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

It’s back-to-school time, which means a lot of parents in our plant are going to need time off for various school-related activities. Trouble is, we’re in a relatively small community and most of our kids go to the same schools. That means everyone needs time off at the same time. Any suggestions on how to handle this so we can keep our plant running smoothly and be good parents?—A.G., Alabama

Should we give out employee information (wage data, demographic information, etc.) to anyone who calls to request it? I suspect we need a policy for handling these situations, but (short of calling a lawyer) I don't know how to figure out what it should say. Do any of you have rules on how to handle such calls?—Pam J.

I would like to do a survey of our employees to find out what they think of our benefits and how HR could be more valuable to them. I have a couple questions.

1. What’s the best way to get lots of people to complete the survey? I’m leaning toward an online survey, but I’ve never done one before. Do they work? Which online survey tools have you used?
2. Should I conduct separate surveys of line employees and managers/execs? It seems like the perspectives would be pretty different.
3. What kinds of questions should I ask? I’m thinking about asking them to rate different benefits on a 1 – 5 scale from “not valued” to “highly valued.” Any advice on how to do that best?

-- David B., Conn.

I handle our company’s payroll and suspect that we are misclassifying some workers—in terms of both exempt/nonexempt status and employee/independent contractor status. I told the owner about my concerns, but he has chosen to do nothing. Am I personally liable for this as the payroll administrator? Do I have an obligation to do more than alert the owner?—Sherry

We have a generous paid time off (PTO) policy: There’s no use-it-or-lose-it provision and there’s no limit on how much time off employees can accrue. However, four of our employees continually use up their PTO, often working only nine days out of 10 in a pay period. It’s all within the “letter of the law,” but other employees have started to grumble that these guys aren’t pulling their weight—and we have been very busy lately. Do you have any suggestions about how to break these employees of their “entitlement” attitude? They’re otherwise great employees.—Barbara

Almost all our staff is exempt, and almost everyone is great about making sure the work gets done no matter how many hours it takes. We have an informal tradition of granting comp time when people have been really busting it to finish a big project. Most our employees are happy with taking a three-day weekend here or cutting out early there. However, two employees have recently taken a very rigid attitude. If they are in on weekends or working late, they want those hours comped on a one-to-one basis. That's obviously not going to happen, so they've been grumbling and crabbing about it. Everyone is sick of the whining. What can I tell them to make them understand their expectations are out of line?—Joshua, Md.

We’re finally hiring again, which means our department of three is handling the HR needs of a company with 700 employees. There used to be more of us, but guess what—two HR jobs were eliminated in 2008. I’m trying to make the case that we need to hire at least one more HR professional, as we’re expecting to add at least 25 other positions this year. What’s the best ratio of HR staff to employees?—Jeannette, Mass.

We don't say anywhere that employees can't have tattoos, but our president (we're a bank) wants to implement a policy. Is it OK to put in our dress code that all tattoos must be covered up? Should we even be addressing the subject?—Joni, Utah

“I’m considering a career change into HR, but know very little about the field. How can I learn more? Where can I find training opportunities? What steps should I take?”—Dawn, California

I need some help with an awkward situation at work. One of our managers travels often, so he leaves one of his direct reports in charge of his department during his absences. This person is consistently rude to everyone else when the boss is away. I've received complaints here in HR. How should I address this? With the manager, or with the employee?—S.S., California

HR pros wear lots of hats: coordinator of hiring and firing, benefits administrator, arbitrator of personal disputes, enforcer of company policies and — sometimes — counselor/confidant/shoulder to cry on. What's the toughest part of your job? Why? Is that different than you thought it would be when you entered the profession? — The HR Specialist Editors

I need some good employee-appreciation ideas—that don’t cost a lot of money. My company has about 500 employees working in different departments. I just started in HR about six months ago, and they don’t even recognize birthdays! I’d like to start an employee appreciation program. Some examples would help me sell the idea to top management. Can you share what you do in your company?—Rhonda, Miss.

Inappropriate attire … tardiness … poor work habits ... sexually offensive behavior … personal hygiene. HR professionals are routinely forced to discuss those uncomfortable topics with employees. What's the most awkward conversation you've ever had to have with an employee? How did you approach the discussion? How did it turn out?—The HR Specialist Forum Editors

With warmer weather approaching, I'm gearing up for the usual complaints about what's appropriate to wear to work. I'd like to come up with a policy that spells out a summer dress code. We want employees to be comfortable, but we also want to maintain a professional look among our staff. Can anyone share dress code language I can use?—Christy, Tulsa

I’m the HR director of a small manufacturer, supervising an HR specialist and an administrative assistant. We have recently reduced our workforce from about 300 employees down to 200. Now the CEO is arguing that since our staff has shrunk, we don’t need the HR specialist anymore. I think it’s unreasonable to expect me and my admin to take care of all the HR needs of a 200-person organization. I need ammunition to make my case. How many HR professionals should there be for every 100 employees?—Jackie, MD

I was promoted about four months ago. I recently got into a disagreement with one of the owners. It's water under the bridge now, but I have noticed she takes a very aggressive, demeaning and not-so-happy tone with me now. Since the disagreement, I get anxiety attacks when she’s around. I've found myself avoiding her because of this, but contact between us is inevitable. What should I do?—Erika, Florida

Sure, we’re all going to quit our bad habits, eat less, exercise more and become all-around better people this year. But what are we going to do professionally that will make our organizations more successful and our careers more satisfying? What are your HR resolutions for 2010?—John Wilcox, HR Specialist

We’re trying to get a handle on our staffing for next year. I thought it would be a good idea to ask employees to note their planned vacation days on a calendar in our common work area. Is there a better way to do this? Is there any downside to posting this information?—Kathryn, Colorado

We’re updating our employee handbook and we would like to include a policy limiting employees’ use of the phones for personal business. We want to allow occasional calls—for kid-related emergencies and so forth—but I don’t know how to word that in a policy. Can anyone share a phone use policy that might work?—Tara, N.Y.

In my view, the term "other duties as assigned" means duties not in the position description, but within the usual framework of the position, such as type of job, one's regular department and so forth. My boss insists that the term defines all duties, either within the individual's department or outside, basically anything anywhere in the company. Who is correct?—Randi, California

I have a question about how to handle software training for our staff. We’re going to be upgrading all the PCs around the office over the next few months, and I’m worried that we’ll have a productivity slump. In particular with Windows 7 coming out, I have concerns that the new operating system and software will have a steep learning curve. We experienced that in spades with Windows Vista, and I don’t want a repeat. We have 18 employees who will be affected. Should we hire a trainer to come in? Send staff for off-site training? Rely on the software documentation and online support? I’d appreciate any advice.—Steve, NE

We're considering starting a "leave donation" program in which employees could contribute accrued sick, vacation and personal leave to co-workers whose ongoing health problems drain their own leave banks. It sounds like a great idea, but I want to make sure we do it right. For those of you who have such programs, what issues should I consider as I draft the policy? Have you experienced any unintended consequences?—Bill, Colorado

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.