1
Q
Role of Admin Assistant
A
- Carries out routine tasks delegated to them by the senior admin assistant.
- Enters data into spreadsheets or databases and keeps documents updated.
- Assists with scheduling meetings.
- Sends e-mails to colleagues.
- Prepares documentation for meetings.
- Greets and directs visitors.
2
Q
Role of Senior Admin Assistant
A
- Makes decisions regarding admin work to be done and delegates to admin assistants.
- Supervises work of admin assistants.
- Liaises with management to assist in forward planning.
- Ensures systems and procedures are implemented and maintained effectively.
3
Q
Skills/Qualities of Senior Admin Assistant
A
- Patience - to be able to work with other staff.
- Tact/Discretion - when dealing with sensitive situations.
- Planning/Organisational skills - to ensure targets are met.
- Digital literacy/IT skills - to ensure tasks are completed to high standards.
- Coaching/Mentoring skills - to provide support to staff.
- Motivational - to ensure staff are encouraged to meet targets.
- Delegation - to allocate tasks fairly, taking into account skills of staff.
- Communication - to communicate clearly with staff in organisation.
4
Q
Time and Task Management Strategies
A
- To-do list - listing each task to be undertaken, trying to stick to the list and ticking off items when completed.
- Priorities list - prioritising tasks into urgent and non-urgent, high medium and low priority so most urgent tasks are completed first.
- Gantt chart - shows overall progress towards targets, compares actual with estimated time spent on tasks and managers can compare between work planned and work accomplished.
- Action plan - used to break down a large project into smaller parts for individuals/groups, tasks responsibilities, deadlines and resources are included.
- Delegation - when a manager gives other employees tasks to complete and does not take t all on themselves which can result in less stress and a more manageable workload, leads to increased productivity with deadlines more likely to be met.
- E-diary - allows regular meetings/appointments to be entered into the diary with reminders set to alert employees, other staff members’ diaries can also be checked to schedule meetings.
5
Q
Consequences of a Manager Failing to Delegate
A
- Managers may suffer from stress as a result of a heavy workload, resulting in illness/absenteeism.
- Deadlines might not be met, resulting in lower productivity.
- Team may suffer from lower staff morale and high turnover which means that the manager may have to spend time motivating staff and/or recruiting and training new staff.
- Lack of development of staff which means staff may not be ready for promotion.
- Staff may not be given tasks which suit them leading to a lack of motivation and stress.
6
Q
Time Stealers
A
- Interruptions - means working time is lost due to unexpected visits or conversations.
- Taking on too much work/inability to say no - means workload is too large to manage effectively and tasks might not be completed.
- Desk stress/unable to find information - means documents may be mislaid due to mess.
- Meetings taking too long - means other tasks which were due to be completed that day are unable to be done.
- Crisis management - panicking about workload and lack of forward planning means tasks may not be completed tot a high quality and deadlines might be missed.
- Procrastination - putting off a task can result in work building up.
- Duplicate journeys - repeated trips can waste time which could have been spent doing other tasks.
- Disorganised - time may be wasted trying to find files or documents meaning deadlines may be missed.
7
Q
Minimising Time Stealers
A
- Interruptions - only check voicemails at certain times of day, close e-mail down and check at certain times, have ‘do not disturb’ time to avoid chatting too often to visitors.
- Taking on too much work/inability to say no - employees may need to discuss with their line manager, delegation is also useful to avoid having too much to do.
- Desk stress/unable to find information - employees should introduce a good file management system.
- Meetings taking too long - managers should ensure agendas for meetings are realistic in length, with time limits possibly set to avoid discussions taking too long.
- Crisis management - organisations should try to have plans/strategies in place for unexpected circumstances, employees should try not to react hastily to situations and take time to find reasonable solutions.
- Procrastination - employees should make use of to-do lists and priorities lists to help them complete the tasks they have to do.
- Duplicate journeys - employees should group jobs together so visits to other departments are only made once a day.
- Disorganised - employees should use to-do lists and ask for help from their line manager where needed.
8
Q
Monitoring and Evaluating Progress
A
- Regular meetings - meetings with line manager to discuss and review progress against targets.
- Random/sample checks of work - where some tasks are checked by the line manager to check for progress, quality and consistency.
- Buddy systems - where an employee is paired with a more experienced employee who can provide guidance and advice.
- Mentoring systems - where an employee is assigned to a more senior member of staff who can provide help/assistance if required, the mentor may set short-term targets during weekly meetings, and appraise/evaluate progress towards targets.
- Gantt charts - shows a graphical representation of planned work against work completed using a timeline, managers can quickly identify tasks/projects which are behind scheduled deadlines.
- Appraisal - reviews current performance and helps identify and evaluate the training and development needs of staff, appraises current strengths and weaknesses and assesses employees’ career development.
- Personal development plans - where employees set their own targets for future skills development, completed with line manager and encourages positive discussion and feedback, allows employees to identify future training needs.
9
Q
Features of Smart Targets
A
- Specific - simple, sensible, significant
- Measurable - meaningful, motivating
- Achievable - agreed, attainable
- Relevant - reasonable, realistic
- Timely - clear, realistic time frame
10
Q
Benefits of Monitoring and Evaluating Progress
A
- Tasks will be completed by the due date.
- Quality of work being completed will be of a high standard.
- Managers can identify if employees need assistance or resources.
- Targets may be adjusted for future tasks as a result.
- Staff are kept on track and not distracted.
- Can be useful if performance-related pay is used.
- Can be used as a basis of approval.
- Future training needs of employees can be identified.
11
Q
Benefits of Good Time and Task Management to Employees
A
- Increased morale/motivation for employees, leading to greater job satisfaction.
- Lower stress levels for employees.
- More time is available for urgent/important jobs.
- Quality of work/ creativity improves.
- Better chance of promotion.
- Improved relationship with management.
- Limits potential conflict with employees.
12
Q
Benefits of Good Time and Task Management to Organisation
A
- Increased productivity so targets and deadlines are met.
- Company develops a good reputation so it is more competitive and has improved customer relations.
- Increased job satisfaction leads to lower staff turnover and less absenteeism, more money is saved in the recruitment process and training of new staff.
- Prevents customer dissatisfaction and complaints which can be expensive which helps to improve the business’s reputation.
13
Q
Consequences of Poor Time and Task Management to Employees
A
- Quality of work could be poor in an attempt to meet deadlines.
- May not be trusted with important tasks, affecting chances of promotion.
- May suffer from stress, resulting in illness/absenteeism.
- Employees may receive a poor appraisal, affecting pay and/or future career.
- Employees may be sent on training courses, or may be given a mentor/buddy to check on their work flow.
- Employees ay become withdrawn and stop communicating with other team members.
- Employees may be given a verbal or written warning.
14
Q
Consequences of Poor Time and Task Management to Organisation
A
- Poor productivity with deadlines not met leads to bad reputation.
- Loss of competitive edge as a result of tasks not being completed/deadlines not being met.
- Customer service may suffer and customer expectations may not be met.
- Decreased job satisfaction leads to higher staff turnover and high absenteeism which means more money is spent in the recruitment process and training of new staff.
- May be difficult to recruit quality staff due to a poorer reputation.
Admin & IT
flashcards
Decks in class (7)
# Cards
