Question: “I supervise a clerical worker in my department. She has difficulty knowing where to file folders with only initials or those that begin with a numeral, e.g., CPP or 3M.  She mixes them in anywhere. I have tried to explain "filing etiquette," but she tells me she knows how to file. Can you give me pointers?  Is there a new acceptable way to file?” — Robin

Question: “I've just learned the mail merge application on Microsoft Office/Word 2003. After the salutation, the software automatically inserts a comma (i.e., Dear Mr. Jones,). I was taught to use a colon rather than a comma.  Now that we are in the 21st century has the colon been dropped in favor of the comma? My mail merge will not let me substitute a colon for a comma.” — Anonymous

Question: “A co-worker has sent a companywide e-mail inviting employees to attend a morning prayer and Bible study on company premises prior to work hours. Is this allowable by law?”  — Anonymous

Question: “Does anyone know how to stop pagination at a certain point in a Word document? I’ve had to do this many times, but every time is difficult and time consuming. I type multisection documents and in the final section, I need to stop page numbering. I know you must undo the “link to previous,” but I have to fight with it for a long time before I can get it to work. I’d like a simple, quick or easy way to do it, but I would settle for just knowing step-by-step how to do it right each time without having to fight with it for an hour or more.” — Diana

Question: “What should I do about a co-worker who takes advantage of a boss-less office?  My boss's main office is in Massachusetts, but she also manages my two-person office in New York remotely.  This requires a large amount of trust from my boss.  My co-worker, however, walks into the office late, but leaves on time every single day. Plus, she stops working 10 to 15 minutes early to use the restroom, shut down her computer and pack up. Further, she constantly makes personal calls on the office phone, which we share!  I know that if my boss were here, my co-worker would not be conducting herself in this manner.  How do I bring this to the attention of my boss without appearing like a troublemaker?” —Jamie

Question: “What networking groups are best for someone with administrative support responsibilities that include a great deal of marketing? How can I tell which networking groups are best for me?” — Kathy Barnes

Question: "I work at a company that loves meetings. I support a C-level executive and am always looking for ways to reduce the amount of meetings he needs to attend. I’ve tried reducing the length of meetings, sending delegates, changing the frequency (quarterly instead of monthly), handling more topics via e-mail and scheduling them over lunch or dinner. Every few months, we review all scheduled meetings to see whether we can cancel anything.  And yet there still are not enough hours in the day to accommodate all the high- priority meetings. Does anyone have additional suggestions for eliminating the amount of meetings?"  — Angela Van Cleve

Question: "I am on a task force to develop a "desk audit" or "task audit" that will give our 20-member staff a better sense of how our time is spent, where we can become more efficient, and address unanticipated tasks. Our strategic planning consultants have told us that it would be best to develop our own workflow audit, as there are few models in the not-for-profit world.  They recommend choosing an "appropriate" unit of time and reporting frequency, making it easy and sharing data with staff frequently to show progress, but we're still feeling daunted by the task.  Has anyone developed a desk/task audit that they'd be willing to share?  How did you make it palatable to your co-workers?"  — Louise

"Our office allows a more casual attire in the summer. But some of the employees push it way too far. It doesn't help that the VP in charge of the office likes to wear shorts, so everyone else thinks it should be OK. We don't have any written rules on this, but I think it's hurting our image (as some of our sales reps sometimes have clients in for meetings). How can I present this to 'Mr. Casual' VP...or should I? -- Kathleen

"How can I deal with a co-worker who constantly complains that he doesn’t like his job or the people in the department? I suggested he talk to those he has issues with. I even suggested he find a new job. But he just keeps complaining and it interferes with my performance and morale. What can I do?  I don’t want to be mean or unprofessional." -- Janice

Question: "Is there a rule of thumb when it comes to determining severance for an employee?  What factors should be considered when calculating severance (length of service, position in company, etc.)?  What seems to be the “norm” in this economic time?" — Sheri Thomas
 

Question: "What types of policy/guidelines do you have for office events during business hours? For example, does the admin plan the event or should a committee plan it? How involved is the senior management staff in planning an event?" — Anonymous
 

Question: “My boss just piles work on his desk willy-nilly. I organized it once, but now he expects it again. How do I get him to tidy up his own desk?” — Anonymous

Question: “What is the best way to find out what is new in computer software used in most offices, since it seems to always be changing?” — Anonymous

Question: “How can I get across the fact that I’m very busy without seeming like I’m not a team player? I’m the executive assistant to the CEO and two partners. I’m also the CEO’s personal assistant. The attitude in my office is that I can’t be doing much since I don’t support a team.” — Anonymous

Question: “An ergonomic consultant recommended a narrower wrist/palm rest for several staff members. Their current rest is about 2.5 inches wide. I am having a hard time finding a narrower one. Any suggestions?” — Peggie Frost

Question: “I just started as the executive assistant to the senior vice president. I have administrative assistant experience, but this is my first time being an executive assistant. When I sit down on a one-on-one meeting with the boss, I feel really tense and can’t seem to think straight. I don’t say a whole lot because I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing. He is a very nice guy, but I just feel intimidated by his title. How can I feel more comfortable around him?” — Anonymous 

Question: “Does anyone know of a way to always have the BCC field populate with a specific e-mail address?” — Anonymous

“I’ve seen references to “tickler” files.  Can you please explain in detail, what they are and how you create and manage them?” — Valerie R. Butler

“Does anyone have an easy checklist available for putting together a conference for 100-plus people? I have started one, but I’m not sure if I have included everything needed.” — Michele

Question: “An employee went on maternity leave and some of her duties were redistributed to other admins during her leave. I was given the responsibility of reviewing the company's wireless phones.  In reviewing the contracts, I discovered the company could save about $10,000.  However, the employee has returned to work and changed the online account password to prevent me from further access. I told my bosses, but they have not done anything about it. The employee is an executive assistant to the president. Should I just let it go?” — Anonymous

Question: “We would like to create a work-order form for our custodian. This form would be used to assign work that is outside his regular duties. Is there anything available?” — Anonymous

Question:  “My immediate supervisor recently left the organization. As a result, I now report to the agency director. In our one-on-one meetings, he often seems bored or distracted. I always take extra time to prepare adequately for the meetings.
I come ready with possible resolutions to any problems and facts to back up my recommendations.  All this preparation is usually met with a very brief response or a push off to another manager.  When I asked whether he’d like me to run everything through another manager before coming to him he responded, “No, I want you to report directly to me.”
I am a very independent worker. Despite this independence, I would like some direction once in a while. I can’t help but feel devalued as an employee by his actions. What can I do to make our meetings more engaging?” — Anonymous

Question: “This year, we had a number of employees bring their children to the office for “Take your child to work day.” The employees expected our admin assistant to “baby sit” their children, which interfered with her daily tasks.
I work for a small family-owned firm and don’t want any animosity with our employees, but having a bunch of kids (none of them belonging to the owners) running around the place is very disruptive. Years ago I worked for a large firm that had restrictions on the age of the children who were allowed to participate, as well as a limit to what hours they were allowed at the workplace. I want to approach the owners of the company to set guidelines for next year and would like some “workable sample guidelines” to present.” — Monica Kulawiak

Question: “I am an administrative assistant in a manufacturing setting. How do I keep up morale after finding out that our site is closing?” — Anonymous