Manners 911:

QUESTION: "Our supervisor is so disrespectful. She talks down to everyone - from the janitor to the account reps. I have even seen employees cry. Our best rep quit refusing to take the pressure. I am next if this doesn't change. What can we do about this?"

ANSWER: Respectful interactions are pivotal for employment success. If your supervisor is setting a poor example you should address it with her with positive dialogue such as, "Ms. Jones, I love to work here - the girls are great and we have a great team. However, some times I get very frustrated because I feel you do not respect my (or our) efforts. Is there something we can do together make this better?"

QUESTION: "Last week at a local fast food restaurant, a class of 10 year olds came in at lunch time. The children pushed in line, were talking on their cell phones and were loud and unruly. As a parent I felt enraged. Should I have intervened?"

ANSWER: The person responsible to intervene is the store manager. Also, why were children there unsupervised? The school must be accountable for their children even during lunchtime. I would also make a report to the school.

QUESTION: "I belong to a pretigious gym in Atlanta. The same people are yapping on their cell phones day after day even when they are on the treadmill. These conversations are loud, personal and lengthy, and I want to go to the gym to get away from it all. What can I do?"

ANSWER: First, politely ask the people to stop, if that fails go to the manager of the gym. Hopefully, they will institute a no cell phone rule while working out. Ask them to post it. Then they can follow through with their procedures.

QUESTION: "I was recently in LA on business, endured a long day of meetings and went to bed exhausted. I was awakened at 3:00AM by a loud blaring TV next door, I called the front desk, but it prevailed. I then complained to the hotel manager which solved nothing. I was furious and lost a night's sleep. What else should I have done?"

ANSWER: The quickest fix might have been to knock on the door next door and tell the neighbor the TV was disturbing you. At least you would have given him/her the opportunity to remedy the situation and you might have saved a night's sleep. The next step would be to call the night manager and solicit help and if the situation isn't resolved, to ask for financial compensation at checkout.

QUESTION: "My thirteen year old came home from a sleepover and showed me her pictures. One of the photos were of her friends in their bras and panties. I was so upset, wondering if she had shared them with other friends. Should I take her phone away?"

ANSWER: The first step is to educate your child about the dangers of circulating any type of lewd or lascivious images on the internet. When a child is given a cell phone or computer they must be educated and given parameters for use and consequences for abuse.