The role and qualities of an Administrative Assistant Providing organisational skills and support General office duties … filing, document production, mail handling, reprographics, making travel arrangments Supervising junior staff Implementing new systems and procedures Possess good organisational skills … able to prioritise tasks and meet or negotiate deadlines Be reliable and discreet Be an effective coordinator of activity Be able to work without supervision Possess high-level communication skills Liase well with customers and staff Possess good ICT skills and be able to compose documents Making and monitoring financial payments Preparing and giving short presentation Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Role and duties outlined in Job Description/Specification The role, duties and responsibilities of a post The person(s) to whom the post-holder is accountable The person(s) for whom they are responsible Organising and carrying out the work of the Office Services Department … reprographics/filing/petty cash/travel Supervising junior administrative staff Preparing and responding to correspondence Using software – word processing/spreadsheets/databases Preparing for and giving presentations – Powerpoint Organising and recording meetings Arranging events – seminars/conferences/meetings Organising/allocating resources – people/time/equipment Researching information Other duties allocated by Administration Manager Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Skills/qualifications/experience/qualities in Person Specification Good level of ability with a range of software … word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation software, e-mail, internet, electronic diary, financial software SQA Standard or Higher Grades College … HND University … Degree ECDL … European Computer Driving Licence Administrative work in a company or as part of a team Experience in organising/managing meetings Discreet Good communicator Well organised Team worker Problem solver Ability to delegate Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Action Plan and Priorities List Action required eg tasks Estimated time for completion Actual time taken to complete Notes Discuss with line manager hotel criteria that should be met 2 hours 3 hours Costs, facilities, distance from airports, train stations, hotels required in each city Research hotel information 6 hours 9 hours AA/RAC Handbook, Internet, Yellow Pages, Telephone Directories Tasks should be arranged in the order in which they should be done NOTE: Order may have to be changed at short notice An estimate of the time required to complete the task The actual time required to complete the task Reminders to “jog” your memory … in effect, brainstorming Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace Setting Targets Targets should have certain characteristics: S SPECIFIC – is the target well-defined and does it state exactly what is required? M MEASURABLE – is the target measurable in quantifiable or qualitative terms? A AGREED – have you discussed and agreed the targets with your line manager? R REALISTIC – do you have the necessary knowledge/skills to complete the target set? T TIMED – have you set a completion date? Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace Areas of strength and areas for development … identified in Personal Development Plan Date Areas of competence identified Areas of development identified Development required Target Date Review Notes Aug Constructing Access databases Sorting on 1+ fields Linking databases Advanced interrogation of information Access training at Advanced Level May Course attended and skills put into practice STRENGTHS … skills employee already has WEAKNESSES … skills employee would benefit from acquiring TRAINING … Identify training requirements to turn weaknesses into strengths Date by which training should be completed REVIEW … Can be used as part of staff development and review process … STAFF APPRAISAL SYSTEM Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Monitoring achievement of targets … Control Mechanisms TARGETS should be seen as: An aid to help a worker to receive assistance if necessary An aid to help a worker to achieve targets CONTROL MECHANISMS should establish whether targets are running to the planned schedule: Random or sample checks of work … some tasks checked by supervisor, but not all Double checks … task also completed by supervisor to ensure results obtained are the same Buddy systems … where a more senior member of staff can be called upon for help or advice Gantt charts … planning chart of graph which shows at which stage in the schedule a project is at Periodic method and systems audits … review and amendment of existing systems to achieve greater efficiencies or improved practices Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace Time Management Good time-management techniques should ensure that: The best use is made of the time available Time-wasting activities are minimised More time is made available for important/urgent jobs Problems which can arise with poor time management: Activity panic … jobs left unfinished … running from crisis to crisis as deadlines approach Reactive not proactive … reacting to crises rather than planning and prioritising tasks methodically and carefully Work overload … being pressed for time … a backlog of jobs starts to build up Stress … feelings of anxiety and not coping … feelings that work will never be completed by deadline … inadequacy Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Time Management – Time Stealers Lack of forward planning Telephone conversations/interruptions Unexpected visits from colleagues Taking on too much work Taking work home Not assessing priorities correctly Lack of self-discipline/shuffling papers Communication problems Making unnecessary journeys Searching for lost papers/not filing properly Darting from one task to another Not delegating tasks Not allowing time for yourself Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Effective Task Management Neat and tidy workstation … free from clutter Use IN, OUT, WORK PENDING and FILING trays to organise tasks at workstation Label all files clearly … implement a good file management system Place all completed tasks in the appropriate file Monitor progress … especially if there is a completion date … make sure that the task is on target Useful planning aids might include: DESK DIARY … paper diary … now quite old fashioned and difficult to make alterations … can be heavy to carry around ELECTRONIC DIARY … easy to edit entries, search for available dates, warns of double booking, can be printed out REMINDER SYSTEM … electronic diaries come with reminder or warnings that action is necessary PRIORITIES LIST/ACTION PLAN … used to break down a project into tasks in the order in which they should be completed Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Task Management Skills ORGANISATION … looking ahead and planning, monitoring progress and achievement PRIORITISATION … deciding on what is important and what is less so DELEGATION … deciding when it is appropriate to ask someone else to do some of the tasks CONTROL … tackling work calmly and in priority order ASSERTIVENESS … being able to say “NO” when necessary NEGOTIATION … being able to negotiate deadlines and resources RESOURCE MANAGEMENT … using time, staff and equipment appropriately EVALUATION … seeking improvement and identifying causes of any problems Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Benefits and consequences of Time and Task Management BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANISATION Increased productivity Increased quality of work Good customer relations Increased competitiveness in the marketplace Staff have lower stress levels Good working relationships Job satisfaction CONSEQUENCES TO INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANISATION Poor productivity Poor quality of work Increased costs Deadlines not met Unhappy customers and suppliers Low level of competitiveness in the marketplace Stress-related staff absences Poor work relationships Poor job satisfaction Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace Team Working CHARACTERISTICS: A shared purpose or goal Having an identity … sense of belonging to a team A dependence or reliance on each other TEAM SIZE: 4-6 members Large team … danger of sub-groups forming and breaking away Small team … danger of one person dominating the team and too few ideas being shared TEAM ROLES: IDEAS PERSON MOTIVATOR ORGANISER IMPLEMENTER CHECKER FINISHER GO-GETTER TEAM WORKER SPECIALIST Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Factors determining Team effectiveness TEAM COMPOSITION If members of a team think along the same lines then they will usually work together effectively. Consideration of age, personality, interests, backgrounds of team members. TEAM COHENSIVENESS Once shared sets of standards and values are agreed and adopted, the team will work as a cohesive group and pull together. NATURE OF THE TASK The clearer the task, and the more involved the members feel, the more effectively the team will work. TEAM ENVIRONMENT Teams need to be sited together in the workplace and to take part in activities in and out of the workplace to develop a team relationship. Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace Leadership A good leader will motivate people to willingly work towards their goals by: Setting a clear vision or goals for the team Meeting the needs of the team … good information and communications Meeting the needs of the individuals within the team … support and training Meeting the needs of the task … resources, team skills Liaising between team, management and other work areas Deploying team skills effectively … keeping conflict to a minimum Having open and constructive communication Involving the team in decision-making process Listening to team members Encouraging a sense of team ownership/job satisfaction Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace

Benefits of effective team working RISK-TAKING … groups will often take more risks than individuals working alone … the ability to share the risk encourages a team to try out new ideas. POOLED RESOURCES … more ideas are likely to be generated … the exchange of ideas and shared skills increases creativity which increases motivation. MORALE AND MOTIVATION …individuals feel a greater sense of job satisfaction, morale and motivation and this results in improved efficiency and productivity. MULTI-SKILLING … in the absence of one member, the other members of a team can quickly cover their duties between them. RESPONSIBILITY … effective teams are often self-directing and self-monitoring and take on responsibility for their activity … they require less supervision and this may allow for removal of layers of management. Admin Services Outcome 1 - Strategies for effective workplace