Question: "My team is responsible for creating a binder for our monthly board meetings. We have to set deadlines, collect reports from several departments, assemble the contents and overnight them. One department is always overdue with their reports, usually because customers are late getting essential information to them. We always give this group a grace period, but it pushes my team to work late.  My boss suggested shipping in two phases: first with reports that come in before the due date and the second with those that come in after. Any other good ideas to maximize our efficiency? -- Bright Idea Seeker

Question: “I see so many letters today with the RE line directly below the inside address. I learned that anything below the inside address should pertain to the address. I also learned that anything pertaining to the body of the letter should be placed in the RE line, and it should be directly below the salutation. Have the rules changed?  Does the RE line now go under the inside address and above the salutation?” — Betty Dotseth

Question: “Recently, my boss was signing paper letters and asked if it is still proper to write “Dear” in the salutation instead of just the person’s name. And for closing is "Sincerely" and "Very Truly Yours" passé or is “Regards” OK to use? Are handwritten or typed letters more formal than correspondence sent via e-mail?” — Naomi

Question: “After meeting with a customer or supplier, my boss often asks me to send a follow-up e-mail. I always debate whether or not to copy him in my e-mail. I want him to know how and what I said to the person, but I’m not sure how it makes him look. What is the appropriate thing to do? Should I copy him on the e-mail? Should I forward the e-mail to him later? Do I need to copy him since he asked me to handle it?” — E.J.

Question: “My company does not have a dedicated receptionist and has assigned receptionist duties to four assistants. It’s difficult for the four of us to get our regular work done with the added duties of answering incoming calls, transferring calls and logging them into the customer management system. How can we persuade management to consider hiring a full-time receptionist without jeopardizing our own jobs?” — Upset in the West

Question: “I’m wondering how other companies handle this situation: A worker is out on vacation leave (paid) and she gets sick during some of the vacation. Do companies allow employees to exchange those vacation days for sick days and let the worker take the vacation days another time?” — Belinda

Question: “How would you file the business name William Starck Architects? Is it Starck, William Architects, or Starck Architects, William, or something else?” — Lisa

Question: “I’d like to update my Microsoft Office skills. If I have limited staff development funds, but would like to get some advanced training, which program would be the most beneficial to me and the company? In other words, what’s the best bang for the buck?” — Anonymous

Question: “What would be a few good agenda items to discuss at our next administrative professionals meeting?  No one really wants to say anything, and therefore, the individual departments do not share any new ideas or updates on their activities. Do you have any sample agendas to share?” — Victoria

Question: "I have hard copy files labeled under "Dr." Do I file first under “D” or do I file under the doctor's name?" — Anonymous
 

Question: “I need to create work-order forms for various tasks (project details, requesting copies, deadline requirements) for many different employees. Can anyone provide examples of forms/templates that I can use?” – Ruthann

Question: “When people fill in for me during lunch, they often rearrange the desk. How do I let them know that my desk is not community property?” -- Anonymous

Question: “I am developing a training class for administrative support staff on achieving workplace success in a changing environment. I’m having difficulty locating information on how staff can boost their self-confidence and motivation and feel more empowered during economic uncertainty and organizational change. Can you suggest resources? — Linda

Question: “The Gregg Reference Manual says to use a comma to set off abbreviations that follow a person’s name, such as “Jane Doe, CPS.”  I recently proofed a newsletter where some names did not have commas.  When I brought this to the attention of the person submitting the information, she said that other newsletters didn’t use commas. Has this grammar rule changed or are people just getting it wrong.  Should you still use the comma?” — Diana

Question: “An employee placed a recorder in a meeting but none of the participants were aware that she was recording the session. She later confessed to me that she recorded it. What should I do?”  — Amanda
 

Question: “My company advisor has asked me to write a book on company morale and ways to improve it, because I have implemented a team game that has been very successful over the years. I have no idea where to start or what traps to avoid. I’m an office girl, not a writer. Are there classes I should take or companies to approach?” — Jocelyn K. Mylott

Question: “We have had monthly admin meetings for the past six months. The senior admin is now asking for our input about how and what should be discussed during those meetings. I'm curious as to what other admins do in their meetings. What do you discuss?” — Barb

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: "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

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: “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

“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