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Dealing with Employees/Questions Answered by Expert Kirstine Johnson
| Subject | Date Asked |
| my boss is a jerk | 6/25/2010 |
| Q: My name is Luke. I would just like to know what to do. I'm boss likes to make fun of me and ... A: I am really sorry this is happening to you. Honestly, if you can afford to, I would quit your job ... | |
| drinking at work | 4/22/2010 |
| Q: I recently have seen one of my co-workers buying beer at a store near where we work. Technically we ... A: The fact that you are in company vehicles and that you suspect he is drinking and driving leads me ... | |
| Disruptive Employee | 4/21/2010 |
| Q: I manage a support staff of 13 analysts whose job mainly consists of troubleshooting complex ... A: You have definitely done the right thing by counseling him, providing him with a mentor and getting ... | |
| Employee disrespect | 3/1/2010 |
| Q: I am a manager that has numerous certificates, but I do not hold a B.A. equal to a couple of the ... A: It wouldn't be grounds for Insubordination but you are right, it is disrespectful. The way I would ... | |
| Employee caught going through my desk and e-mail | 12/15/2009 |
| Q: I have a new employee. Very quick, learned the job very easily and performs well. However, this ... A: I agree, it sounds like there is no reason that your employee should be going through your desk, ... | |
| How to deal with my secretary | 12/10/2009 |
| Q: How can I deal deal with my secretary , who is is totally adopting the old system of her ex director ... A: This is a difficult one and I am sure frustrating for you. What I would suggest and what I have ... | |
| hr keeping info confidential | 10/17/2009 |
| Q: I had some questions & concerns, hopefully you are able to help me. I left a company I had been ... A: I apologize, I was on vacation and had put that I was unavailable but for some reason it wasn't ... | |
| work privacy violations | 6/28/2009 |
| Q: our hr program has been installed on several front office pc's. all of our person info is there: ... A: I am very sorry to hear this and I agree, personal information should only be looked at by ... | |
| Key Employee - started a side business | 6/26/2009 |
| Q: I am the owner of a small service company. We have 21 employees. My top employee, who manages 15 ... A: I apologize, I didn't see this in my inbox and so I didn't get to read until this morning! ... | |
| Difficult employee | 6/20/2009 |
| Q: I have an assistant who I have been trying to mentor to the best of my ability. She has been with ... A: What a frustrating situation for you! And it sounds like you have been doing a good job of ... | |
| my boss shares confidential information about coworkers | 3/12/2009 |
| Q: A few months ago my boss told me some VERY confidential information about a coworker's personal ... A: I have been trying to think of other avenues you could take to be proactive but am so surprised that ... | |
| Negative info made public | 3/3/2009 |
| Q: My current supervisor is slated to do my review. Director (her) to Manager (me). On her Outlook ... A: This is really unfortunate and I do think unprofessional of your direct supervisor. How did you ... | |
| New Hire drinking on the job | 2/26/2009 |
| Q: I have a new hire who is in his fourth day of training. Every day up until now he has been fully ... A: Wow, this is not a great way for this employee to start a new job!! Is he aware of the zero ... | |
| Confidentiality/Privacy Violation | 2/17/2009 |
| Q: Two weeks ago I transitioned to a new position in my company designed to give me better visability ... A: I sincerely apologize. For some reason your question didn't get into my email inbox so I am just ... | |
| my boss shares confidential information about coworkers | 1/20/2009 |
| Q: A few months ago my boss told me some VERY confidential information about a coworker's personal ... A: This is so unfortunate when this type of behavior happens... confidentiality means just that! Do ... | |
| termination rights | 12/9/2008 |
| Q: I was terminated from a job on 12/04/08, and have personal equipment (tools, etc. that I need for ... A: I am very sorry that this happened to you. I am afraid that this really is outside of my expertise ... | |
| Recent promotion | 12/8/2008 |
| Q: This is going to be a long one... I started working for a casino about 8 months ago as a bartender, ... A: Congratulations on your promotion! And you are in somewhat of a challenging situation but this ... | |
| Employers Rights to Privacy | 11/3/2008 |
| Q: Kristin, I forwarded you the following question and you responded that you did not understand the ... A: I guess what clarification I needed is what is your position with the company. And you state in the ... | |
| New young supervisor | 9/29/2008 |
| Q: I recently accepted a supervisor position, and it is my first chance to prove I can handle this job. ... A: And I see that this is a dilemna for you. I am wondering, why were the two other supervisors fired? ... | |
| Invasion of privacy at work | 8/27/2008 |
| Q: My company has just released everyones phone numbers in the office and I was wondering if the ... A: This is an excellent question. Unless your company has indicated that they were going to release ... | |
| Invasion of Privacy? | 8/5/2008 |
| Q: I know for a fact that my previous employer keeps the email accounts for terminated employees active ... A: My apologies, I just got back from vacation and am trying to play catch up! This is a great ... | |
| Trouble with ex-employee | 6/19/2008 |
| Q: I run a cleaning business that has been in existance for almost 20 years. Last month an employee was ... A: I am sorry to hear that this is happening to you. Unfortunately, I think a legal expert would be of ... | |
| Can this help avoid future litigation | 3/18/2008 |
| Q: Our office is based in California. We have never kept track of employee breaks and lunches are only ... A: I am assuming you are referring to non-exempt employees as you don't have to track exempt employees' ... | |
| Tardiness | 3/13/2008 |
| Q: I have one employee that I supervise that has been chronically late, she has been given verbal & ... A: You are in a tough spot! BUT, as manager of the department, you are charged to run the department ... | |
| Invasion of privacy | 3/10/2008 |
| Q: I work for a large retirement community. At yesterday's well-attended board meeting, an employee ... A: I believe that board member is right. I looked into this further and don't see that there are any ... | |
| Invasion of privacy | 3/5/2008 |
| Q: I work for a large retirement community. At yesterday's well-attended board meeting, an employee ... A: Sorry for the delay ... I just got your question! This would seem like a privacy violation and I can ... | |
| manager | 2/13/2008 |
| Q: My father owns a Construction co. and he and I have continually discussed the idea of me coming to ... A: I think you have already gained a significant amount of respect for working at your father's company ... | |
| A problem subordinate | 1/4/2008 |
| Q: I supervise a team of five directors, all of whom have several subordinates they supervise. I joined ... A: I have been in a similar situation and bottom line, this director is not respecting you as their ... | |
| Weak manager, unruly employees! | 12/18/2007 |
| Q: I wonder if you can help me with a problem that has been developing over some months. I lead a ... A: Honestly, I think you have answered your own question but believe me, I have been in a similar ... | |
| difficult employee | 12/16/2007 |
| Q: I have been working @the same Insurance company for 14 years, I started @19 years old, so I'm ... A: This is a frustrating situation. But remember, you ARE the supervisor so despite the fact that you ... | |
| newly promoted | 9/22/2007 |
| Q: I have just been promoted to Assitant Branch Manager of a bank. I work along two other Personal ... A: Congratulations to you on your promotion! I am wondering if you directly manage these two other ... | |
| New Team | 9/12/2007 |
| Q: I am going to be taking over an established team of about 17 staff... where i have previously been ... A: Congratulations to you for the "promotion" to manage 17 staff members ! That is quite a group and ... | |
| question | 8/30/2007 |
| Q: I will briefly and simply try to explain for you my story, and I hope that you will be able to ... A: It sounds like you are more than qualified to gain a position at Company B. I am not sure what ... | |
| Hard worker, but horrible attitude | 8/19/2007 |
| Q: I am newly appointed as a manager in small department of a larger business. Although I come with ... A: This is a difficult issue because I know that finding an employee who is hard working, dependable ... | |
| URGENT boss sold me out | 8/2/2007 |
| Q: shortly after starting at a new company, I was put in charge of a project nearing completion and ... A: How many performance reviews did you do for that particular employee? And can you get a copy of ... | |
| Performance evaluations | 7/1/2007 |
| Q: Myself and four other managers are responsible for writing performance evaluations for a number of ... A: Giving performance feedback and writing performance reviews is a challenge for most managers and I ... | |
| Employee drinking before/during work? | 7/1/2007 |
| Q: I manage a team of 17 employees and recently, four or five of my employees have come to me and I ... A: It doesn't sound like your other employees dislike this particular individual whom they suspect ... | |
| Need to take some time off work-- nervous to ask | 6/28/2007 |
| Q: I am recently divorced and the past two years of my ex-husband and my separation, custody battle ... A: If your doctor advises you to take some time off work you should follow his advice. It sounds like ... | |
| problems with the boss?HELP | 6/27/2007 |
| Q: I have been working with the company for over a year and really enjoy my job as far as hours,the ... A: First and foremost, I am pleased to hear that you like your current job and that you have some ... | |
| Secretary takes too many personal phone calls | 6/22/2007 |
| Q: I really like my secretary and she does a good job but she spends an incredible amount of time on ... A: .. I think you should just have a conversation with your secretary and say that you have observed ... | |
| Employees who take frequent smoke breaks | 6/22/2007 |
| Q: Kirstine: I have been a manager for almost five years now and for some reason, I have only been ... A: This is a great question! I have encountered the same issue in my own career. I wonder, does your ... | |
| Managing a team of 18 employees! | 6/13/2007 |
| Q: I have recently been promoted to a manager of a department and initially, I had a staff of just ... A: Great question and it does sound like you have your work cut out for you! I think you should think ... | |
| Difficult employee- chronic tardiness | 5/31/2007 |
| Q: I have an employee who is repeatedly 5-10 minutes late for work. I have had two discussions with ... A: It is good that you have had those couple of conversations with your employee but it sounds like you ... | |
| Frustration with my manager/coworkers | 5/28/2007 |
| Q: I have worked in retail for about three years now and I have a new manager of my department who I ... A: I understand your frustration with both your manager and coworkers. Sounds like you are dedicated ... | |
Dealing with Employees
Answers by Expert:
Kirstine Johnson
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions regarding how to effectively mentor, coach or counsel employees and managers, when you should terminate an employee or put them on a performance plan, discuss performance management reviews and what should be included in those reviews, how to improve communication amongst managers and employees and share effective "teambuilding" ideas. I have 11 1/2 years experience as a Human Resources Manager and truly enjoy working with all levels of employees and helping to resolve conflict, help all levels of employees embrace change in an organization or position employees and managers for promotions or pay increases within their company.
Experience
I have 14 years of Human Resources Management experience in several different industries such as retail, financial services, insurance and legal. I have provided HR support for over 300 employees and also provided HR support to external clients with one of my previous law firms. I am an expert in the areas of hiring, recruiting, conflict resolution, change management, executive management and employee compensation, performance management evaluations and policy and procedure implementation. I have provided employee relations support to managers and employees, conducted complaint and compliance investigations, coached managers in employee conflict management and counseled employees toward problem resolution.
Organizations
Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)and the
Lake Washington Human Resources Association
Education/Credentials
Augustana College; B.A. in English and Journalism as well as several courses in Psychology.
Colorado State University; M.A. in Speech Communication.
Currently studying for the SPHR certification exam through SHRM
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