FEATURES
6A
Troubled by ofice slacker
Dear Annie: I run a small real
estate development irm with only
three employees. I research and
bring in the deals. My partner man-
ages the day-to-day operations, and
we have one general administra-
tive assistant. At the same time, we
work with and have relationships
with everyone involved, includ-
ing general contractors, architects,
designers, Realtors and subcontrac-
tors. At any given time, there are a
lot of balls in the air, and attention to
detail is critical, which brings me to
my issue.
One of our biggest investors has
a nephew, and because he wants his
nephew to get some experience, he
asked whether his nephew could
work as an intern for us. I talked to
the kid, and he seemed nice enough,
so we hired him for the summer.
Since then, he’s been a bit of a
disaster.
The kid comes in late and leaves
early. He is sloppy with his work,
horrible on the phones and border-
line illiterate through email. He’s the
winning combination of entitled and
incompetent.
I don’t want to upset the investor,
but we’re a small, scrappy irm and
this degenerate is sticking out like a
sore thumb and creating more work
than he is producing. I don’t want
Dear Annie
By
Annie
Lane
Creators
Syndicate
Inc.
to bite the hand that feeds me, but
I need to run my business. — Rock
and Hard Place
Dear Rock: You’re wise to be
cautious. When it comes to fam-
ily, objectivity tends to go out the
window. If you complained to your
investor, he might become defen-
sive, even if his nephew has the
work ethic of a trustafarian sloth.
That said, he did want the boy to
get work experience; surely, he can
appreciate that constructive feed-
back is part of that.
So offer the intern some speciic
pointers. His emails are terrible?
Share examples he can model his
after. He’s bad on the phone? Spend
a few minutes each day role-play-
ing calls. If he doesn’t improve, give
him tasks that aren’t customer-fac-
ing, such as scanning documents.
In the meantime, work on a dip-
lomatic response to have ready the
next time an investor tries to get a
relative a job at the irm so you’re
not between a rock and a hard place
again.
Dear Annie: I work at a boutique
consulting company with incredi-
bly smart people who have different
knowledge bases. The staff is truly
diverse, ranging in age from 22 to
72, and everyone gets along, for the
most part.
We have a company dress code
that says something like “no open-
toed shoes, no jeans except on Fri-
days, collared shirts must be worn,”
etc. It’s essentially business casual
from 1997.
I’ve noticed a change recently,
especially from the younger people.
They have no regard for the dress
code.
Don’t get me wrong. They all
look very put-together and extremely
fashionable. — Not Anna Wintour
Dear Not Anna: A dress code
is part of company culture, but
sometimes the culture evolves and
the rulebook becomes outdated.
Talk to management and ask for
clariication. Maybe management
will decide to revise the policy to
allow more casual attire. Regard-
less, try worrying less about other
people’s jeans.
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016
Tomorrow’s horoscope
By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). You keep
saying that you could do better if you were
given the right circumstances. Well, you’ll
give yourself those circumstances through
saying “yes” and saying “no” to things today.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You are not
bored by other people, though you might
be bored by the same people (possibly the
person you live inside) in the same circum-
stance you’ve seen again and again. You’ll
most certainly do something about this.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The project be-
fore you is exciting. Don’t let your excitement
cause you to rush. Leave a good amount of
space between the different stages of work.
It will help you to refine and improve as you
go.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). Good news.
Though you’ll be very out of your element
for a period of this day, there is no need to
study or watch another person in order to
know what to do. The right answers come to
you by nature.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The idea that was
strange and wonderful will now show a dif-
ferent side. The idea that was strange and
horrible will seem to have its merits. These
are merely signals that your mind is open.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). No one is ever
alone in a feeling. However complex it may
seem, someone else in the world has gone
through or is going through something very
close to your emotion, but you have reach
out to know the truth of this.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The blue skies
make you feel like you should run into them,
arms open, confident and alone. The storms
make you feel that you should huddle up
and cling to another person. Both are just
FRANK AND ERNEST
BLONDIE
THATABABY
SALLY FORTH
PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN
B.C.
LOLA
DILBERT
SIX CHIX
BIZARRO
MUTTS
NON SEQUITUR
BABY BLUES
WIZARD OF ID
ZITS
ROSE IS ROSE
weather and mood.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You gra-
ciously acknowledge the favors you’re given,
but you don’t use them all, as it would in-
cur too much debt. Note: The favors from on
high are generally lower priced than those
from down low.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Some-
times you think you sound like a broken re-
cord, as the circumstances of your life seem
to run you, and the “you” they seem to run
has the same message, recurring. Flip it.
Play the other side.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You don’t
always like to admit it, but there’s comfort in
a routine. By the way, you could really use
some comfort right now. Instead of moving
to the next excitement, consider setting a
nice groove.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Will you
deliver what you said you would? Proba-
bly. And when the potential recipient is per-
sistent, definitely. Furthermore, whatever is
open to interpretation, you’ll interpret it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Your content-
ment will rely on valuing the help you give.
Don’t promise more. Even if you only help a
person one time, being present in a moment
of need will have a profound impact.
TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 26). What
you want isn’t always the best thing to get.
You’ll get better in August: It may be exactly
what you don’t want, and yet it will prove to
be the very best thing to happen. Septem-
ber brings a love breakthrough. You’ll meld
with another and learn how to communicate
on a level that makes 2017 smooth and fun.
Cancer and Gemini adore you. Your lucky
numbers are: 3, 29, 11, 22 and 18.