Fight clutter with an ‘action corner’
Question: “I have a new boss and she is so disorganized. She has piles and piles of papers and complains that she can never find anything. How do I get her to organize her desk?”
Triumph in failure
Think like an inventor by looking for opportunity in failure. British inventor James Dyson says that in trying to develop a fine blade of high-speed air for another product, his team accidentally came up with new hand-dryer technology. “We saw, in that moment of failure, an idea that had huge advantages in another field,” he says.
Struggling with ‘ghost work’? 3 tips
Halloween may be over, but “ghost work”—the work left behind after colleagues are laid off—still haunts the employees who remain. According to a recent survey by the International Association of Administrative Professionals, admins are hit particularly hard by the spectre. Here are three tips to help you gain control of "ghost work":
When a supervisor’s flirtation goes too far
Question: My supervisor, “Jake,” is infatuated with me. He vies for my attention and pouts when I insist on keeping our relationship strictly professional. He has even hinted to his buddies that we’re having an affair, which is totally untrue. Before his behavior became obsessive, I used to be friendly with both Jake and his wife. I keep telling him that I’m not interested, but he still continues this sad, pathetic fantasy. Short of filing charges, how can I put a stop to this? — Not Interested
Layoffs: If one goes, will they all go?
Question: “A friend who works for a local law firm has been asked to lay off some people. One employee has threatened that if she walks others will go to. How should my friend handle the situation?” –Tori
Any templates for creating work-order forms?
Question: “I need to create work-order forms for various tasks (project details, requesting copies, deadline requirements) for many different employees. Can anyone provide examples of forms/templates that I can use?” – Ruthann
Business etiquette: Sending thank-you notes after the interview
Question: “I know that applicants should send a thank-you note after a job interview, so I normally fax a letter within one or two days. However, I have some questions about the process. When I’m interviewed by several people, should I include all the names on one letter or send an individual note to each person? If I send separate letters, can they all have the same wording or should each one be different? Finally, if interviewers fail to give me a business card, what do I do if I’m not sure how to spell their names?” — Puzzled
Am I being pushed out of this job?
Question: “I feel that a new administrator doesn’t think I am right for my current position even though I’ve been in it many years. I’ve never had a bad review until he came. He micromanages everything I do and is never happy with the results. I hate to leave the company and give up the current benefits and start over. Age is a factor as I am near retirement age. How should I handle this?” — Sandi
Can’t everyone just get along?
Question: “There have been some tense moments in the office recently because of rude and loud outbursts among three employees. Any advice on how to lighten things up and bring the office back together? — Tori
Ratting on co-workers who falsify time sheets
Question: “Two people in our office are falsifying their time sheets. As a result, they get paid for lots of overtime when they actually don’t even work their regular hours. Our boss is in a different location, so she doesn’t know what happens here. When we gently tried to inform her about this problem, she said we were being petty. The rest of us are honest employees who show up for work, do our jobs and make up any time we miss. Our co-workers’ dishonesty hurts morale and causes a lot of resentment. What should we do?” — Honest & Angry