Admin Pro Forum

Question: Our office is about to undergo some reorganization.  Three of my four bosses will soon be moved to other departments within the company.  They'll be "swapping" departments with one another, and I've been asked to facilitate this change.  I'd love any ideas on how to make this a smooth transition for them.  How do you help a boss prepare for his or her successor?  What steps can I take in advance that will be most helpful when the move takes place?  -- Anonymous

Question: Our office is about to undergo some reorganization.  Three of my four bosses will soon be moved to other departments within the company.  They'll be "swapping" departments with one another, and I've been asked to facilitate this change.  I'd love any ideas on how to make this a smooth transition for them.  How do you help a boss prepare for his or her successor?  What steps can I take in advance that will be most helpful when the move takes place?  -- Anonymous

Question: Over the years, we’ve received many questions from readers of Personal Report for the Administrative Professional about how to plan — and pull off — successful meetings and events. Now, it’s your turn to brag. What’s the best single thing you've done that made your meeting or event a success?  -- The editors

Question: If you’ve taken on more responsibility in the past five years, you aren’t alone. Admins are filling more advanced roles, according to a recent survey of more than 3,200 members of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. So, what new responsibilities have you taken on in recent years, and have they made your job more enjoyable or just more stressful? (Look for more coverage of the IAAP survey in the July issue of Personal Report.)  -- The editors

Question: We have three offices in our building and each office has a secretary.  One of our secretaries is a wonderful person but is too loud.  When I am around her, her laughter is so loud it hurts my ears.  It is disruptive to those working nearby and actually embarrassing when visitors are in the office.   Her immediate supervisor has skirted around the issue without addressing it directly, so she really has no idea what the problem actually is.  How can I help her and ease the pain on our eardrums?  -- Anonymous

Question: I just returned from a professional conference.  I've heard of people designating certain times as quiet time (or do not disturb time).  We discussed it, and the trainer suggested doing it on a daily basis, if needed. Each morning, just let your office workers know when you will not be available unless it is an emergency. I've heard of managers using this.  Do any of you admins use it and, if so, what is your process?  -- Jeannette, Rhode Island

Question: We are currently having difficulty getting new sales people.  We have placed ads in a major newspaper and a more local newspaper.  One of the ads also came with an online ad.  I even placed an ad with a local state office.  We are looking for new and better ways to advertise our current job openings in the sales department.  Does anyone have any suggestions as to what’s out there that works?  -- Anonymous

Question: How did you find your current job (newspaper ad, online ad, personal contact, etc.)? Tell us your story!  -- Amy Beth Miller,
Editor, Personal Report for the Administrative Professional

Question: What advice do you have for an admin who is new to supervising others?  -- Anonymous

Question: I work for a company of about 1,700 employees, spread out among about 50 different locations around the U.S. and the world.  My boss is a director of the largest finance department of the company, and is constantly needed in various teleconferences.  He depends greatly on his Outlook calendar to keep him informed of what's going on, but it is always inaccurate.  His executive assistant is the person who has access to his e-mails and to his calendar, and whose responsibility it is to keep them updated.  I am an assistant secretary to her, and a project assistant for the 45 other people in our department, from whom the majority of my work comes.

One of my job responsibilities is to regularly check our various Share Point sites, through which the departments of our company work together on different projects.  Meeting schedules are usually posted on these sites when they first put them up, but after that, meeting changes/announcements are made via e-mail (which I never see).  My boss is constantly asking me whether or not I am completing my job duties, because he doesn't believe that the updated meeting information has not been posted to the sites.

It is really the executive secretary's responsibility to keep his calendar up to date, as she has the access to all of his information.  However, when we have talked about this issue, she says that it's not her fault; it's that the people sending out the updates do not always include my boss on the "Send To" list!  Additionally, three different people might send out e-mails about the same meeting, the meeting might be referred to in three different ways, and also, the time zones are not always stated and are never consistent.  (So, she finds it difficult to always be on top of this).

I don’t know how to make sure that my boss's calendar is kept properly.  He seems to be blaming me, even though I have no control over or access to the information.  How do I help him with his schedule, and how do I show him that I AM doing my job well?  -- Anonymous