Dear Dr. Mimi: I am working with a person who can’t make a decision. She spends a lot of time thinking and thinking rather than deciding and acting. What she fails to realize is that her indecisiveness often prevents me from doing my job. I want to scream at her, “Make up your mind!” I know I can’t. She’s the boss’s daughter. [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi: I have worked in a small office for five years. Recently, we had a younger, and well, let’s be honest, prettier member join our team. She prances around and flirts with the boss. This past week, we presented a project to a client in which “younger and prettier” gave little input but somehow managed to get all [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi: Is the customer always right? We have a particular client who we just can’t seem to please. They are the only customers who constantly complain, and it is wearing on my employees. This is a large contract, and I would hate to lose it. However, I have had one employee quit over this client. What should I do? [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi, I know that all of this new technology is helping us do our jobs more efficiently, but I have such a hard time with all of the new technology that I actually do not think it is helping me work more efficiently. I feel like I spend most of my time trying [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi: I am shocked that my company has turnover, given this economy. We pay our younger employees well, and they still are leaving. Yes, we have high expectations, but not unreasonable ones. When we do exit interviews, we get standard answers like, “The new position is a better fit for me.” When I try [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi: I called a company today that I do business with and was greeted with, “Hi, Susan.” When I suggested to the customer service rep that she call me “Mrs. Smith,” she said that her directions were to call customers by their first name in order to build a feeling of informality and [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi, Lately, everyone in my office seems stressed out. How can I help my employees maintain a better balance between their workloads and personal lives? —Balancing Dear Balancing: Programs can be executed to give employees more flexibility and help them balance their lives. Before you start, be sure to get input from your employees to [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi, I am a recent college graduate and I have just begun my career at a fairly new local firm. I enjoy my working environment, but there is something that concerns me. I have noticed that since I’ve began working, others have joined and left the organization. This week a former employee has [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi, I am in charge of hiring our speaker/trainer for our next firm retreat. How do I begin to choose? Do you have any guidelines? —Perplexed Dear Perplexed, Start by thinking about what you want your people to know, feel and do as a result of the retreat. In other words, what is [...]
Dear Dr. Mimi, I love my job and am very grateful to have it, but I have a coworker who is driving me crazy. She wants us to go to lunch together daily. I prefer to bring my lunch. She is always stopping by my desk to ask me what I am doing. She complains [...]
