Tag: work
Guest Post: 3 Ways to Flex Your Job for More Free Time for Friends
Despite all the ways close friendships enhance our lives, many women who are working, raising a family, and/or caregiving for aging parents or other relatives may feel they simply don’t have time for friends. Pat Katepoo, a work-life advisor, offers some practical suggestions (in her guest post below) that might make it easier to find more free time for friends.
When a close friendship with a boss suddenly ends
QUESTION Hi Irene, I was recently dumped by one of my closest friends, whom I loved dearly. I am devastated, sad, hurt and disappointed. But I have an extra big problem: my ex-friend is my direct boss. I am an administrative assistant, her right hand person at work. We see each other on a daily [...]
Dumped: But my friend wants to remain connected — on her terms
When a friend dumps you, she can’t call all the shots… QUESTION Dear Irene, How do you handle a situation where a very dear friend, who also happens to be your friend from work, wants an extended time out and at the same time insists that I should keep on being friends with her [...]
Not all friendships last forever: I lost my contacts in a NYC taxi cab
QUESTION Hi Irene, Last August, lost my cell phone. I left it in a cab in NYC and to make matters worse had not properly backed up my contacts. In an effort to regain some of those contacts, I sent out messages on Facebook. Some people responded and some did not, which made me [...]
Is all fair in friendship and employment?
Feeling betrayed by a friend who goes after the same job as you QUESTION Hi Irene, I told a friend of 32 years (a woman who I am currently starting to date) about a job that I interviewed for and she tells me that she wants to go for the job because it sounded [...]
Undermined by a work colleague who was a friend
Friendships carry risks when they unravel and this is particularly true in the workplace. Yet, we spend so much of our lives at work that it’s natural we would develop close friendships there. QUESTION Hello Irene, I know that you have addressed work friendships in the past, but I am wondering if you can [...]
When a friend backs away from someone with bipolar disorder
QUESTION Hi Irene, In 2004, I became friends with a co-worker, named Amy. It was exciting to find a friend with whom I had so much in common. We would have lunch together regularly, go out for drinks or dinner after work some nights, go shopping — the usual things friends do. In late [...]
Working with friends: A double-edged sword
When friendships turn sour, working together can get complicated QUESTION Hi Irene, Well, I just had a heart-to-heart with a new friend. We’ve been friends for about one year now and I’ve just hired her to work in my office. She asked if she could talk to me (after work) and informed me that [...]
How to set boundaries with an oddball co-worker
QUESTION Hi Irene, I have a co-worker who is married who came from a central office to a satellite office where I work. His co-workers from the central office made undermining jokes about him. I’m beginning to understand why. He boasts about an association he’s in and tells stories about what he’s doing. He visits [...]
