Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Suggest weekly check-in meetings with the employee. Create goals and targets for the employee. Provide information on support programs for employees, if available. Pick your battles with the employee and try to let smaller issues go. Deescalate conflict with humor. Maintain professional boundaries when interacting with the employee.

Answer: Schedule the check-in meetings at the same time and on the same day so they become routine for you both. Ask the employee about improvements in their demeanor and behavior. Find out if they are feeling supported at the company and discuss any steps you can take to make them feel more supported. Sometimes, difficult employees are dealing with issues or problems outside of work that are affecting their performance. Having weekly check-in meetings with them can help you better understand where they are coming from and develop a more honest working relationship with them. Make the goals and targets with input from the employee. Set short-term goals and targets that are simple and immediate as well as long-term goals that may require more time and effort by the employee. Write them down and give them to the employee or have the employee email you their goals and targets. For example, you may create a short-term goal like “participate at least once in company meetings for 1 week” and long-term targets like “complete a major project for a client within 6 months.” Some companies offer counseling, mentorship, and training for difficult or struggling employees. Find out if there are support programs at the company or organization and recommend them to the employee. Give them details on how to access these programs and get involved so they know they have these options. Rather than get upset or annoyed by everything the employee says or does, choose your assertive moments carefully. Decide if a smaller issue is worth addressing with the employee, or if it may be better to just let it go. Picking your battles will help you stay calm and professional around the employee, and address an issue head on when you feel it is warranted. For example, if you notice the employee comes in a few minutes late for work, you may let this go. But if you notice the employee is late for a meeting with an important client, you may decide to address the issue. Keep the tone light and friendly when you interact with the employee. Try to reduce the stress and anxiety in a conflict using jokes or a humorous demeanor. This can disarm employees that are being difficult or are upset. For example, you may make a light comment to change the subject if the employee starts to focus on a negative point in a discussion. Or you may make a corny joke to reduce the stress in a meeting with the employee. Though you should try to be supportive of the employee, it is important that you do not cross any boundaries with them or allow them to do the same to you. Maintaining clear professional boundaries means not letting emotions cloud your judgement or your treatment of the employee. You should make it clear you are their employer, not their therapist or friend.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Hold the balloon in place to keep it from moving around. Apply pressure to the balloon if you don’t have a sharp object. Use your body to pop the balloon.

Answer: The balloon is going to move when you try to pop it, so you’ll need to either hold it with a free hand or secure it to a surface.  Try taping the tied-off end of the balloon to a surface using duct tape or another adhesive. Grip the balloon tightly to secure it yourself, holding the tied-off end for the easiest handle. There are several other ways to pop a balloon if you don’t have a pointy edge. Try using your feet, hands, or any other part of your body to put pressure on the balloon's sides. Press down on the balloon until it pops — this may take longer than it would to pop the balloon using a sharp object. Try jumping or stomping on the balloon, being careful not to trip or fall over it if it moves while popping. You can also squeeze the balloon to your chest or sit on the balloon, putting pressure on the sides until it pops.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Wait for the right temperature. Go at the right time. Look in places snakes are found in.

Answer: Snakes are cold blooded and will be more or less active depending on the temperature.  It's important that you plan your search for a day that has the ideal temperature for a snake hunt.  Keep some of these tips in mind when looking for snakes:  Snakes will take shelter during extremely hot temperatures. During cold months, snakes will hibernate in their dens. Most snakes will bask in the warm sun. Different snakes will be more or less active depending on the time of day.  Some snakes are active during the day while other are nocturnal hunters.  Depending on the type of snake you are looking for, make sure you are searching at the right time of day.  Snakes may be more active at night during warmer months. Most snakes won't be very active during the hottest time of day. Many snakes are nocturnal hunters and will be most active at night. Most snakes will have a preferred area or environment that they spend their time in.  These areas may be used for basking, hunting, nesting, or resting.  Knowing how to spot a snakes favored areas can help you locate them more easily.  Try looking for snakes in some of these areas:  In piled up rocks or logs. Tall grass. Snakes might live in old rodent dens. Hollow tree knots may hide snakes. They may live around your house as well.  Check in any small cracks or spaces under floorboards.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Measure the diameter of the tree with a flexible tape measure. Dig a trench around the base of the tree to free the roots. Place a pad on the trunk and wrap a rope around the pad. Pull the tree with the rope to straighten it. Fill in the hole around the tree with the dirt you dug out. Wrap tree straightening straps around the tree for at least 1 year.

Answer:
Wrap the tape measure around the thickest part of the tree trunk. You will use this measurement to calculate how big of a trench you need to dig around the root system.  If you don’t have a flexible tape measure, you could use a piece of string and a regular tape measure. Wrap the string around the trunk, then measure how much string fit around the trunk with a regular tape measure. This method of straightening will work for trees that are to big to straighten by pulling on with a strap and stake system. Use a shovel to dig a circular trench around the trunk of the tree that is at least 10 in (25 cm) wide for every 1 in (2.5 cm) of the trunk’s diameter. Make the hole about 2 ft (0.61 m) deep.  For example, if the tree’s diameter is 20 in (51 cm), then you would need to dig a trench that is at least 200 in (510 cm) wide. If the tree is particularly large and you don’t want to dig it out yourself, you can hire a tree moving company to dig the hole with a tree spade. Really large trees will not correct easily. Consider leaving your tree leaning to avoid damaging the roots and killing your mature tree. Put the pad on the side of the tree that is leaning. Wrap the rope around the mat and tie it in a loop to secure it in place. You can use a foam pad like a camping mat, or some old blankets, as a pad to protect the tree’s bark. Get a lot of helpers to pull the tree straight, or attach the rope to a truck and slowly accelerate to start straightening the tree. Stop pulling if the tree is not moving and dig out the trench more to loosen the root system. Stop pulling and leave the rope attached to the tree and truck when the tree is standing straight. Don’t pull up the roots without loosening them first, or you risk tearing them and killing the tree. Use a shovel to pack the dirt back into the trench and cover the roots. Put as much of the dirt back in as you can to give the roots a good foundation. Remove the rope from the tree and truck after you fill in the hole. It can take at least a year for the roots to re-establish themselves once you have loosened them and shifted the tree. Pound 2-3 wooden stake posts at least 18 in (46 cm) into the ground further away from the tree than the trench you dug, so that they don't hit the root system. Wrap tree straightening straps around the middle of the trunk and secure them to the posts to hold the tree in place.  You can get special tree straps at home improvement centers. The straps will keep the tree stable so that the roots can re-establish themselves. Not all trees can be successfully straightened. Sometimes the roots have trouble re-establishing themselves. In this case, you may not be able to save the tree from dying. Before you remove the straps, try loosening them a bit to make sure the tree stands firmly on its own.