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...
Deborah Smith, a former night manager of the SkyWater Restaurant at the Hilton Minneapolis, has filed a lawsuit alleging she was fired for walking in on an orgy...
At your small company, the buck stops with you. So how can you handle an angry employee's complaint and resolve his or her problem without adding more stress to your...
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...
There’s no substitute for boots on the ground when it comes to protecting employees from supervisors with hidden discriminatory agendas. If you ignore the warning...
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...
Q. I work in the HR area at my company and just learned that an employee who is experiencing some personal problems is now having performance problems at work. I also...
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...
“The whole world is a door of liberation, but people are unwilling to enter it,” wrote an ancient Chinese Buddhist philosopher. He was on to something.
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...
Jack Burghardt, an administrative support assistant in the Denver Clerk and Recorder’s Office, said he meant no offense when he asked two Hispanic co-workers how...
Do you have safeguards to protect confidentiality while you conduct internal investigations of sexual harassment and other employee complaints? If not, you should. If an...
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,...
