ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL Student Names Chapter 3 ~ Managing and Organizing Yourself Completed Complete notes on the chapter individually / Ww (Use handwritten, Word, Docs, Presentation) fF Complete the Discussion Questions 1-9 5 \r Complete all questions with complete answers \ Complete the Critical Thinking case / lS mplete the Build Workplace Skills Activities 2 (no email, create a memo) #7 (Use PowerPoint to create presentation) As (Write scenario) 1 { LA9 (Write scenario) Instructor’s Comments Regarding Work or Suggestions for Improvement: \ Administrative Professional 2017etn Cee eet monet eater tr er PATENT SESS OT SON SRT) Pray eee estes ty Satta eer oo eee srs Seer) tenet tera ve PSSM RUT FURSSSO TSE a wT) |Discussion Questions Chapter 3 Administrative Professional 1. Whyis setting priorities important? Settings goals and priorities is important because the people who don't set goals are more likely to be less successful. 2. What does accountability mean? To whom are you accountable, and in what ways? Accountability means taking responsibilty for your work and your mistakes. You're accountable to your managers 3. What is the ready-to-go principle? The ready-to-go principle is basically keeping your workspace clear of clutter and having your essential tools and items you use frequently close and ready to go. 4, List and explain three techniques for managing your workload. A planner will help you organize your work and track appointments and other commitments for your supervisor or other workers Avoid Procrastination- The first step to getting something done is starting. If you break tasks into smaller steps, you can get the reward of making process. ize Your Work- ‘Making a list of the tasks you need to complete can not only organize what needs to be done, but it can also show you what should come first and what can wait for another day. 5. Explain the “four categories" method of organizing your work. Give an example of your own (not from the text) for each category Urgent and Important - This should be done first Ex. Completing an assignment that's due at the end of the day instead of one that is due at the end of the week Important, but not Urgent - Something that needs to be done, but not right away Ex. Organizing your files so that you do not shuffle or lose them Urgent, but not Important - Something that should be done asap, but isn't important Ex. Making a lunch date with a coworker Neither Urgent nor Important - Has no significance Ex. Checking Facebook 6. Identify three time wasters Procrastination Interruptions.Other People 7. Describe the ergonomic placement of common office equipment, and explain why this. science is important in the workplace. Things that are used most often in your workspace should be in reach at all times. Some examples may be pens, stapler, keyboard etc. This is important in the workplace because not only does it streamline efficiency, but it can help with your health too. 8. Name three benefits of a healthy diet and three benefits of exercise. Feel well Reach and maintain your ideal weight Reduce risk of cardiovascular disease Improves mood Boosts energy level Helps sleep better 9. Identify three ways of managing stress. Set aside 15 minutes to do something for yourself Get enough sleep Set realistic limits on what you try to accomplish‘Admin Professional Ch, 3 Notes Tate Hurd and Jake Fortier Meeting goals and accounting for your productivity in the workplace require self-discipline. Self discipline is making yourself do what needs to be done. Attitude is everything 2 Don't wait until fee! tke it; do whatever needs to be done Q Always finish what you start Be honest with yourself not making any excuses 2 Limit your time on significant thing, such as watching tv or playing video games Set Goals for Yourself- ‘A goal is the target you aim to reach. Goals help you clarify what needs to be done and to focus specifically on the steps necessary to accomplish this. Goals give your self-disciplined attitude direction and clear purpose, Setting clear, attainable goals is one of the keys to success in both your private and professional ives, and each helps to support the other. Long-Term and Short-Term Goals- Make sure there are long-term plans among your goals to give yourself more meaningful challenges. Clear Goals- Your goals need to be clear and concrete Realistic, Positive Goals- Your goals need to be realistic and reachable, and you should describe them in positive terms. Make goals that are challenging, but within your reach. Set goals that matter to you. Align your Goals- In addition to being clear realistic and reachable, your goals should be aligned with those of your supervisor, your co worker, and the organization that employs you. Remember that as a administrative professional your role is to support others. You apart of a team. Adjust your priorities- AAs you use self-discipline to manage and organize yourself through the development of goals, be firm but flexible. Always listen to your boss. Stay Motivated- ‘Motivation is fed by progress as well as by incentives, Progress means forward movement toward a goal. Set your own deadlines if there aren't any. Measure Your Progress-‘Taking the time to pause and measure your progress is important to keeping you focused on what you want to achieve, even if itis stil a long way off. If you take the time to feel the satisfaction of reaching smaller goals, more ambitious goals will seem more reachable.Be flexible. If one strategy doesn't move you toward your goal, think of others that might. The Role of Incentives- An incentive is a reward or encouragement. Their value lies in the sense of ‘accomplishment you feel. Just like you can motivate yourself by setting your own deadlines, you can also offer yourself incentives for completing tasks in order to keep yourself motivated. Resist Interference- Interference is anything that stands in the way of progress. There is a very wide range of interferences, but don't let them get in the way of you reaching your goal. ‘Take advantage of opportunities- An opportunity is a good chance, prospect, or timing. If ‘someone aboves you asks you if you want to be mentored take that opportunity. Accounting leads to results- Accountability means taking responsibility for your work and your mistakes. Q Make deadlines a priority. Work with your manager to set realistic timeframes on projects. Then make sure you always meet these deadlines. Q_ Complete the circle. Make sure projects stay on track from start to finish. If you encounter setbacks during the process, take the lead in seeing they're resolved D. Keep in mind the chain of accountability. You're accountable to your manager, who, in turn, is accountable to his or her boss. Always be aware that your mistakes reflect poorly ‘on your supervisor, and on the flip side, your successes make him or her look good. The ‘more you can make your manager shine in front of others, the more valuable you'll be. (Let the buck stop with you. If coworkers or clients are having trouble finding help, try to pointz them in the right direction or find a solution for them, even if the matter doesn't directly involve you. By lending a helping hand, you'll develop a reputation as the person who gets things done, Polish your product. Try to make your work as accurate as possible before it reaches others. Sometimes it helps to put written communications, such as memos and reports, aside for a few hours before proofreading them again and sending them on.YOull be able to catch errors that you otherwise miss. Workstation Organization ‘Aneat and orderly desk is especially important to administrative professionals because their work space tends to be in a high-traffic area where more people are likely to see it. The Cleanliness of your desk represents your level of professionalism. Overall Appearance-Don't overdo the personal items at your desk. Be aware of dust and clutter. Have your desk arranged efficiently - with everything within reach if used frequently or placed in a drawer if not Organizational Aids and Supplies- Organizing systems are very helpful for day to day and long term use. Ergonomics- Ergonomics is the science of arranging items used for maximum efficiency and safety. Make sure that the items you use most frequently are placed for easy access. Computer Monitors- Monitors should be slightly below eye level an approximately 20-40 inches away in order to prevent stress to the neck and eyes. Computer Input Devices- Keyboard height should be adjusted to prevent repetitive stress injuries and musdle fatigue. Chairs- Your office chair should be low enough so that both feet are flat on the floor, should provide lower back support, and should allow your shoulders to relax. Posture- Posture is considered good when your neck and torso are vertical and in line, your thighs are horizontal, and your lower legs are vertical Lighting- Eye fatigue can be caused by lighting that is too bright and washes out images, causing you to strain to view objects. Ready-to-go Principle- Clear your desk of everything you do not need. Clutter will pile up and get in your way. At the end of each day, clean your desk and make a to-do list for tomorrow. Manage Your Workload- Self-discipline means being intentional about managing your workload. “If you aren't planning for success, you're planning for failure.” Use a Planner- A planner is essential for organizing your work and for tracking appointments and other commitments for your supervisor or other workers. Make a backup copy of your planner data. Avoid Procrastination- When you put things off in order to avoid doing something you find difficult or boring, that is called procrastination. Prioritize Your Work- Making lists of things that you need to do can be a very effective way of organizing your work. You can organize your tasks into four categories:Urgent and Important Important, but not Urgent Urgent, but not Important Neither Urgent nor Important Organize Files, Paper, and Emall- 1 Acton it at once if it needs immediate action or if you have the time Keep it on hand if you will deal with it later that day 2 Ifit doesn't need to be dealt with that day, and if you have more pressing priorities, determine a time when you will handle it and note it in your to-do list or planner Ifitisn’t your responsibilty, forward it to someone who can handle it O Ifitneeds to be filed, fle it at once, if possible Ifyou don't need the document, throw it away ooooo Streamline Repetitive Tasks- Over time, you will get better and faster at the task that you do over and over again. Manage Products- Plan carefully what your end product needs to be and consider the info, materials, and supplies you may need. Handle Time Wasters- ‘Some of the biggest time wasters at work are disorganisation and the failure to do tasks efficiently. Interruptions- Interruptions are potential time wasters that are often dificult to control. Learn to refocus quickly on your work after you address them, Other People- Sometimes people legitimately need to interrupt your work to ask a question or bring something to your attention. Make Downtime Productive- Downtime is time when you are not accomplishing a specific task. Always find ways to make. your downtime productive. Life Management- ‘The more organized you are in your private life, the more energy you will have to focus on work. Take care of Yourself- TO be effective on the job, you need to feel well. Make sure that you are eating a healthy diet, controlling your weight, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Manage Relationships-Successfully managing your relationships with different kinds of people is a skill that can be developed with time, experience, and thoughtful effort. Cope with Stress Stress is a worry and anxiety you feel when you react to pressure from others or yourself. Few ways to ease stress: Set aside 15 minutes a day to do something for yourself Talk about the stressful situation with a friend or family member who is @ good listener Make time for physical activity, such as walking, bicycle riding, yoga, or tennis Get enough sleep Use positive self-talk Set realistic limits on what you try to accomplish each day and on the demands of others Develop your own strategies for coping with stress cooooooTo: Employees From: Management Date: 3/28/17 Subject: Ergonomics Ergonomics is the science of arranging items used for maximum efficiency and safety. Not only will this help you, but the company as well in many ways. I will be instructing all of you to arrange your materials and items in a way that helps not only your well being and productivity, but how efficient you are as well, ‘The way that your belongings and items are placed in your workplace actually have an effect on you and your productivity. If your computer monitor is too close it may cause eye fatigue. Or if your chair is too low or too high, that will cause bad posture which can lead to future back problems, So with this being said, I want all of you to do the following: © Adjust your chair so that way both your feet are flat on the floor, and make sure that your chair has good back support. If not, we can arrange getting you a new one. © You should be conscious of the light in your workspace so that way you don't have constant eye strain, Make sure that if you are near a window, the blinds are not constantly open so that you don't have to keep looking at the glare on your computer © Your computer monitor shouldn't control you all day. Make sure that you take the time to rest your eyes a few times during the day so that way you don't get dry eyes. Also, you should keep your monitor about 30 inches away from your face so that you can stop stress in the neck and the eyes.© Posture is one of the most important pieces of ergonomics due to how it will affect you in the long run, Bad posture can lead to many health problems in the future. Posture is considered good when your neck and torso are vertical and in a line, your thighs are horizontal, and your lower legs are vertical. © Your keyboard should be positioned in a way that prevents repetitive stress injuries and muscle fatigue. Your elbows should be comfortably at your side and at about the same height as your keyboard, ‘These changes will help everybody not only now, but in the long run as well. Instead of having to waste time, we will now be able to be as efficient as possible, We also care about your ‘well being, and this is why these changes will be beneficial to you as well.Developing Relationships #8 Tate Hurd and Jake Fortier 3/28/17 Mike Scialdone, the administrative assistant you've worked with for the past five years, is leaving the company. Nancy Ramirez, and administrative assistant from another department, is being transferred to take his place. You do not know Nancy, but you have heard some comments about her from other employees in the office. For instance, you have heard that Nancy does not let anyone know when she is leaving for a break or lunch. She goes whenever she wants to, and she takes breaks at unusual times. In your department, you and Nancy will be required to cover for each other during breaks and lunches. You have also heard that Nancy is a hard worker, but she only focuses on her own work and does not offer to help others. While you and Mike are each responsible for your own assignments, over time you have made it a practice to. share your work, always helping each other. Think about how you will start your relationship with Nancy. How will you handle the requirement to cover breaks and lunch? The way that I would go about handling the requirement to cover breaks and lunch would be to take it slow so that | do not come off as mean or rude, considering it is just me and her in our department. | would probably let her know what the expectations and rules are but give her about 1-2 weeks to adjust and get used to having to change her usual routine. What will you do about the arrangement for helping each other work? Yo | would tell Nancy how Mike and | used to share our work and how it worked much better. | would only explain it to her in a way that only talked about the benefits such as how it made Mike and | closer and how we could depend on each other, or how even though you might not want to help me, there will come a time when you will be wanting my help with an assignment or project.Developing Relationships #9 Tate Hurd and Jake Fortier 3/28/17 Your company recently hired a new administrative assistant, Maryam Arjmand. On her first day, you stopped by her desk to meet her. During your conversation, you told her to let you know if there was anything you could do for her in order to help her get settled in her new job. Since then, Maryam has called you whenever she has a question, ‘Sometimes the questions are about urgent items, but on other occasions, they are not. Assisting her usually takes just a few minutes, but sometime it takes longer. Maryam probably calls you about eight times a day. Helping her so much is affecting your ability to get your work done. There are two administrative assistants in Maryams department who you know would be happy to help her. Maryam, however, does not know them very well and is more comfortable asking you, How can you continue to assist Maryam and to encourage her to ask questions about things she doesn't understand while controlling the inroads her interruptions make on your time? The next times that Maryam contacts me to come help with something, | would probably let her know that | might not be the best person to assist with this certain issue. | would then call one of the two administrative assistants to come help with that issue. Then | would try to not be called as much for issues I'm not responsible for.