Daneen Skube | Interpersonal Edge Q. My boss has ridiculous expectations about what I should do at work. I’m getting exhausted from him telling me to “fly” and me having to explain why I can’t. Is there any diplomatic way to get a boss to get real when it comes to expectations of employees?

Joyce Lain Kennedy | Workplace Q & A DEAR JOYCE: My dog, a well-behaved border collie, looks at me with soulful eyes each morning when I leave for work. What’s my best approach to get permission to bring her to my job, which is in a casual office of about 25 employees??” – H.B.

By Rex Huppke

Chicago Tribune

Have you heard about the highly contagious koala flu that turns people into horrifying, albeit adorable, zombie marsupials who subsist only on human thigh meat and eucalyptus leaves?

Joyce Lain Kennedy | Workplace Q & A   DEAR JOYCE: Please help me with job interview questions that tie me in knots: “Why have you been out of work so long? How many others were laid off? Why you?” – O.T.

Daneen Skube | Interpersonal Edge Q. Seems like every day I have 90 items on my to-do list and nothing gets done. Instead, my boss, coworkers and clients end up giving me 90 more tasks. I feel completely overwhelmed. Is there any trick to time management in the workplace?

A. Yes, there are actually two tricks; identify priorities and train people around you at work.

By Cindy Krischer Goodman McClatchy Newspapers SOME PEOPLE think it’s a good hedge to get a master’s of business administration during the economic slowdown. Adrian Burstein is one of them. For the past two years, Burstein spent an intense week each month attending classes to get his MBA and the rest of the month working on team projects.

Daneen Skube | Interpersonal Edge Q. I’m attempting to do career planning for 2012. However, every time I think I have a plan, something changes in my industry. How do you plan when you have no way of knowing what changes are going to occur in your organization and field?

Joyce Lain Kennedy | Workplace Q & A DEAR JOYCE: Last week a hiring manager asked for my business card and gave me a questioning look when I said I didn’t have one. The main reason I don’t have a card is because I’m not sure what to call myself since I have no job title. How about “Consultant?” – N.Z.

By Corilyn Shropshire Chicago Tribune CHICAGO In this rough and tumble economy, employers are quick to note that anything that sets a job seeker apart from the rest of the employment-seeking pack helps. That includes volunteering.

Joyce Lain Kennedy | Workplace Q&A DEAR JOYCE: How much bias exists about being overweight when you’re looking for a job? I bet it’s pervasive, and, if so, what can I do about it? Is there a legal recourse? – A.E.