What Would Bing Do?

Dear Stanley,

A co-worker reeks of cat box and some days are worse than others. A kindlier soul than I has spoken to her gently but she’s dismissed suggestions and admonitions. At times, the smell is so intense I become nauseous. Others noted her odiferous presence with less kindness, directly to the management, but nothing’s been done. Although she’s a competent worker, she apparently can’t smell herself. What can be done?

Signed,

Nosed Off

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Dear Stanley,

A new job just opened up in my department and I’ve been given the task of interviewing candidates for the position. The issue is this: there’s a woman who used to work here. She left maybe five years ago to open her own operation, and it didn’t do very well. Now she’s looking for a job, any job, and she won’t leave me alone. She has e-mailed me about the post maybe six or seven times already. I answered each time, telling her that it’s a long process and I would keep her in mind when I recommend people to my bosses. That’s not enough for her. She insists on coming in and having an interview. So I told her okay, I would let her know. She then wrote several letters to various people, going around me, which annoyed me. Then she had the wife of a board member call the president! He said it was up to me, but please treat her with respect and so forth. There’s one thing I know: I don’t want to recommend this person. It’s been years since she’s been in the swim. She was never a top player to begin with. And her behavior right now makes me feel like she’s a nightmare. But I’m afraid that dealing with her during the process and afterwards, when she doesn’t get the job, is going to be horrendous. Is there anything I can do to ease her pain … and mine?

Signed,

Too Annoyed for Empathy

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Dear Stanley,

My company has been going through a lot of turmoil lately, and it became necessary for me to toss one of my colleagues overboard in order to save my own skin. Some questionable decisions were made, and I was sort of in the know on most of them, but I had to deny that knowledge later and make it look like he was totally responsible. Now he’s mad, and he’s talking to the newspapers and promising to stir up a hornets nest both in the press and at our annual shareholders’ meeting, which is coming up. Is there anything I can do?

Ken

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