Q I am an ambitious manager with hopes of becoming a director at the company where I work in the next two or three years. I like my job and the company I work for, but one thing is holding me back - one of the directors with whom I have regular dealings. I find him difficult to work with as he is pushy, arrogant and generally makes it clear he has little time for me. What do you recommend?

A You say you have hopes of becoming a director one day, but unless you can mend your rift with this colleague, any ambitions you have might fall by the wayside. You need to be really honest with yourself first of all, and ask if there is anything you are doing that might be contributing towards his behaviour. If you feel his behaviour is unwarranted, then maybe it is time to go to him and ask him quite openly if he has a problem with you and, if so, why. Listen to what he has to say and make it clear that you would rather work with him, as opposed to against him. It is amazing how some flattery and an open nature can completely disarm people in such situations and get them on your side. If his response is still hostile then maybe it is time you thought about fulfilling your ambitions elsewhere.

Q I have been the office supervisor at the company where I work for a couple of years. I have never had any real problems with staff in the past, but in the past few months, lateness has become a real issue, with two to three staff regularly being late to work by up to half-an-hour in the morning. What can I do about this?

A This is set to become an even greater problem unless you nip it in the bud now. For whatever reason, members of your team feel that it is okay to be late on a regular basis - it is your job to let them know that it is not. You need to talk to them individually, and if appropriate, remind them of the terms of their contract. Explain how you appreciate that, in certain extreme circumstances, lateness is unavoidable, but if they continue to be late on a regular basis, they will receive a written warning. This may sound harsh, but what you must keep in mind is that members of your team are taking liberties with you, and until you lay the law down in a firm but fair way, they will continue to do so.

Q I am becoming increasingly exasperated by the ongoing saga at Darlington Football Club and the inability to find a suitable investor to take the club forward. You are a well-known entrepreneur with strong links to the area and Darlington needs a football club. Why doesn't someone like you come forward and give this town the sporting focal point it needs?

A Invest in a football club? I would rather have a sex change. I do not want to bore you with an "I didn't get where I am today" sermon, but surely there is a simple rule that every entrepreneur must follow. Before you make a major investment, you calculate the future returns before taking the plunge. Let's face it, even the creation of this modern stadium has failed to prove that any more than a few thousand hardy souls are interested in coming out to support the local team. Without spending suicidal sums of money, that is never going to change. Does this town really need a football club? I am not so sure. What is certain is that Darlington needs more alternatives to entertain its citizens. For example, isn't it about time we had a multiplex cinema/bowling alley-type complex in the town? Such a scheme, if the opportunity arose, would interest an entrepreneur because people would use it in their droves and there would be a real potential return.

I am sorry, but I will leave the gamble on Darlington FC to someone else.

Q I was interested in a recent item on the news about more and more people being allowed to work from home in order to get a better work-life balance. I run a business where, in theory, a number of my staff could work from home. I would be willing to give it a try, but I am not sure whether I could trust them not to get distracted by the television, visits from friends and other things. What do you think?

A Many businesses are having great success with home working, reporting high productivity and motivation levels from home workers. This stands to reason if you think about it. For instance, when many employees arrive in the office, they are often already tired and frustrated having been sitting in traffic. They might spend the first half hour talking about last night's television before doing any work. Then there are the frequent coffee breaks, more office gossiping, the distractions of phone calls and all manner of other things to contend with. People working from home have none of this. Moreover, because they do not have the problems of travelling to work, they can easily be behind their desk for 8am and are unlikely to resent working an extra hour at the end of the day to get an urgent job done, as they know they will have saved that by avoiding sitting in two lots of traffic that day. The short answer, however, is why not allow them to work from home two or three days a week, and if this proves good for your business, take it from there.

Q I was staggered to read recently about the owner of a respected business blowing substantial amounts of company money, with fatal consequences for the company. A member of my staff has revealed that he bumped into our company accountant flashing fistfuls of cash at a lap-dancing club recently. Obviously this worries me greatly with regards to the financial stability of my business. How would you broach the subject with the man under suspicion?

A I think you are jumping the gun a bit here. People from all walks of life attend lap dancing clubs, and just because your accountant has been seen at one does not mean he has been using company funds. If you have strong suspicions, however, why not have a look through the books yourself before confronting your accountant. All companies should keep a close eye on the books and be careful who they entrust roles of responsibility to.

Published: 27/04/2004