Job description feedback

  • July 15, 2005

Question: I would like to get feedback about a job description. The job is for a secretary at a real estate office. The job has been open for several months. A...

Items to be surplused

  • July 01, 2005

Question: Our problem is that, when various offices have items that need to be surplused, many times, they end up in the basement entry-level alcove right in front of...

Copier jams

  • June 10, 2005

Question: Does anyone have an effective, politically correct method of getting people to clear their own copier jams? Not a day goes by that I don't find someone...

Chaplain’s program

  • June 03, 2005

Question: I work for a company that is owned by a very religious person. He has decided to start a "chaplain's program," which consists of a minister coming into the...

Prevent the damage from employee defections

  • June 01, 2005

Issue: How to stop employees from disclosing confidential data, or jumping to a competitor and stealing your employees. Benefit: You can stop defectors from raiding...

401(k) rollovers: not always automatic

  • May 30, 2005

Q: My daughter is switching jobs in a few weeks. She's accumulated about $20,000 in her 401(k) plan. Does her employer have to automatically roll the money into a Roth...

Getting the boss to communicate his schedule

  • April 01, 2005

Question: I'm an executive assistant to the president & CEO who, in his 23 years of business, never really had an assistant before. He's mentioned once or twice that...

Potluck Rebellion

  • February 25, 2005

Question: I work in an office where traditionally worker birthdays have been celebrated with a potluck lunch. My position is responsible for organizing the...

Creating a new position

  • February 25, 2005

Question: I recently completed my graduate degree in business and have been working as an executive assistant at my current company for almost 4 years. I have been...

Manager’s preferences form

  • February 25, 2005

Question: I am changing roles and will be supporting new managers. I am looking for a form to keep track of manager preferences (travel, meals, how to handle meeting...

Calculating late charges in Excel

  • January 07, 2005

Question: “We have several rental properties, and I track payments, late charges, customer information, etc., on an Excel spreadsheet. Included on the...

Give employees advance notice of pay changes

  • June 01, 2004

Issue: Should you provide notice about commission-formula changes that could alter employees' pay? Risk: If you rework pay formulas behind employees' backs, you could...

Easy ways to personalize form letters

  • May 01, 2004

Standardized replies save you time but can cost you good will. Create templates and common paragraphs that you can pop into an e-mail or letter, then easily...

How average are your Schedule C write-offs?

  • April 19, 2004

You never want your tax return to stick out like a sore thumb at the IRS. That's why it's good to know whether your deductions fall within the national averages.

Make the most of ‘quality moments’

  • April 01, 2004

Time management consultant Alan Lakein says there’s more to handling time well than just being efficient.You also need to be alert for “quality...