QUESTION: As we enter the back-to-school season, office supplies have begun to disappear. Does anyone have any policy or procedure in place to thwart this type of behavior? In your experience, will a firm but diplomatic e-mail help? It's getting expensive and embarrassing as large quantities walk away.— K. in FL

Question: “I recently took a job where I supervise three administrative assistants. These employees have been working here for many years. They are all good workers, but each one has a different way of working; one goes above and beyond, one is very organized, and the other one does just what is needed. I work directly on a daily basis with the one admin who goes above and beyond. I don’t have daily contact with the other two admins because they are in different parts of the building. How do I supervise the other two and complete their performance evaluations?  I have set up meetings with them to discuss their daily routines, and I plan on setting up a monthly meeting with them. What else can I do?” — Linda

Question:  “I asked for time off to take a vacation to Hawaii this past spring. My company has offices in California and New York. While on vacation, I received a barrage of e-mails very early each morning (4 a.m. Hawaii time), most of which needed my reply to approve a document or comment on a proposal. Is it really a vacation day if I end up spending five or six hours each day answering e-mail? It seems like I just moved my office a few thousand miles west.” — Chris

Question: “For several months, we have been receiving collection calls for employees and one employee in particular. Most of our employees are on the road, so they’re not available for phone calls. Lately, we’ve received “automated” calls, where anyone could answer the phone, answer the automatic questions and receive personal account information. I don’t want to give this employee a hard time since he is already having financial difficulties, but we really shouldn’t be receiving calls every day for him either. Any suggestions?” — Anonymous

Question: "Our small company has a paid time off benefit for full-time employees. However, we do not have a policy addressing how much unpaid time off a part-time employee can request. We have a couple of employees who are requesting an inordinate amount of time off. Are there industry guidelines on developing a policy?” — Dawn

Question: “What should I say to a company representative that keeps calling? My boss isn’t interested in the company’s product but I have to deal with this guy’s persistent calls.”  -- Brenda

Question: “I oversee the contract janitorial crew. How do companies deal with the problems of keeping the lunchroom and refrigerators clean during the day? I struggle with the time between the daily cleanings. Anyone have any suggestions?”—Rachel
 

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: "My CEO asked me to look into the feasibility of requiring employees to be 'tobacco-free' off the job as well as during working hours. He thinks we could save a lot on health insurance if none of our employees smoke. Has anybody done this ... or considered it?
What issues do I need to consider before I make a recommendation on how we should proceed?" — Anonymous

Question: “We have a co-worker who is nearing 80 years old. Her performance is starting to slip, and we’re too busy to cover for her when she creates more work than she accomplishes. Is there an alternative to termination?  We’d like to help her depart with dignity, but there are no indications toward that end.” — Caroline

Question:  “A friend who works for a local law firm has been asked to lay off some people. One employee has threatened that if she walks others will go to. How should my friend handle the situation?” –Tori

Question: “Is there a law that a company cannot disqualify a candidate because of a felony charge?“ — Irma
 

Question: “We have an employee currently on maternity leave who comes into work to check her e-mails, make work calls etc. This person has paperwork signed that she is on Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for 12 weeks due to pregnancy complications.  She is currently in her third week of leave.  How should this be handled?  Are there liability issues? We do not have a doctor’s release yet for this person.” — Anonymous 

Question: “Due to the economy, we are looking for ways to host a cost-effective holiday party for our employees.  In the past, we have been accustomed to nice venues with large scale professional entertainment, open bar and a nice dinner buffet for our employees and their spouses (about 135 people).  We have three offices and have provided hotels for those who have driven in from other parts of the state. Should we host a party for employees only?  Change bar service to three complimentary drinks only? Consider appetizers vs. a sit-down buffet style dinner?    Consider giving employees gift cards and skip the party? “ — Rhonda

Question: “What steps are you taking to advise your employees about the upcoming flu season?  Are you  handing out policies or a general flier urging hand washing or staying home when ill? — Dl

Question: “I work in health care, and our employer is forcing us to get the flu shot, even those who do not have patient contact.  If we refuse, we could be terminated.  The only exception is those people who cannot get the flu shot for medical reasons.  Is this legal?” — 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: "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: “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: “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

Question: "We are planning a summer event for our employees and their families. We could have as many as 400 people attending!  Any party ideas for large groups?  It will probably be a picnic, but if you have had other successful events for large groups or ideas to make a picnic fun for all, I would love to hear from you!" — Marie

Question: “Our organization promotes collaborative work styles that allow people to change seats often. Have others had any success tracking employees who work in an "Agile Programming" environment and maintaining a correct and current seating chart in this type of setting?  The administrative staff is responsible for knowing where approximately 400 people sit for maintenance issues and mail delivery and also for locating an empty desk when new employees are hired. Other than updating the file daily, (which is in Microsoft Visio) any other ideas?” — Elaine Erne

Question: “Does anyone have any ideas for promotional contests? I am trying to bring in more customers, and our staff really gets motivated with contests.” — Angela Starnes

Question: “I supervise a young secretary/receptionist who has been with the agency for two years. She is a pleasant person, but I have to constantly remind her how to properly handle security procedures, how to ask questions so she doesn’t send people to the wrong department, how to handle the front desk when more than one person is waiting, how to do basic purchase requests and the list goes on. I have given her a detailed SOP and sent her to admin training classes to improve her skills. But she doesn’t improve and she continues to mishandle situations. What do I do next — I truly want her to succeed?” — Jo