We're looking to create an incentive plan for all rank-and-file employees who bring in leads that help us land new business. (That's already part of our sales force's job, so they would be excluded.) What kind of incentives work best? I'm assuming cash is popular—so how much? How should we track our incentive program?—Bill M., Las Vegas

As our company’s only HR staff person, I’m in an awkward situation. My immediate supervisor reprimanded me for the way I handled a recent change in our working hours. Employees were confused, so I sent e-mails to various managers seeking the correct information. That exposed some serious disagreements between the managers and executives about the new hours. My boss said I should not have been so public about it, and then wrote me up for this alleged “infraction.” I think I handled it correctly and want the reprimand removed from my file. What should I do? I’m afraid the company president will take my supervisor’s side.—No name, no location (because I need this job)

Two of our employees—a married couple—for years have requested extra unpaid time off for vacations. The husband works for me, the wife works for the company owner. We recently notified all employees that we would no longer grant any additional time off. I’ve made it clear to the husband that he won’t get any additional time off. The owner, on the other hand, sees no problem with giving both of them unpaid leave this year, even while other employees have to live with the new rule. How should I handle this?—J.L., Wisc.

What can I do about an employee who doesn’t sit upright in his chair in an ergonomically correct position? I don’t mean ordinary slouching; this guy practically lies down in his chair! When I catch him doing it, he straightens up, but then he goes right back to his original position. I have offered to provide any type of equipment that might help, but he doesn’t want anything. His main responsibilities involve talking on the phone and entering data. As the person in charge of workplace safety, I’m trying to prevent any injury claims. Can he be reprimanded or forced to comply? Any suggestions?—Tammy, CA

What would be the nicest and easiest way of telling an employee that we do not want to hire her daughter. We have used her daughter for several temp jobs in the past. She was OK, but we never would have hired her for a full-time job. This employee acts like it's our responsibility to keep her daughter employed every time a position becomes available in our admin department.—Tina, Tennessee

I have a manager who isn’t breaking any policies, but bends the rules regarding his own work schedule. Our managers are required to work 38 hours a week, but do have the flexibility to set their own schedules. This particular manager works his 38 hours, but does so in a four-day workweek instead of a five-day workweek. I’m getting concerning phones calls from his staff. I’m also worried that this sends a mixed message to employees and other managers. Please advise.—Yvonne, Fla.

We have an office cubicle workplace. Some of our employees like to listen to music during the day. Naturally, not everyone likes everyone else’s taste in music. I don’t want to referee these silly fights. I want a policy that says “If you are listening to music, use headphones.” Does anyone have a policy I can copy?—Laura, Boston

Like everyone else, we’ve been battered by the recession. We’ve started to turn things around, but our employees are pretty beat up by a tough business environment and a couple of layoffs we’ve had to do. Morale is poor. The general feeling is that we’re paddling like mad just to stay in the same place. Any ideas for inexpensive but meaningful ways to show staff that we appreciate their hard work and sacrifice during hard times?—Steve T., North Carolina

Our company has a MySpace page, to which all employees were invited to join. Soon after, one of our employees posted on his own MySpace page a derogatory comment about a co-worker. Naturally, that comment showed up on our MySpace page, and now the co-worker wants us to do something about it. But what? I'm at a loss about how or whether we can do anything. Suggestions?--Anonymous

One of our employees has come to me with a request that makes me nervous. She wants to invite co-workers to attend Bible study sessions on our company’s premises. The gatherings would take place before working hours in a staff picnic area on our grounds. We don’t have any kind of policy addressing this. Are there any legal or other issues I should consider before I decide what to do?—SJM, Fla.

We may have to terminate an employee who has been with us for more than 10 years and has worked with people throughout the organization. When he goes, people are going to notice. Due to the nature of the situation, I don't want to issue a detailed explanation to the rest of the staff. Can I just go with "_ _ _ _ is no longer with the company," or will that just whip the rumor mill into overdrive? Are there any realistic alternatives?—Noreen, S.F.

Now that warm weather has arrived, it seems abundantly clear that some of our employees are, shall we say, hygienically challenged. Any suggestions on what to say or how to handle an employee who has body odor?—Darlene, Pennsylvania

One of our employees would like us to designate a room as a playroom for kids. Employees could bring in their kids in case of some emergency—say, on a day that the babysitter doesn't show up. It sounds good in theory, but I'm concerned about insurance, bothering other employees and, especially, parent productivity. Any suggestions for making this work? — Gary, AZ

As the weather turns, many of our employees want to leave early on Fridays. I am wondering, does anyone have a seasonal flexible schedule plan that they use and would recommend? Can you share what your policy says?—Erika, MA

We have an African-American employee who has repeatedly complained that supervisors and co-workers single her out for poor treatment because of her race. This has ranged from the very serious (that she received a poor review because she is black) to the trivial (that someone told a joke about Barack Obama to upset her).

On every occasion, HR has investigated her complaints. We’ve never found any evidence of discrimination or harassment, which infuriates her even more. Eventually, she calms down, but five or six months later she’s back with another complaint. She’s otherwise a good employee. Any ideas on how to handle her?—Jeanne

We're a fairly buttoned-down company. Now that the weather is finally warming up, several employees have been agitating for a less formal summer dress code. I think our biggest obstacle will be some of the senior executives. Can anyone suggest dress code policy language that will reassure them staff won't look like they just wandered in from doing yard work?—James, PA

We have an employee who lies all the time about work he has or has not completed. His boss and co-workers have had enough, and they came to me in HR for a solution. How should I approach this problem? I’m afraid if I confront him on it, he’ll just lie to me.—Denise

One of our employees has called in sick every other Tuesday for the past three months. She gets her work done and has plenty of sick leave, so I’m not worried she’s abusing our leave policy. But I am worried something is going on that HR should know about. Would I be out of line to ask her about her absences?—C.S., California

Our company is struggling to survive. One of our employees has demanded an increase in the bonus that we have traditionally paid in the past. We don’t know we will be able to afford bonuses this year, and we have spoken to him about the situation. Now he insists on bringing in a third person to negotiate on his behalf. He asked to see the company's financials, which the president agreed to show him this week. He says his negotiator—who, it turns out, is his girlfriend—“has coached many executives and companies in our exact situation.” He refuses to understand that the money is not there. He has a two-year contract that will expire in November 2009. How should we handle this situation?—MA

Like everyone else I suppose, we're kind of stressed about our business. We've had to cut hours, and of course, everyone worries that we'll have to lay off some people. Naturally, the rumor mill is operating overtime and there's lots of grumbling. What can we do to get back to the generally positive and cheerful workplace we used to be?—Ann, NorCal

An employee asked for bereavement leave when his cousin died. I turned it down and made him take vacation time instead. I felt bad about doing so, but I believe our policy, which vaguely refers to "family members," means immediate family—spouses, children, brothers, sisters and parents. The employee is pretty ticked off about this. What do your policies say? Should we amend our policy?—Denise in SC

The recession is taking its toll on worker morale. But some organizations seem to weather tough times just fine, with purpose, good humor and great results. Does that sound like your company? If so, please tell us what you do to keep employees motivated and engaged in their work. Do you use formal programs? Special recognition events? Or just good, old-fashioned management?—John, HR Specialist

We're looking for simple ways to boost morale as we weather the recession. I'd like to start an "employee of the month" recognition program. Who should choose the employee: co-workers or management? Does anyone have tips on making this program successful?--Steph, Cincy

We have a lot of employees asking to take a couple hours off next Tuesday (or the whole day) to watch Barack Obama’s inauguration on TV. We're thinking about setting up a big-screen and buying lunch. Is anybody else doing anything special for this day?—Pat, NoVa

As we've downsized, several of our employees are working across different departments. As they've now got more than one boss, I'm wondering what's the best way to handle their performance reviews. Should one manager take the lead, or is there a realistic way for all to have equal input?—Joe D, New Jersey