The art of giving good instructions

  • May 01, 2007

Giving instructions is an important management skill. And it is a skill—one you can learn and improve. Here are some guidelines from the pros.

How to handle a nosy and loud office mate

  • April 20, 2007

Question: I have an office mate who is very nosy. We have different positions. I have a lot of traffic flow with vendors and other employees who ask me for help or...

How to handle the office ‘drama queen’

  • April 02, 2007

Question: Last spring, the company hired an AA. She conducts her personal business loudly so it echoes down the hall, slams doors and comes to my desk in the front...

When the boss’s daughter bends the rules

  • April 01, 2007

"Treat her just like all the other employees," Mr. Bigg, the company CEO, told you when Sam came on board. "I don't want her getting special treatment because she's my...

Menu suggestions for board meetings

  • March 16, 2007

Question: It is my job to order the food for our board meetings. We’ve had several complaints about ordering the same types of food for each meeting. My...

Capitalizing titles

  • March 09, 2007

Question: For the second year in a row, I have composed a short e-mail invite to the managers and supervisors on staff. Another employee informed me that the words...

You don’t need I-9 forms for pre-1986 hires

  • March 02, 2007

Q. We have a few employees who started working for us more than 20 years ago, before the I-9 rules took effect. I don't have an I-9 on file for these folks. Should I?...

How to nail down a flaky boss

  • March 02, 2007

Q. Our CEO changes his mind constantly. After we agree on a project, he'll come back to me a day or two later with a different plan. How can I pin him down? —L.G.,...

No need to reverify expired driver’s license

  • March 02, 2007

Q. I was interested in your recent article discussing reverifying employees' I-9 documents when they expire. Does this mean that if a worker shows a driver's license as...

Volunteers can sue for job discrimination

  • March 02, 2007

You may believe that interns, volunteers or other unpaid helpers aren’t official “employees” so they can’t sue for discrimination. You’d be...