QUESTION: What do you do when someone never completes anything on time? I'm an administrative assistant, and one person who reports to my boss is always late with paperwork. His expense accounts are now three months overdue. Our manager is very unhappy about this, but I don't think she has said anything to him. Because I'm extremely organized, I would gladly assist him if he would only ask. I constantly remind him about deadlines, but he usually ignores me. I'm about ready to stop helping and let him hang himself, but that is not my true nature. What should I do?ANSWER: Although this guy's chronic lateness is annoying, apparently his lack of punctuality is not interfering with your own work. You just feel that he should be more responsible. So let me suggest that this is his problem, not yours. And if he gets in trouble, it will be due to his own incompetence, not your failure to fix him.Your boss is paid to be his manager. If she is concerned about overdue work, then she needs to tell him and hold him accountable.

QUESTION: My boss has been very unfair. For two years in a row, he promised me a promotion to the next level, then didn't give it to me. Last year, I was out of work for a few months with a severe back injury. This year, although I had some notable accomplishments, I was out for another three months because of a car accident. My boss says he can't promote me because of the time I missed. Should I be penalized for an injury that was beyond my control even though my performance is very good?ANSWER: A perfect example of "where you stand depends on where you sit."From your point of view, your job performance is worthy of recognition, even though you missed a few months of work. From your company's point of view, however, you have worked only about 75 percent of the time, regardless of the reason.Which is the "fair" way to look at it? Well, that depends ... you, your co-workers, your manager and your human resources department may have different views on that. However, I can tell you that delaying a promotion is not unusual when the employee has been out on disability.Here's where your boss screwed up, though: he failed to explain the specific criteria that you had to meet. As a result, you have expected this promotion twice, only to be disappointed when it did not come through.Ask how soon your eligibility can be considered again. Some companies simply delay promotions for a few months if employees are out due to illness.Marie McIntyre is a workplace coach and the author of "Secrets to Winning at Office Politics." Send in questions and get free coaching tips at www.yourofficecoach.com.By KRTNews Service