Severe allergies may be considered disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), particularly since the definition of disability has been significantly...
With workplace budgets still tight, recession-weary employees need a morale booster now more than ever. It's time to use a little creativity to reward...
It’s a fact of life: Employees get into arguments at work. Obviously, you can’t let a situation get out of hand. But be careful how you discipline the...
Discipline and termination meetings are emotionally charged events that carry the potential for nasty words, hurt feelings and even legal troubles. As a manager, you...
At some point in their careers, most people end up in the position of being left to do the work after flaky colleagues drop the ball. Anita Bruzzese (www.45things.com),...
During a workplace investigation, there are a number of practical steps that you, as an HR investigator, can take to improve the reliability and objectivity of your...
As Administrative Professionals Week (April 19-25) approached, we couldn’t help but wonder what crazy things bosses have asked admins to do. So we asked readers of...
It can start as one employee simply venting frustration. Then another joins in. Eventually, morale and productivity take a hit from all the rumor, gossip and negative...
What’s a manager to do when faced with conflicting accounts of an argument between employees? An important part of that answer is to resolve the conflict quickly,...
Question: “I sit by a man who is a chain smoker — some days he goes out to smoke six or seven times. He is also a heavy coffee drinker. The combination of...
Q. We are investigating a sexual harassment complaint. One of the employees accused of wrongdoing refuses to be interviewed without his lawyer. I know the attorney has...
Some employees have chips on their shoulders—everything is always someone else’s fault, not theirs. They constantly pester supervisors and higher-ups with...
Q. One of our female employees says her ex-boyfriend is stalking her. She hasn’t been able to get a restraining order against him. We’re worried that he may...
Question: “I have moved back to my hometown and taken a position that I held 13 years ago. At the time, I was the only secretary/administrative assistant in the...
Disputes between employees are common and inevitable. But if left unresolved, they can disrupt your department’s productivity, sap morale and even cause some good...
Riddle me this: What's something everyone does and is impossible to stop? The answer: Gossip! Just because there is nothing you can do to completely eliminate it from...
Question: “Due to downsizing and others leaving the company, an immature
co-worker was promoted to a low-level managerial position. Despite her
new position, she...
Question: “How can I handle
other staff who treat administrative assistants as the low people on
the totem pole? Where
I work, admins get little or no respect...
Question: “The executive I support always asks for my opinions regarding changes
to office setup, administrative support staff duties, logistics for
meetings,...