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

Question: “I want to let a new employee know that his predecessor’s work was below our standards. Should I give the new employee a sample of previous work and tell him or her that is our standard expectation?" — CJM

Question: “I need help in revising our current policy on continuation of medical insurance during the following cases: temporary layoff, permanent layoff, workers’ comp. Currently, the employer pays 100% of employee insurance benefits. Any advice would be appreciated.” — Anonymous

Question: “I have been asked to help arrange a business meeting/workshop in another state. I know that I will need to depend on someone else at that location for assistance. Whom do I work with?  What types of things do I need to do to make this a successful meeting? What things should I pay attention to?” — Anonymous

Question: “Does anyone have a policy on start/end work times for jobs that don’t require employees to punch time clocks? We polled the staff as to when everyone would like to start work in the morning, and they agreed to 8 a.m. Now, people have started strolling in at 8:15, but they put the usual 8 a.m. on their time sheets. Their supervisors don’t mind, but I’m the project assistant, so how should I address this issue?” — Virginia M. Howard

Question: “I’m responsible for selecting new office furniture for the VP of my department (this is who I report to) along with furniture for the Director and 10 managers. I’ve been told a dark wood color and straight lines. They want it to look “intimidating” and professional. Suggestions?” — Randall S. Cook

Question: “In my 30-year career, I’ve never heard of a company requiring that holiday time be accrued, i.e., each pay period an employee accrues the time, but if the employee doesn’t have enough accrued time and a holiday rolls around then it’s time off without pay. Is this legal?” — Peg

Question: “I am working on a project to enhance the client’s experience and would like to hear your ideas on what you do for your clients to offer that extra special ‘Wow’ touch?" — Laura Watkins

Question: "I am the Chairman of our Safety Committee, which meets once a month.  But no one cares what is going on.  We decided to do a potluck meal last month, but once everyone finished eating, it was back to the same boring routine. No one ever seems to have any input, knowledge or enthusiasm to offer at the meetings.  How can I make our meetings more fun and exciting and get our members to participate more in our discussions?” — Keliiokalani A. Tauiliili

Question: “Do you have any suggestions on how to take good minutes at a meeting?” — Shawndelle Kurka

Question: “How should employment verifications be handled when an employee is applying for credit, as well as those in which a debt collection agency is tracking down an individual? Can the verification be made over the phone or should it be requested in writing?” — Margaret Williams