At Work by Lindsey Novak

Q: I am a self-employed accountant with a busy practice; I work seven days a week during the tax season and four to five days a week during the rest of the year. I have one assistant, whom I have trained to schedule appointments and help me, and she has been with me for two years. She is a reliable, solid worker, but this year something has gone on in her personal life, and she has stopped taking care of herself. She seems to have stopped bathing, washing her clothes, and even brushing her teeth. I don't want to fire her, but we deal with the public, so I can't have her presenting herself and representing me this way. How do I get her to correct this without firing her or offending her, which may make her quit?

A: An employee who is competent and reliable can be hard to find, so I understand your not wanting to fire her or humiliate her into quitting. People who abandon personal hygiene have serious emotional issues that interfere with their ability to care for themselves. Because she is still able to get out of bed and go to work, she has not hit bottom yet. Talk to her after business hours, when you are not rushing to meet your next appointment. Be direct about what you are witnessing in her behavior. People who are depressed often think they are successful in hiding it, especially when they are not missing work. Personal hygiene is often also the first thing to go when a person experiences depression. If she denies anything is wrong, be sensitive but firm, explaining that you know something is wrong and that you want to help. Keep asking her what you can do for her, including offering to connect her to a social worker or counselor. Getting her to face her lack of hygiene as a symptom of something greater will show her that she must deal with it. Because you've known her for two years and you don't want her to quit, offer to go home with her and help her.

Owner Returns To Run the Company; Top Employee Runs Scared

Q: I have owned a company for 20 years that was always profitable. I was somewhat absent in running it. I hired people I trusted and gave them a lot of freedom. In the past few years, the company became unprofitable, which forced me to get involved. Once I did, I saw all the waste that was going on. I have reduced my staff significantly and hired some new employees, keeping only one of my previous workers. She managed things for me and was always my best employee. Now she has become the most difficult employee. She resents me for taking charge and fights me on everything I want to do. I asked her to write a job description on what she does and to teach other employees so we are not lost if she takes a vacation. I told her I need to be able to run the company on days she is not available. She has been angry and negative about things, but I am not in a position to let her go. What can I do?

A: It's natural for her to feel insecure and be upset about losing her power. She clearly is worried about being the last of the old regime to be fired, so of course she doesn't want to train others in what she does. Don't ask her alone to write her job description; ask all your employees to do so. Tell her that your absentee-ownership days are over and that you need to know what everyone does. She won't feel singled out and threatened when you make your requests companywide. Cross-training is another story. Because she is a management-level employee, you and your other managers are the only ones who need to know what she does.

Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com. She answers all e-mails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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