Question: "I don’t know how to handle an abusive boss. I work for the president and vice president of a small company. The President and I can discuss anything, but the VP is confrontational and rude.  He verbally abuses me when no one is around and becomes especially angry when deadlines are tight. I’ve been in abusive relationships in my personal life, so I don’t intend to condone this behavior.  However, I’m not sure exactly what to do." — Not a Doormat

Question: "How do you handle a co-worker who constantly uses foul language in a professional office?  I’ve hinted to her that I don’t like it, but that did no good. I talked with her boss and the human resources manager, but they seem to view me as a tattletale. Do I just have to learn to live with the four-letter words?" — Offended

Every year, you probably receive (or help write) your performance evaluation. But have you evaluated your job lately? Workplace coach Joan Lloyd suggests asking yourself these questions annually:

Question: "A manager who works for me won’t take breaks, lunch hours or vacations. Although I tell her to take time off, she never does, so I sometimes pay her a bonus for the extra hours.I keep asking her to delegate, but she refuses to let go. She volunteers for new projects, but she doesn’t finish them. Even though I’ve hired people to help her, I still find that important work isn’t completed. She constantly interrupts employees because she loves to socialize.I don't want to let her go because she is a very nice person, and training a replacement would take a long time.  Please help!" — Desperate

After seeing the movie ‘Erin Brockovich,” you think, “I supervise someone like her.”  Here’s how to manage flashy free-spirits:

Question: "How do you deal with someone who uses her looks to climb the corporate ladder? This person came into our company with no skills, but she is extremely attractive. She keeps getting promoted to the next level and is never in a job long enough to learn anything. How do the rest of us handle this?" — Just Average

Question: "My new boss wants me to hire someone from his former company whom he highly recommends. When I interviewed the guy, I thought he was reasonably good but not outstanding. I don’t think he’s the best choice, but I’m not sure how to say this to my boss." — Feeling Trapped

Question: "I supervise a group of women who are simply supposed to sit and enter data. No matter what I do, several of them talk nonstop, which disturbs some of their co-workers. How do you get grown women to just work quietly?"  Frustrated Supervisor

Question: “I work with a co-worker who is in a high-anxiety crisis mode every day. All conversations are about her personal problems. Even though I’m not the manager, people often come to me to complain about her. They seem to expect me to do something. How do we keep this woman from driving us crazy?” — Not Her Therapist

Question: “Is it possible to get ahead without working 60-plus hours every week and constantly sucking up to executives? This seems to be the norm at my company, and it’s very frustrating.”  —Unhappy Gen-X'er

Question: “What do you do about a co-worker who never completes anything on time? I’m an administrative assistant, and one person who reports to my boss is always late with his paperwork.  His expense accounts are now three months overdue. Our manager is very unhappy about this, but I don’t think she has said anything to him. I constantly remind him about deadlines, but he usually ignores me. I’m ready to stop helping him and let him hang himself. What should I do?” — Tired of Nagging

Question: “I have applied for many jobs, but no one calls me for an interview. I have 10 years’ experience and my résumé has been professionally written, but I’m not getting any bites. What am I to do?” —Feeling Hopeless

Question: "For eight years, I received 'outstanding' performance reviews. Two months ago, I got a new boss who doesn't seem to like me. When she did my annual evaluation, I got low ratings with no suggestions for improvement. Now I have no idea what to do. Before I had this boss, I really enjoyed this job." — Not Appreciated

Question: "I work in a very small office with my boss, his wife and two administrative assistants.  As the office manager, I supervise the assistants, but they always take their questions or concerns to the boss’s wife. Recently, when one of them complained about a task that I gave her, the boss’s wife told me to do the task instead. So how can I be considered their supervisor?” — Ignored

Question: “My boss is sarcastic and likes to yell.  When I confronted him about his behavior, he blew up, threw his arms around and got red in the face. I said that I had to get back to work and walked out of his office. Now, he barely speaks to me. I’m tired of all this drama. What should I do?” — Sick of Fighting

Question: “I recently started a new job and can see many ways to improve things. However, 'Beth,' my main co-worker, refuses to consider any of my ideas. She has been working here for 15 years, and she gets very defensive if I suggest ways that she could do her work more efficiently. How can I get her to listen to me?” — Frustrated

People who fail come from all walks of life. A handful of people, regardless of education, intelligence, manners, appearance or other obvious factors, rise steadily through the ranks and stay on top through fat and lean times. They are the types who, either consciously or instinctively, know the art of political survival.
 

When you don't address negativity in the workplace, it proliferates. Try these five steps to contain the mood.

Question: “I am the CEO of a small community bank. We have a dress code that has not been updated for several years. Many of our female employees have asked if we could relax the dress code requirement that hose must be worn with pants or long skirts. I don't want to be needlessly old-fashioned or out-of-step with the rest of the world, but I’m not sure if this is appropriate. How should we go about reviewing our dress code policy?”  —Not a Fashionista

Question: “I’m a new manager, and one of my employees has a lot more experience than I do. I feel that I should be working for him. He says that he didn’t want the management job, but he seems to resent my having it. This is becoming very uncomfortable for me. How should I handle it?” — New Supervisor

Question: “I quit my last job because the company owner had a complete personality change. He became downright mean and began engaging in unethical financial practices. My new job is interesting but has very low pay and no benefits. I'm afraid I may have made the wrong choice. Now I’m not sure what to do.” — Confused about Career

Question: “Recently, my team moved from a quiet part of the building to a very noisy location. This has made it hard to concentrate and lowered my productivity. Managers’ offices and employee cubes are only about 10 feet apart. When managers and employees want to talk, they just yell back and forth.  One manager is constantly on the speakerphone with his door open. To top it off, I sit next to a drama queen who deals with one personal crisis after another on the phone.  It’s like working in the middle of "The Jerry Springer Show." I’ve talked with my manager, but so far he’s been no help. How do I get these loud people to shut up?!” — Ready to Scream

Question: “One of my co-workers is a bitter, miserable, snide person. “Judy” hates her life, her job and everyone around her. She does no substantive work and treats everyone with disdain and disrespect. So why is Judy still working here? Because no matter what she does, the owner of our company protects her. When other employees complain, he accuses them of failing to get along with her.  He has even threatened to fire people. I'm certain there is no "hanky-panky" going on between them, so his tolerance of Judy’s attitude is completely baffling. What can I do about this?” — Fed Up

Question: “My job offers many learning experiences and a wide variety of interesting projects.  However, my pay does not reflect many of the tasks I have taken on. After my manager said she couldn’t give me a raise, I decided to approach her boss. I gave him a list of all my duties and explained why the additional work should justify more pay. He said that no one else has received extra compensation for these responsibilities and that more pay was not an option. I replied that no one else does as much work as I do.  However, that seemed to be the end of the conversation. Can you suggest other ways to ask for higher pay?  My job is great, but I feel that I deserve more.” — Underpaid

Question: “Tom, a long-term employee, recently transferred into my unit. He has a reputation of being "difficult," and now I know why. On good days, he’s productive, upbeat and pleasant. But on bad days, he’s critical, rude and hostile.  Unfortunately, the bad days outnumber the good days. As his manager, I’ve tried to be calm and supportive, but he’s exhausting me! What can I do?” -- Dr. Jekyll’s Boss