By Pat Darnell 03/12/07
Workforce Effectiveness / Employee Selection
“Selection and placement relate to the nature aspects of ability.
Training relates to the nurture of ability" (George, J M; 2006, p 60).
Introduction
Employees have the training opportunities at The Home Company to improve their skills, and abilities if they are placed in job-appropriate training. Increased automation and organizational restructuring of office operations continues to make administrative assistants more productive in coming years (US DOL; March/2007, para).
The Home Company is not underestimating the competitive edge it has when all its employees are performing at their highest level of verbal, numerical, spatial, and perceptual abilities. Training gives the edge in both abilities personified and nurtured personalities. Training though is more often considered a high cost item. The Home Company has obvious need to use new and advanced technologies to lower operating costs. Training will be the only way to bring employees’ skills up to an acceptable minimum level of performance to relieve stress, increase job satisfaction, and elevate leader effectiveness.
At THC we select individuals who have abilities needed to fit the tasks we identified. We place employees in jobs that capitalize on their abilities. We initiate training that enhances employees’ ability levels. It is my task to present two selections of primary responsibilities of the Executive Assistant, and the training steps to perfecting each. One is a technical skill of “maintaining the calendar and schedule utilizing Lotus Notes.” Two is a behavioral skill refresher: “directing callers to the proper department to address their issue and not bothering the president with trivial calls” (CTUOnline; March/2007).
This approach often means that Executive and Administrative assistants assume added responsibilities and are seen as valuable members of a team. The strategy is one of job-appropriate training and is for all THC employees’ varying skill sets and behavior points as needed.
TECHNICAL TRAINING
Step 1 Need for Technical Knowledge and Skill in manipulation of IT and communication software
Executive and Administrative Assistant is a position that is in support always of the executive, in context of handling mundane tasks. For instance scheduling and maintaining the calendar of future events, from a varied source of notations made in Lotus Notes, and other sources is high priority tasking. “Extensive research suggests that job-appropriate training is effective in increasing employees’ skills and abilities and ultimately, their performance (Arthur, W et al; 2003)” (George, J M; 2006, p 60).
Step 2 Objectives of Technical Training
Knowledge of communications for scheduling, and conducting a calendar of future events has a two fold purpose.
A) Old soft wares are still being used in many cases for setting up meetings, classes and appointments, as in Lotus Notes. Assistants need a refresher course on the older soft wares.
B) All Contacts must be quantified in logs and tagged with proper electronic protocol audit trail, especially in the President’s day timer.
Step 3 Training Evaluation Materials in Technical Training
At the end of the training the trainee will be expected to show an increase in Lotus Notes calendar, scheduling, administrating and training classes’ dexterity. Also, the evaluation includes the trainee’s skill coordinating of all other types of internet protocol electronic scheduling and costs of administration.
An evaluation in basic technical improvement is made at the end of each day. Trainees also evaluate each other, and the training for the day. What is recorded is reviewed the next morning.
Step 4 the Technical Training Skeleton
Training will predominantly take place to bring all new assistants to the current user level of Lotus Notes:
Find mail messages that were deleted without your consent or knowledge
Opportunities arising for meetings that the Scheduler did not insert into your Calendar
Remember how to change your password
Remember how to open and send a mail message, such as changing your password
Restarting computer if Lotus Notes crashes
Time and money costing for Lotus Notes training classes
Maintaining staff clarity in training personnel for fixing Lotus Notes problems
Backup system in IT to enable total restore Lotus Notes
Supporting staff at help desk providing answers that can't be found in the help file
Dealing with spam, viruses, security and privacy
(Lotus Notes Hater, © 2003-2007, para)
As Executive Administrative assistant the costs must be tracked for scheduling and operating the e-system:
Software acquisition costs
Software maintenance costs
Administration
costs
Migration and upgrade costs
Downtime costs
The later part of this training will evaluate the newer communications tools being introduced at
THC, and future plans.
Voice over internet protocol
Radio frequency
identification
Biometric protocol
Schedule conflict remedy
Step 5 Training
Training will be following orientation of new Administrative Assistants, held for four consecutive days, for 7 hours each day. Trainees will be presented to several speakers from IT, and Administrative Assistant positions.
Because the training is based in actual use and maintenance of the existing scheduling and calendar software, our session together is hands on.
Introduce skill objective through computer PC for each
Some written; some computer Exercises per handbook
Group hands on Activities per PC
Discussions per chalk board brain-wave storm, norm, reform...
Role plays per search and schedule games per PC
At end of each day we will open the discussion up:
We will trace a line of communication from beginning to end per LAN
We will discuss some Case studies per IT secondary research
Finally we will discuss benchmarks of success in scheduling.
Step 6 Start the Session
“Okay, everyone... assume the Lotus position.”
“At Technical Training I want everyone to at least stretch your legs, if you can’t put one leg over the other foot...”
“.. Then I encourage all in proper breathing, and I intend to foster physical stability, so you may become totally confident in your ability to dominate our Lotus Notes, and all peripheral electronic communication devices at THC.”
...Our technical course today is designed to be pragmatic so that the learning can be applied as soon as you move into your new positions. Skills are evaluated during the course, and you will have opportunity to identify training needs at your organization level, and, group and individual level. Also, in line with THC corporate strategy, the course content and duration is dependent upon specific needs of the Administrative Assistant, and the one you will be assisting.
Evaluations take into account current and future needs, and both human and cultural factors. It is focused at a practical level. Mastery of Technical Training is achieved when you Identify factors affecting the understanding process:
Understands different scheduling styles and their implication and Is able to write communications objectives and evaluate workplace outcomes
Can prepare and deliver a short piece of administrative documentation for scheduling in Lotus Notes
Build team participation into your administrative events (Development Company, The; 2004)
BEHAVIORIAL TRAINING
Step 1 Need for Behavioral Soft Skills Training: Etiquette Management Workshop
Many administrative assistant duties are of a personal, interactive nature and, therefore, not easily automated. Responsibilities such as planning conferences, working with clients, and instructing staff require tact and communication skills.
Because technology cannot substitute for these personal skills, administrative assistants will continue to play a key role at THC, and provide training support from current employees, in a mentor capacity (DOL; 2006-7, para).
Step 2 Objectives of Soft Skills Training
Opportunities should be best for administrative assistants with extensive knowledge of software applications, particularly experienced secretaries and exemplary administrative assistants wishing to further perfect behavioral techniques.
Extending Computers, e-mail, scanners, and voice message systems will allow administrative assistants to accomplish more in the same amount of time.
Increasing office automation and organizational restructuring will continue to make administrative assistants more productive in coming years.
Professionals and managers increasingly will be doing their own word processing and data entry while they handle much of their own correspondence rather than submit the work to assistants and other support staff.
In some cases, such traditional secretarial/ assistant duties as keyboarding, filing, photocopying, and bookkeeping are being assigned to workers in other units or departments (Cascio, W; 2005)
Step 3 Training evaluations on Materials Behavioral Development Training Courseware
The training sessions are simulated in computer display, and then in video taped situational junctures. Each task is evaluated first by team mates, then by the trainer. The video tapes are then shown again at the end of the five week training. Executive and Administrative assistant trainees will be awarded juncture points to be pooled for an eventual score that relates to team mates’ scores. The team building experience is very important in the evaluation summary, as the participants are in varying levels of skills and performance.
Step 4 the Etiquette Training Skeleton
Five Skills Over-Review for the Executive and Administrative Assistant
o Writing
o Communications
o Etiquette for Diversity
o Public Speaking
o Time Management
Business Writing
o Writing Reports and Proposals
o Advanced Writing Skills of Document Management
Communications
o telephone based internal/ external customer tune-up
o telephone etiquette
o difficult telephony customers protocol
o Assertive problem solving.
People Skills Strategies
o Conflict Resolution
o Dealing with Difficult People
o Customer Service Training
o Critical Elements of Customer Service
Business Etiquette
o Gaining that Extra Edge
o Cultural Diversity
o Critical
Public Speaking: Presentation Survival School
o Building Self Esteem and Assertiveness Skills
o Public Speaking: Speaking Under Pressure
o Conquering Fear of Speaking in Public
o A Minute-Taker’s Workshop
Time Management - Get Organized for Peak Performance (Velsoft Courseware Inc: 2006)
Additional Soft Skill training for Executive Assistant
o Some offices, paralegals and special assistants are assuming some tasks formerly done by secretaries, for example:
§ Project Risk Management Assistant
§ Accounting Management Assistant
§ Compliance/ HRM Assistant
o Cultural diversity Compliance and Etiquette
o Overcoming Embarrassment/ Shyness
o Testing your Business Etiquette Knowledge base
o Handshake or Bow?
o Business Card Etiquette
o The Skill of Making Small Talk
o Test: Remember Names?
o First Impression
o Dressing the Part
o The do We Venture Code
o Business Dining
o E-Mail / Telephone Etiquette (Velsoft Courseware Inc: (2006)
Step 5 Training Materials
Training will be following orientation of new Executive and Administrative Assistants, held for five consecutive weeks, for 20 hours each week. Trainees will be presented to several speakers from HRM, and outside consultants.
Introduce soft-skill objective through computer PC for each session
Handbook and knowledge base
Group Encounters
Hands on Activities per PC simulators
Discussions per chalk board brain-wave storm, norm reform...
Role plays per search and schedule games
We will go through mock up from beginning to end per applications
We sill discuss some Case studies per IT secondary research
Finally we will discuss benchmarks of success in scheduling
Step 6 Start the Session
“Edward Deming, the father of quality management, has said: ‘They can work long hours, face declining business, even the loss of a job, but they can’t deal with the difficult people in their lives.’ This etiquette management workshop will help you identify some of the ways you may be contributing to these problems and give you some strategies you can adopt at work and in your personal life as well” (Soft skills Software; 2006 para).
· Identify factors affecting the learning process
· Understand different learning styles and their implication
· Write own training objectives and write journal of workplace outcomes
In hopes of discovering the maturing organism within, this training is based on each one’s perceived needs. The problem with that has been: in this training along the way almost everyone discovers a highly skilled, highly motivated, identifiable growth articulation, and just plain old, good thoughts about one’s well being.
References
Cascio, W F, & Aguinis, H; (2005) In Pearson Prentice Hall (Ed.), Apply Psychology in Human Resource Management (6th ed., pp. 379-407). Upper Saddle River, NJ
DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, on the Internet at www BLS gov/oco/ocos151 htm; visited March 12, 2007
George, Jennifer M and Jones, G R; (2005) Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior, 4th Ed, Pearson Custom Publishing, Boston, MA
Lotus Notes Hater, (© 2003-2007) All Rights Reserved, Last Updated: March 3, 2005, lotusnotessucks 4t com lnEx36 retrieved March 12, 2007
The Development Company; (2004) The 8 Step Easy Guide to Designing Training Sessions. Retrieved March 5, 2007, from The Development Company Web Site: www the devco com in-company-train-tips
Velsoft Courseware Inc: (2006) Soft Skills Training Materials, All rights reserved, Retrieved March 12, 2007, softskillscourseware
fin ...Okeee brainchildren? Stick all that in your pipe and smoke it. Lookin' at the full range of training available, and how much is offered by institutions, gov-ments, and smart guys... whooooo weeeee, Jethro, sure enough got me goin' PD
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