I was single and lived alone for a long time. I met someone who was single and had lived alone for a long time, too. One of the things we understood was the need for alone time. A lot of it. We have a relationship that apparently looks really strange from the outside (we do a lot of things separately, and I’ve gotten…

Agreed, I was actually chatting with my housemate about this the other day and I bet it would be helpful to know hers as well. I think it just generally helps you learn how to make someone else feel most appreciated/valued.

Do good HR departments exist? I'm not being snarky, I've never seen one in real life.

A good HR department (a rare find) coaches the manager on what is realistic.