Question: I know before I start this that I'm going to sound like a shrew, but there is just no tactful way to put this.

I'm an executive secretary/admin for our company president and vice president of sales for a privately held manufacturer. We have about 500 employees at this location, and 150 of them are office personnel. Only three admin people serve this whole office. As I said, I have two executives and numerous requests from other managers, corporate personnel, as well as field sales personnel.

This is my complaint: On numerous occasions, we've catered lunches for meetings and mill visits. These meals are always delivered, served and taken away with little disruption of an admin’s day.

My VP of sales, however, is forever deciding to have a "working lunch," for which I have to order, pick up and deliver to him and others. This is at least one day a week, unless he’s traveling. Occasionally, our president will request this service, also.

These are usually orders for only three to five people, and none of the restaurants or fast-food places in our small town will deliver for fewer than 10 orders.

I have to spend my cash, my gas and time out of an already-busy work day to do this. I'm reimbursed for the money, but that in itself is a hassle, with forms and signatures required. Most of the time, it’s the next day before I can get it back.

To me, this seems to be an unreasonable expectation when my work load is already heavy. I'm not allowed to work overtime to catch up when I’ve lost an hour from my day.

I assure you that I'm not lazy. I love everything else about this job, but these too-numerous lunch requests are dragging me down.

Please don’t suggest that I try talking to the execs. When someone complains about their job at this place, it comes back to haunt them at review time. Also, please don’t suggest that I find a new job. I’m almost 59 years old and would like to retire from here. I’ve out-lasted four presidents and seven VPs, but I’m getting too old to be patient!  -- Elaine Cornwell, Senior Executive Secretary

Question: I am a 30-year employee of a nonprofit health care facility who has worked her way up in various departments from the Business Office to Administration.

I recently discovered that my title had changed from Administrative Secretary to Secretary. (This came to light only because it's my evaluation month.)

My immediate boss of nine years has always given me very good ratings on my evaluations, and I have received extra merit increases. This title change will make a substantial change in my salary.

I'm very disturbed at having my title changed to be the same as other secretaries within this department. First of all, I do not perform the same functions; second, my duties incorporate a higher-level responsibility.

Question: What's your dream job? If you could wave a magic wand and take on any job -- in any profession -- you wanted, what would it be?  -- Alice Bumgarner, Editor

Question: I keep hearing about people who are "virtual" admins, and that this is supposed to be the new hot job in the future.

Has anyone had experience being a virtual admin? How did you like it/not like it? Where can I get more information? Thanks!  -- Mary from Wisconsin

Question: I'm planning to take a course on computer design this fall, but I'm not sure that's a career path I want to pursue. I love my job now but want to further my learning. Any suggestions on what kind of coursework would allow me to explore my passion for art and design but would not steer me away from the job I love?  -- Confused

Question: My husband and I would like to move back to Dallas but want to have employment before I get there. I have sent resumes out, but it does not seem to be productive. Does anyone have any advice?  -- Moving

Question: I am in a position where my workload is very low. Sometimes, I have nothing to do, except maybe a little photocopying or handling the mail.

Sometimes, I have to create work, if I can. But there is only so much work a person can create.

The classes that I took in the past (Excel, PowerPoint) go unused because I’m never asked to work in Excel or PowerPoint.

Because I have been in this department so long, I’m afraid to move on because my skills have gone down and I’m a bit afraid that I may not be able to handle the next job. Plus, some bosses don’t treat assistants well. I would hate to lose my job altogether.

I need some encouragement or advice as to what I should do while I’m here in this position. I’m at a loss. Thank you.  -- Anonymous

Question: I like my job, and my manager and I want to keep working for my organization in the federal government. However, my salary has not increased in 6 years due to the job classification cap. I am about to retire in 3 years. How do I approach my manager to increase my salary, when I know the answer to a raise is negative?  -- Lynn

Question: I work for a government contractor in Washington, D.C., with fewer than 15 employees. I was hired three years ago as an accounts payable clerk, but my duties are more along the lines of an administrative assistant. The pay is good: I've gotten a raise two of the past three years.

But I'm debating whether I should stay or go.

I haven't left yet because I have such a great boss. He is very supportive and understanding of my being a single parent and part-time student. (I'm a year and a half away from my bachelor's degree in accounting.) He allows me to bring my child with me to work whenever necessary and take time off during midterms and finals to study. Although he is great to work for, I feel like I'm not making any progress professionally.

My problem is that I'm bored at work. I've tried asking for more, but there isn't more for me to do. My other problem is that I spend roughly about four hours a day commuting. I make the trek every day because of the flexibility I have.

I'm questioning if having a job with this much flexibility is worth this amount of unhappiness. Any thoughts?

Thanks.  -- Feeling stuck and unhappy

Question: I am a human resource coordinator who handles payroll, benefits and related work for about 100 employees, and I am being "forced" in very stern written communications from my direct supervisor to "fully cross-train" a co-worker "in all aspects of all duties and provide instruction and access to all documentation."

This co-worker does the same job as I do, but for a separate division of our department. She handles approximately 60 employees.

This is a very unusual circumstance; not warranted, in my opinion. (We do the same job but for different employees.)

The other side of this story is that this co-worker (female) is very good friends with my direct supervisor (male). They tell each other everything, and my co-worker has been asking me for all of my information but has told me nothing about her job. It's almost as if this cross-training is a ruse, convincing me that they just want my information so they can easily be rid of me.

I have been having some health issues lately. I have fibromyalgia and perhaps lupus, along with some other issues, and have had a lot of physician appointments. But my work is always completed, no matter what I have to do to get it done. Nevertheless, I cannot help but feel as if they are pushing me out.

What should I do? I have been complying and have been cooperative and nice, but I am not happy.

Please help!  -- Being Pushed Out in Ohio

Question: I have a friend who is being given more responsibilities at work but is still being given the same pay. He has been with his job for 4 years and has not been given a pay raise. Do you all have any suggestions about whom he should contact? Should he talk with his boss about the situation?

I believe that his boss wants to get all that she can get from him and not pay him any more money. If he is so bad, why does she keep him around?  -- Anonymous

Question: I have been employed in good standing with a great corporation for more than eight years.

Working in the administrative field has been my specialty for years, and I've worked my way into the position that I hold now: Receptionist/Clerk.

I have grown this position over four years to be much more than a receptionist; I'm more like an Administrative Assistant/Office Manager.

I strive for challenge, change and continuous learning. Over the past few years, I have applied for internal transfers and promotions, applying for nine different position in the past two years alone.

Each position was filled with another candidate. Why?

When I get the calls to let me know that I did not receive the jobs, the responses were along the lines of:  "You interview well. We like your personality. You were one of the top candidates. Your skill set was very desirable, but we did not think you would be a fit for the position."

Can someone give me some feedback to let me know what you think?  -- Anonymous

Question: "I have two daughters in college and am looking for ways to use my skills at home to earn some extra income. I have gathered information from the Internet on  virtual  assistants. It looks like a possibility for me, but was wondering if anyone is a virtual assistant and if they would give me some advice (pros, cons, pay, reputable organizations to join, etc.). Thank you."  -- Connie

Question: "When I returned to work after the recent holidays, I learned that a junior admin in our office had had her title upgraded to equal mine. When I asked my boss about this, she said that it was to keep job titles similar to those of our sister companies.

"I've worked here much longer than this person has and I have more important responsibilities. I don't know how her salary compares to mine ... and I don't want to know. But I do feel that I earned my title and she didn't.

"What should I do about this?"  -- Frustrated in Alabama

Question: It's review/bonus time at my company. I'm the AA to the HR/OM (and everyone else). That's the least of my issues.

I automatically took on the marketing assistant position and have been doing that work since the beginning of May. I do it only because it needs to be done, not because I'm learning anything that has anything to do with my job.

I feel that, because I've automatically taken on this role (with zero compensation), no one is worried about hiring someone for the job.  How do I get the raise and bonus I deserve?  -- Frustrated LD

Question: I recently applied for a new position within my company.  I have worked in my current position for a very long time, and without going into a long story, I have never had a "real" interview.  Our company does panel (3-5 people) interviews now for all positions.

Can any of you help me out with what kind of questions are being asked at interviews?  Most of the resources I find seem to be geared toward technical positions.  -- Anonymous

Question: How does a supervisor report staff mistakes without sounding like a whistle blower?

I am an HR and admin support staff member. I am burning out and demotivated!

I supervise the work and check reports of two staff. I have to constantly check and have the reports redone.  If it’s urgent enough, I redo them myself.  I am so tired of this. But if I ever bring it up to my manager that it’s getting increasingly difficult for me to get them to be productive without personally spending time on them, her comments and action on that feedback shows that she either thinks I am undermining them or that I am being overly critical.  I am neither one and, to prove my point and not to seem like I have a personal agenda, I decided to forward the reports directly to my manager for her to get a realistic idea of these staff and weigh their feasibility.  I wanted her to see that the time and effort I was spending on these employees was taking away my time and the quality of my work.

Overall, she is a very friendly and helpful person, and I suspect that her handling of the situation is due to the different cultures we come from. But I do need to understand how to approach and resolve this.

When I started, I was also a fresher to this field. But I got some brief training and I grew into the job without much trouble or supervision. One of these staff has already been here more than 6 months and the other around 5.  I think that is more than a fair period for their training.  I went all out to give them more of a long leash to get the hang of things without blowing my top, although I got very frustrated often.  I even covered a few mistakes for them so they wouldn't lose nerve. I allowed them freedom to try their own hands in a few tasks, instead of insisting on following the existing procedures, AND have been encouraging and appreciative of even the smallest accomplishment.

In the first few weeks/month of their appointment, during a discussion when my manager was wavering on her decision to keep them, I was the one urging her to give them a little more time to get thorough!  Looks to me like I am playing by every rule in the book but I am getting a raw deal!

Earlier, I handled all their jobs single-handedly and welcomed them and went all out to get them going, thinking they would be a help.  But it has turned out to be much, much more stressful this way.

With other staff, I come across several employee issues/suggestions, which I consider my duty to report to the management for solutions and improvements.  These are genuine employee concerns that I refer to.  Since I am very approachable, people who wouldn't normally complain find it easy to confide in me.  I am able to feel the pulse, so to speak, and can make a whole lot of things better … IF my manager would take me seriously.  Right now, she cross-checks my feedback, which is fair enough.  The problem is that she communicates with certain staff who are very good at misconstruing the facts.  She believes them, since they are both senior to me and are smooth talkers, and my point is weakened.

Should I just clam up and keep with me all that I see and hear?  Am I overplaying my role?   I am so committed to making a difference that being quiet about things like this is not easy!  -- Anonymous

Question: I work as an exec. assistant in a medium-sized business.  Given my computer knowledge, I was assigned the responsibility of helping to maintain our company's ever-expanding Web site, which details our company's history, current events, newsletter, etc.  We began this project 3 years into my employment with the company and at that time, hired an outside consultant who runs her own Web site-development company here in town to help me.

She and I grew close, and I considered her a co-worker in all aspects of the word, even though she worked in a consultant role for my bosses and wasn't technically an onsite employee.  We e-mailed back and forth every so often every week for several years, and the site grew to be the best it had been in a long time.  Her areas of expertise lay in the artistic-design area of Web site design, and any technical issues were passed on to her Web site admin host, who was usually very quick to resolve any issues at all.  I usually don't cross ANY line between work and personal life, but in many ways, I felt like we knew one another as co-workers more than my OWN co-workers.  I invited her to my wedding; she came and gave me a lovely gift and we were able to chat that day and say hello.

With the sudden onslaught of spam on the Net about a year to two years ago, her Web site admin had technical issues of his own and we suddenly started experiencing an onslaught of spam e-mails.  Things got really, really bad for a period of time during which we experienced lost e-mail and problems with being able to retrieve and send e-mail.  Each time, I worked with this woman and she told me the same thing: It's a technical issue; it's out of their hands. This is an overall problem affecting everyone online these days. There's nothing they can do about this right now. Keep deleting it.

My bosses finally got fed up and, because of this very issue, "fired" her by literally telling her that we would not be renewing her contract.  I can't say I blame them from a business standpoint: It was really wreaking a lot of havoc, AND there are such things as spam blocker programs out now that work!!.  My bosses didn't tell her specifically WHY they were doing this, just THAT they were doing it, and kept me out of the loop.

The problem is this:  I have been too embarrassed to keep in touch.  I don't want to bring up what happened and I know it is probably a sore point because we were, at that point, her most long-term client.  It isn't anything personal against her that we had to end this business relationship, but I feel the loss of our contact.

Unbeknownst to my co-workers, my boss and this woman, I am currently considering a lateral job move to another company for personal and health reasons.  I need all the local references I can get, and I would love to use her as a reference but don't want to open up a nasty can of worms.   

Do I just keep quiet and not contact this person and chalk this up to "This is why you don't develop friendships with co-workers outside of business hours"?  Or do I shoot myself in the foot by not using this valuable contact?

Any suggestions?  What would you do?

Thanks.  -- Confused N.Y. State Admin

Question: Recently, the president of our company asked me to buy self-help and instructional CDs, along with several iPods, the purpose being to download materials from the CDs to the iPods and distribute them with our marketing materials to trainees who pay for training at our for-profit institute. I explained to my direct supervisor, who is the COO, that this may constitute copyright infringement, and therefore, could be an illegal activity.  She relayed this to the president of our company, who did not seemed concerned and, in essence, ordered me to copy these materials.  My question: If I do not copy the materials, am I being insubordinate?  -- Anonymous

Question: I have been immensely enriched with the advice to my previous queries. Now, I have another.

I work in coordination with a two-member team and supervise their performance and productivity. I am very driven and committed in keeping my deadlines and completing projects, so I sometimes initiate the reports and tasks they are supposed to do, so that it gets done and things run smoothly.

While that mission is accomplished, when it’s time for the reports to be presented, the credit goes to the wrong people for having got it done, and they look so efficient and with it, while I know for a fact—based on various other incidents—that they would not have done them otherwise.

I would not like to see things come to a standstill or get messy because these aspects are ignored, so I get them going, but I would like the management to know it is my initiative that got it going, not anyone else's. If someone reminded likewise, I would surely bring it up at some point and mention their name so they get the credit, but that never happens here. What do you suggest?  -- Anonymous

Question: My friend was sent on an interview by a placement agency.

She felt uneasy about the position after the interview because they told her that she would have to work overtime frequently. She, unexpectedly, was offered the position although she let the company know that she needed a set schedule.

When the agency called my friend, she told them that she was concerned about the overtime that she was told would be expected of her. She told the agency that, to make an informed decision, she wanted to speak to the interviewer again to get clarification. She was told that she could not contact the employer directly.

The agent told her that she had spoken w/other people whom she had placed with the company, and none had worked overtime in the past few months. The agent also told her that if she was concerned about not being able to pick up her kids up from daycare on time, most daycares are open until 6 p.m., so a little bit of overtime shouldn't affect her.

Is it me or does this sound suspect? I realize that these placement agencies are salespeople and will make the position sound as great as possible to get their fee.

My friend doesn't want to take a position and end up having to leave soon after. Should she go against what the placement agent said and contact the company directly, or just refuse the job and risk not being sent on another interview again? The agent was very upset about her apprehension.  -- Vita, Pittsburgh

Question: I recently applied for a position as executive assistant.  I was not selected for the position and one of the reasons was that I did not provide any examples of my work.  The person I interviewed with suggested that I create a portfolio with various samples of my work using different software programs.

Has anyone ever create such a portfolio? How would I get started?  -- Karyn,  Buffalo, N.Y.

Question: I have a co-worker who is considering applying for an admin job working for someone who she used to support as her secretary. My friend stopped working for this boss because the boss never stood by her, was demanding and expected her to stay long hours. I don't think it's a good idea to go back to the old boss.

The old boss told my friend (in front of the boss's new assistant) that she never got over my friend quitting on her, even though it's been 4 years.

While my friend worked for her, the boss did things such as hide my friend's coat so she couldn't leave the office and would stay late. But the boss is also a good leader. My friend said she really encouraged her to do her best and take classes. She also would do great things like take her out to lunch and give her gifts for her hard work.

What do you all think? Do you think it's a good idea to go back to a boss you didn't like working for?  -- Anonymous

Question: I have been offered a job at a new company that is willing to match the pay I make now for similar work. My boyfriend told me that this is a good time to negotiate for more money. For example, asking for $1.00/hour more to start, but skipping the first review for a raise.

I feel a little guilty and greedy thinking of asking for more pay. But, as I think about it more, I know I perform a great deal of duties and I'm a good worker.