WORKER WILL GET HERSELF FIRED.

Byline: KEN LLOYD On the Job

Q I have been an administrative assistant at this company for many years, and until recently I shared an office with another assistant who moved away. Her replacement is a very difficult person who talks on the phone all the time and is rude to everyone here, including customers. I have spoken to her manager, but she refuses to do anything about her. What should I do now? F.P.

A When sharing an office with an administrative assistant who does not do much administering or assisting, you have already played one important card by going to her manager. The fact that her manager refuses to even look into the situation indicates that her managerial skills are in the skimpy range.

At the same time, there are still a couple of cards that you may want to play. If you have a solid working relationship with your own manager, you should consider discussing the situation with him or her. Your manager may be better able to prevail on your nasty associate's manager. Another option is for you to have a businesslike conversation with the new administrative assistant yourself. The likelihood of her changing her ways as a result of anything you might say is slim, but it may be worth a try if she can spare a few moments between personal calls.

If she is truly as difficult as you described, it should just be a matter of time before complaints from customers and other employees start to roll in. When this occurs, either her manager is going to have to take action to deal with her, or senior management may have to take action to deal with both of them.

Q I've been with this company for almost a year, and now that summer is approaching I want to take my vacation. When I joined, I did not think that much about the amount of vacation time, but now I'm very annoyed that it's only one week. It seems too short. What do you think? M.R.

A When you ask people how they enjoyed their monthlong vacation, their typical response is that it was too short. Either way, the time to focus on your company's vacation benefit is not when your vacation is around the corner, but when you are first considering the employment offer.

The fact is that one week's vacation after one year is slightly below average for most companies. If there is a trend, it is that larger companies tend to grant more days of paid vacation than smaller companies, but even this is not always the case.

At the same time, perhaps your company has other paid time off benefits that compensate for this vacation package, such as through the number of paid holidays or paid personal leave. Depending upon what's available, perhaps you can batch some of your other paid time off with the vacation benefit.

If the number of paid vacation days in your company is considerably lower than that provided by similar companies in your industry and area, you should discuss this with your manager or the human resources representative if there is one. In this labor market, employers will take all sorts of steps to prevent their employees from packing their bags permanently.

Q I quit my job due to a co-worker's interference with my work. This person was messing with my remittance reports when I was at lunch, among other devious tactics. I spoke to my employer several times, but my employer did not believe me! How do I answer the question, ``Why did you leave your last job,'' without sounding like I can't get along with people? S.A.

A At one point or another, everyone has worked with an impossible co- worker, and this applies to job interviewers as well. If you simply tell the truth about what happened here, there is no reason for any professional interviewer to conclude that you are a troublemaker.

Job interviewers typically look for trends and themes in your work history. If you left several jobs because of difficulties with fellow employees, then one might start to wonder about your interpersonal skills.

In your paperwork and job interview, be sure to mention several examples of ways that you worked easily and productively with others. In other words, do not simply say that you get along well. Rather, describe the situations where you worked effectively with others, such as through your team projects, friendships you made, your formal or informal leadership responsibilities, and the like.

When it comes to reference checks, you should try to have names of more than one person who can be contacted from your old job. There are obviously two sides to your situation, and a potential employer should hear both.