Q I am the owner of a small company and am dreading staging a Christmas party this year.

The reason for this is that last year's Christmas party was the catalyst for two members of staff to start an affair which ultimately led to one of them, a key member of staff, leaving. My inclination is to not bother at all this year as it is just not worth the hassle. Will my staff think I am a Scrooge?

A I can see why you have reservations, but the thing to bear in mind is that, even if you do not organise an event, your staff may take it upon themselves to stage their own party - with similar, or worse consequences. At least the presence of the boss usually helps to keep people under a certain amount of control. Failure to contribute financially or to encourage a bash will leave you looking like a grouch in this season of goodwill to all men. So why not organise a party with a difference where the emphasis is not on everyone getting drunk, which is so often the cause of problems. Take them ten-pin bowling and then for a meal, but avoid sitting in the pub for long periods. The bottom line, however, is that you cannot keep an eye on your staff all the time, and if two members of staff are determined to have an affair, it will happen - Christmas party or not.

Q I started a new job six months ago. It has been going really well and I have had really positive feedback so far from my manager. A month ago, however, I was asked to do a presentation to the whole department on a major project which my team and I have been working on. The presentation is in a month's time and I have been worrying about it night and day since I found out about it. The thing is, I have a major phobia of public speaking after I made a fool of myself when I was best man at a wedding five years ago. What should I do?

A You are not the first person in the world to have a fear of public speaking. Few people are particularly comfortable when asked to speak in front of a large audience, especially in a formal, work setting. Although personally, I have never had a real fear of standing up and speaking in front of a crowd, it is something that improves with experience. I have given presentations and motivational speeches to audiences of anything up to several thousand people at a time, and there are many simple techniques you can practice to overcome your fears and get on the road to becoming a competent speaker.

Preparation is key - by being well prepared and knowing your script by heart, you will feel much more comfortable when it comes to the big day. Deep breathing exercises will also help to relax you and ensure you feel in control. The thing to remember is that nobody is going to think any worse of you if things do not go to plan. They will doubtless have been in a similar position themselves at some point.

So try to get things in perspective - you are just having a chat to a few colleagues at work about a project. Your bosses would not have asked you to do it if they did not think you were up to the task, so go out there and give it your best shot - that is all anyone can ask.

Q Almost from day one of establishing my business, I have been in a constant battle against late payers. My business is financially sound at the present time, but this is a constant source of irritation to me and consumes my thoughts so much that it affects my productivity during the day. You have run many successful businesses, how did you overcome this situation?

A I know exactly how you are feeling. This has to be one of the most frustrating aspects of running any business. As you will no doubt have learned, laws introduced in the UK giving the statutory right to claim interest on late paid commercial debt have been ineffective for a number of reasons - reasons that I will not go into here. I personally have found that the key to tackling the problem is to appoint the best possible staff in your accounts department.

Their diligence is vital in keeping your cash flowing. As a general guide, however, there are a number of simple methods you can use to minimise the level of late payment you have to deal with. Always check a new company's creditworthiness before drawing up a contract and set strict credit limits. It is also important to prepare and agree with your customer unambiguous written contracts and/or terms and conditions of trading. A good way to get to the top of your customer's payment priority list, I used to find, was to initiate and maintain close contact with your customers, particularly with the person responsible for paying the account. The one thing you must never do is become complacent - and it sounds unlikely that you fall victim to such an error - any business person who does is unlikely to be successful for very long.

Q I had a recent complaint from a member of my staff saying that they were being bullied by their line manager. When I asked them to explain what form the bullying took, they were a little vague, but did mention things such as being talked over in meetings and humiliated in front of other members of staff. Can this really be called bullying or is it not just the normal way of things in any office. And if it is bullying, how do I handle the situation without making it worse?

A Bullying is a sensitive subject in the workplace, and one which has hit the headlines. The key point in the case you outline, however, is that this employee of yours clearly felt strongly enough about the way they were being treated to come to you in the first place, so you have a duty to take their complaint seriously. So how do you deal with it? One option is to act as a mediator.

Get both members of staff in the same room together and ask them to talk about what has been going on. The "bully" in question may not realise the effect their behaviour is having and might be really upset to think their actions have been perceived as they have. Alternatively, there might be a real case to answer, in which event options such as verbal or written warnings or, if things are really serious, a transfer or dismissal comes into the equation. Bullying is often the result of the culture of a workplace, so perhaps you need to look at how your business operates. Is there a blame culture? Is aggressive behaviour generally tolerated? Are people overloaded with too much work? If the answer to these questions is yes, the fact that you have a bully in the workplace is no real surprise.

Published: 02/11/2004