Times Insider explains who we are and what we do, and provides behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism is made possible.
While some writers aim to specialize in one area throughout their careers, Anna Holmes has done the opposite, letting her curiosity take her where it will take her: politics, relationships, sex, women's and gender issues, race, culture, and children's books.
“Let me put it this way: I don't have a beat,” Holmes said.
But a new assignment makes it more likely she'll get it.
Holmes is the incoming writer of “Work Friends,” a column that appears in The New York Times' Sunday business section. Twice a month, she'll dispense advice on money, careers, and work-life balance. (Holmes' first installment is coming out this weekend.) It's a familiar tactic for her, who has explored workplace culture in her Bloomberg Businessweek column, “Sad Desk Salad.”
Holmes, who has taken the helm from Roxane Gay, who has written the column since May 2020, guides readers through tough questions like whether to express political opinions in the workplace, what to do if a colleague is working out during a video call, and how to deal with a colleague who is overly ambitious or aggressive.
Readers may recognize Holmes' byline: She was a former contributor to the Times Book Review's “Bookends” column and other sections, including Opinion, and in 2007 founded the popular feminist online magazine Jezebel.
In the interview, Holmes discusses the evolving workplace, her process for choosing which addresses to send each letter, and more. This interview has been edited and condensed.
We’ve covered a wide range of topics, but what is unique about this place that you want to commit to?
I like to think about interpersonal issues. I don't always know how to deal with them, but it's educational to tease out the thoughts readers express in their letters. I don't know right away how to respond. I have to think not only about how I feel, but also about how the letter writer will react to what I say, and how the reader will react.
The workplace is changing, and we are changing with it. The most obvious example is, of course, how COVID-19 has ushered in the era of remote work. How will this affect our relationships with our colleagues? How will it affect our mindset towards work and our daily schedule? It can be unsettling to think about it. For example, will AI take over our jobs? Technology and creativity can complement our work, but they can also have a negative impact on us. How will we get through it?
What do you think about your experience? How do different levels of communication within the media affect how you advise your readers?
Well, I've worked as a junior employee, as a senior employee (manager, supervisor, etc.) and I've worked in quite a few mediums – digital publishing, video documentaries, print, etc. So, you have to believe in your voice and your opinion.
At the end of the day, all I can do is be honest. Over-analyzing the answers will paralyze me. I look forward to building a relationship with my readers that is tied to my columns, not to articles I write here and there.
What topics do you want to cover? How do you choose which letters to respond to?
When I look through the submissions, I try to pick questions about which I have something to say. I am often pleasantly surprised by how knowledgeable and thorough the letters are, and how open and trusting the writers are. I go through them and mark which ones I find most interesting and challenging. I don't pick them because I'm attached to a particular idea. should Let's talk about work.
I then send my favourites to my editor, Sharon O'Neill, and we exchange correspondence and some of them end up in the paper. Over time I'll get used to it and see what trends emerge, and maybe in the future I'll develop a preference for certain ones.
What are some of the topics readers can expect to see in your first few columns?
One early letter is about a colleague who giggles too much. Another is about being ignored by a boss, which happened to me once. Another is about a colleague who fasts during work hours, and the letter writer worries about the impact it will have on the colleague's mood at work.
