainly going to be a resignation to move to another job. I feel like I'm abandoning them and I feel suddenly my previous…
Rarity
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75
votes
3 answers

Is it okay to ask why the previous employee left or was let go?

In an interview is it okay to ask the interviewer why the previous employee left the position or was fired from the position I am applying for? I would like to understand why someone would have quit a job or been fired to better understand if the…
CincinnatiProgrammer
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75
votes
11 answers

Mandatory unpaid lunch meeting

Context: I work in a small size (25) IT company in Canada for about 8 months. And I'm paid by hour, I punch time in a software. At my job, they really like to do meetings during lunch time, about 2 or 3 times a week, and a lot of colleagues go and…
Carlos2W
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75
votes
6 answers

For future employers, how/when should I bring up not wanting to work unpaid overtime?

I currently work as a structural engineer in the midwest United States. My company, like many engineering firms, is very "feast or famine" in that some weeks we have crazy amounts of work to do, and the next week we could be out of work. As such,…
grfrazee
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75
votes
14 answers

I have been asked to complete a project without any concrete specifications

I work in the software development domain. My team leader and manager have asked me to complete a project after calling a single meeting to discuss project details. In the meeting very little information was available and on asking for clarification…
KTPATEL
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75
votes
15 answers

Am I morally obligated to use my own time to fix bugs in software projects?

When a project has gone over the allotted hours, am I morally obligated to spend my own time fixing bugs or finishing the project? I've been working about 20 hours per week as a C# programmer for about 15 months for the same company. I can only work…
David
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75
votes
13 answers

Can I save face when I have been humiliated?

I have always been ambitious in my career but I am unsure where this has taken me. I want to be taken seriously, I feel an intense need to retain control (not necessarily over people, just over my immediate situation), and I really do not take it…
maple_shaft
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75
votes
14 answers

Team member regularly ignores "back to office" policy

A while back, the company announced a "Two days in the office" policy after working mostly remotely for the past two years. So every week, we are expected to work three times from home and two from the office. I'm a team leader and one of my…
riorio
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75
votes
9 answers

Do I have to stop other application processes before receiving an offer?

I have been made an offer by company A, whilst still going through applications with companies B and C. Company A has asked me to verbally accept an offer, and as part of that, to cancel all other applications. They haven't sent a contract yet…
ignoring_gravity
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75
votes
10 answers

I'm a leader/manager. One of my team members told me they received a better job opportunity. Should I disclose this information with my boss?

Currently I'm working in a leadership/management position for a tech company. Part of my responsibilities is to help my team as a career advisor and guide them to improve their performance and achieve promotions in the future. This career advisor…
Bonifacio
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