The Office Procedures and Technology Chapter 2 Office Competencies Copyright© 2007 Thomson/South-Western

Employment Overview U.S. Department of Labor employment projections Total employment for all jobs expected to increase 14.8 percent by 2012 Administrative support positions expected to increase 6.8 percent by 2012 Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Information Sources The Occupational Outlook Handbook Monthly Labor Review The Handbook is available online at the U.S. Dept. of Labor Web site Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Office Competencies Needed by many types of workers Doctors, nurses, medical technicians Accountants, brokers, insurance underwriters Lawyers, architects, engineers Teachers, authors, computer programmers Managers, executives, office support personnel Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Key Areas Word processing Data processing Information management and transmission General managing and communicating Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Word Processing Producing written documents using software and computers Important for creating electronic messages (e-mail) Closely related to desktop publishing Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Data Processing Organizing, analyzing, and summarizing data Workers use spreadsheet and database software Ability to interpret data is important Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Information Management Organizing, maintaining, and processing data Requires knowledge of records management principles and procedures Involves communicating with others inside and outside the organization Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Managing and Communicating Handling work time and tasks efficiently Creating schedules and meeting deadlines Communicating with coworkers and customers Creating reports and presenting information Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment

Company Goals Relate to making profits and other achievements Affect all workers Goals may be posted on a company’s Web site Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Issues Affecting Success Total quality management Continuous improvement Customer satisfaction Ethical standards Responsible teamwork Global marketplace Diversity Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Total Quality Management Establishing and maintaining high standards in how work is done Involves all company personnel Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Continuous Improvement Being alert to ways of working more productively Involves all company personnel Overlaps the principles of TQM Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Customer Satisfaction A key focus in many organizations Essential for long-term success Often measured with customer surveys Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Ethical Standards Require honesty and fairness in business dealings Often stated in a code of ethics or conduct A portion of a company’s code of conduct Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Responsible Teamwork Involves combining the efforts of two or more people to achieve a goal Communication is especially important for remote teams Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Global Marketplace More U.S. companies are selling goods and services abroad Many companies are expanding through e-commerce E-commerce: business conducted electronically, often via the World Wide Web Key Term Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Diversity Reflected in a workforce with people from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds Employees with diverse backgrounds help a company achieve its goals Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Employer Expectations Employers expect certain basic qualities in all employees Reliability Productivity Cooperativeness Independence in learning Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Competencies for the Office Composing and formatting letters and reports Creating spreadsheets and charts Creating and maintaining databases Creating and giving presentations Keeping workstation organized Keyboarding and proofreading accurately Learning software programs Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Competencies for the Office Listening and following instructions Maintaining records and files Meeting deadlines Prioritizing tasks Speaking appropriately by telephone Using references such as the Internet, databases, and reference books Working in teams effectively Set goals for developing new competencies Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies

Focus On … Teamwork Set clear goals for the team Identify responsibilities for each member Determine how success will be measured Identify obstacles Communicate with all team members Build on the strength of individuals Recognize accomplishments of the team Topic 2-2 Developing Office Competencies