Popular worker being dealt with (2,4)
I believe the answer is:
in hand
'being dealt with' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'popular worker' is the wordplay.
'popular' becomes 'in'.
'worker' becomes 'hand' (hand is a kind of worker**).
'in'+'hand'='IN HAND'
(Other definitions for in hand that I've seen before include "Under control; ready for use" , "In the process of being dealt with" , "spare" , "Some bananas may be" , "being seen to" .)