One of my colleagues seems unable to separate my duties from his own. "Henry" constantly interferes with my work and makes critical comments about the way I do my job. When I offer friendly explanations for my decisions, he dismisses them by saying "that's just your opinion". Henry and I work in different areas, but have overlapping responsibilities. Although his constant meddling is driving me crazy, I'm not sure how to address this or with whom. We report to the same manager, but I haven't discussed this issue with him. Any advice?

My manager often complains about the perfume I wear to work. I tried changing to another brand, but she still didn’t like it. She says perfume gives her a headache, so she’s moving me to a desk which is farther from her office. This seems unfair, but I'm not sure what to do about it. What’s your opinion?

With one exception, everything about my job is terrific. I work for an upscale hotel which is preparing me for a career in hospitality management. My boss is a great mentor, and most of my colleagues are upbeat and enthusiastic. However, one of them is a real mood-killer.

One of my coworkers is a total slacker. “Melanie” has been here long enough to know exactly what’s expected, but she avoids extra work by saying no one told her what to do. If Melanie dislikes certain tasks, she will complain to our supervisor that they are too complicated for her. Then those unpleasant duties are given to the rest of us.

Every month, I publish an internal newsletter which contains articles submitted by ten employees from different parts of the company. This information is always due on the first of the month, but two of my “reporters” never meet the deadline. Sending them reminders doesn’t help at all.

One of my coworkers recently married our boss. Now everyone wonders what information they may be sharing about the rest of us. We try to avoid talking to them, but that’s hard to do because we work in a small medical clinic.

I don’t know how to tell an employee that she won’t be receiving an expected promotion. “Greta” will willingly take on any task, but pays no attention to details. We've had many discussions about the errors she makes, yet her work still hasn’t improved.

My manager likes to discuss our performance reviews before he fills out the official evaluation form. During our conversation, his feedback was all very positive, with no negative comments. However, on my written review, I was shocked to find a below average rating for communication skills. Why would he praise me to my face, then criticize me on the form?

In my new supervisory position, I will be managing two people who may already resent me. "Grace" worked with my predecessor for twenty years and says they are best friends. "Becky" applied for the job, but was not selected. Fortunately, the third employee is a recent hire who seems perfectly happy. How can I get off to a good start with this group?

As the manager of a newly-formed team, I am concerned about my most senior team member. "Stephanie" also applied for the manager position, but I was chosen instead.  I have avoided meeting with her one-on-one because I don't believe I owe her an explanation for my promotion.  Now I'm afraid Stephanie may be trying to undermine my authority and turn the team against me.  How should I handle this?