From the category archives:

Answers and Advice

How important is it to set social boundaries with employees?

by Lynn Dessert

Question: I visited your website and have a question for you. Is it appropriate for a married male doctor who is the employer of a much younger, single female doctor, to engage in non-work related athletic activities with her and have cell phone/text contact on weekends, nights, etc.?
My husband is a partner in a successful practice, and they hired a [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Lacking a Degree May Not be the Problem

by Lynn Dessert

“How does someone overcome on paper (her resume) the fact that she does not have a college education?” is a question posed by a reader.
Overcome. It seems like an ominous word.
“One of my biggest regrets is that I never went to college. I graduated in 1976 and got married immediately (big mistake)! I am a [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Don’t Let Pride Get in the Way

by Lynn Dessert

Is pride getting in the way or is prejudice an issue for either the organization or candidate? This is a question recently posed by a reader of Elephants at Work.
The Situation
John was a contractor working on a major project with a company. Within the year, he is required to leave the organization due to company policy [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Moving from Pawn to Player with the Boss

by Lynn Dessert

Question: I am a Vice President of Sales & Marketing in a niche market with growth potential. I joined the company a little over a year ago. The CEO joined the company about three months ago.
Earlier this year, the organization decided to impose a 20% wage reduction by going to a four-day workweek instead of [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Boss Blocks Promotion? Now what..

by Lynn Dessert

Question: I recently was up for a promotion to another department. I was told by Human Resources that someone else was selected for the position.
A couple of days later, I overheard someone in our department saying that I was not allowed to take the other position because my boss blocked my promotion. I thought I [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Elephants in the Workplace WHAM 1180 Radio Clips

by Lynn Dessert

Elephants at Work made its debut on Eyes on the Future with Mike Whittemore on WHAM 1180 AM on Saturday, September 12th. The expert panel consisted of:
Lynn Dessert, Leadership Breakthrough, Inc.
Beth Sears, Workplace Communication, Inc.
If you did not have an opportunity to catch us live, the show was broadcast in a number of segments.
In the [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Live Radio Show: Talk about your Elephant at Work

by Lynn Dessert

Get advice on the elephant you don’t know what to do about this Saturday, September 12th on WHAM 1180 AM. Elephants in the Workplace will be the topic on Eyes on the Future from 10-11:00am.
Eyes on Future – SEPTEMBER 12 Show Promo
Lynn Dessert, Leadership Breakthrough, Inc. and Beth Sears, Workplace Communications, Inc. comprise the [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Evaluating a Job Change to Advance Pay

by Lynn Dessert

Question: I work in a large high tech company where several of us have the same job description, but we don’t do the same work. My boss gives me all the difficult assignments and the others receive the more routine work.
When I received my increase this year, I got a 3% raise, while the [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Sick Employee: Work or Stay Home?

by Lynn Dessert

Question: I work in a small office and I share a cube space with another person. They are constantly sick and coming in to work even though they should be staying at home. I know there have been times I have gotten a cold and flu from them. What I can do about it? She [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Boss’s Relationship May Cloud Judgement

by Lynn Dessert
question mark

Question: Recently, I went to the big boss about a problem in our group. I felt that someone was being treated unfairly by someone else.
We have a lot of rules to follow in our organization. A new person, Jim, joins our team and he is given the rules to read. A couple of days later, [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Boss’s Lack Of Feedback Hurts In Many Ways

by Lynn Dessert

Today's boss has many challenges with their employees, especially given the current shaky economic environment. Let's face it ,they are scared and the employees are on pins and needles. I spoke with Karen yesterday who works in retail. Her company trimmed back the easy fat earlier this year, eliminating all overtime. This affected her paycheck, [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Difficult Discussion: Body Odor At Work

by Lynn Dessert
question mark

Question: There is a co-worker that just smells. I wonder when the last time they have taken a bath the body odor is so bad. I have told my boss about I do not like to work near her, but he has not done anything about it. We work on some projects together and if [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Your Wimpy Boss Is Avoiding Conflict

by Lynn Dessert
question mark

Question: I am really upset with my boss. I recently asked him to help me solve a problem I was having with another employee. I now have the person more mad at me. I am not sure what he said to them, but I am getting tired of getting dirty looks from her. She also [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries