In today’s business environment managers are expected to do more work in less time with less staff. There are ongoing distractions that can slow you down or completely divert you from your intended plan for the day or week. The art of saving time and managing tasks effectively is an important one if you are going to survive in the competitive world of the office.

The key to effective time management is good organisation skills. This can mean dividing your day so that you have allocated time to action all your tasks by the end of the day. The first thing you need to ensure is that you keep your office desk uncluttered. If you keep a clear and tidy office desk you’ll keep a clear and organised mind.

Here are some tips to help you manage your day:

Make sure your office equipment is fully functional and report any faults with office equipment such as office chairs or computers immediately.

When carrying out a task, make sure you have all the office tools you need to finish the job. If you take time to plan in advance you can order any missing stationery to make sure you complete the task to the best of your ability.

Utilise administration staff by delegating tasks to them such as binding documents or helping with PowerPoint presentations for example.

Take control of your own deadlines and acknowledge it if you know a deadline is not feasible.

When a new recruit arrives the first few weeks can seem something like a honeymoon period. Both the new recruit and the employer are weighing up the other and deciding whether they suit each other.
However there are a high percentage of people who leave their job very quickly after first starting a new company. Why is it that things can go so terribly wrong?

1. The wrong person is chosen

If the company have been looking to fill a position for some time desperation can set in. It can feel like the company is picking the best of a bad bunch or things are so desperate the first person to sit down in the office chair gets swooped up.

2. The wrong person does the interview

It can also be the case that the wrong member of existing staff carries out the interview. Some companies rely on Human Resources to handle all the interviewing. Although there are some advantages to this there are also downsides. The HR manager may not be fully aware of what is required in the job or understand fully how the team works.

3. No Induction

There are still many companies that do not have inductions. It is essential that a new recruit has an induction to explain the role of departments, to get a feel for the history and culture of a company and to understand the protocols.

On average a British office worker will have around thirty seven hours of unfinished work sat on top of the office desk in piles of paper, faxes and bulging email inboxes. Often they are the jobs that we all love to hate that keep being shoved to the back of the queue for other pleasanter jobs. It can also be the case that you spend most of the day fire fighting and some of the more strategic tasks that can make life easier in the long run get sidelined as you react to phone calls and emails.

If you are seen by your boss to drowning under a mountain of email and have desk that is covered corner to corner in paper and documents they will assume that you are simply busy. However what should be considered is whether the employee needs help with time management and prioritisation. Bad organisation skills and the inability to delegate can lead to even senior managers putting off more important tasks to react to day-to-day crises.

If you know that you suffer from mounds of paper consider how you can address your time management. Look carefully at the types of papers you have stacked on your desk. Make some simple files – ‘To Do’, ‘To Read’ and ‘To File’. Split the papers into these different files. You’ll find that much of the clutter is down to delayed decisions. You can organise yourself straight away by putting incoming papers and emails into these three files. Next, look at prioritising tasks and delegating where possible to others. This new approach will make clutter a thing of the past.

Your first day in the office as a new starter can be daunting and downright scary! Meeting all those new people, trying to tackle the challenges of a new role and tiptoeing around office politics can make the first few weeks something of a headache. It can also be strange for the existing employees as they often have said goodbye to a trusted work colleague and will need time to accustom themselves to a new team mate.

The new arrival often feels that it will take forever before people start to accept them and that the tight office cliques are impenetrable! Sat in your office chair surveying the office it can be hard to find a welcoming face at first. People have already bonded, have secret jokes and pet names and know where the stationery cupboard is!

However these initial feelings will rapidly fade away. Businesses welcome new blood to the office. It keeps the business vibrant and fresh. A new starter provides a new distraction and people love to learn about their latest addition to the team. This is sure to attract curious team mates over to chat.

Be sure to not criticise current procedures straight away and take an interest in your colleagues by finding common ground to talk about. Before you know it you can relax, be yourself and await the arrival of the next new recruit.

To create a fully functional operational office you need to ensure the following factors are accommodated fully – internal and external communications should be efficient and have sound procedures.

If communication channels flow well and are effective then it is highly likely that the business will operate in a quick and efficient manner and prove successful.

Face to face communication may often take place in the boardroom whether it’s between key members of senior management or interfacing with customers. To make communication effective and to provide the best impression you must choose the office furniture carefully. The boardroom office desk for example must be able to accommodate a large number of people comfortably.

When placing staff and teams of people, again thought should be given to the office furniture layout and positioning of team members. The placing of staff next to each other must be carefully considered. A bad pairing can result in office politics and also may distract certain employees from their day-to-day tasks.

To manage negative forms of office communication then businesses that thrive often adopt motivational team building activities and bridge building exercises. Another method is to hold regular inter-departmental meetings where staff can air grievances and share ideas.

There comes a time in everyone’s working life when we need to stand back and evaluate our position at work and acknowledge that we may be feeling dissatisfied.

It is accepted that every job has its bad days along with the good days and even those downright awful days when we literally run out of the building at five o’clock. However if it feels like everyday is turning into your worst nightmare and you are starting to dread getting up in the morning you need to take stock. If you’re finding that simple tasks are getting on top of you, that the old filing cabinet is annoying you as it blocks your desk or you’re finding it difficult to be civil to work colleagues then take these as signs that you may have a wider issue that is niggling you.

In this economic climate finding a new job is difficult and changing career even more so. Therefore it is prudent to take time to assess your feelings about your current job rather than making a rash and hasty decision.

If you are suffering from sleepless nights and feel constantly stressed then the situation isn’t a healthy one. Initially try to change your daily routine and make time for relaxation time which may make the job more bearable.

Try biking to work or taking a walk at lunch. Going to the gym after work to work off the stress can also help or take up yoga to relax.

Working in a large office with a group of colleagues can bring with it many distractions to lure you away from that ever increasing task list. During the normal course of the day it can be difficult to remain focused and find quality time to sit at your office desk and get things done.

There will be times when a distraction or two is welcome; if you’ve had a hectic week but if there are ongoing distractions this can soon affect your work productivity and make life stressful.

Here are some ways to eliminate unwanted distractions:

Some workers will do little else than flutter from one desk to another like an office social butterfly. They love nothing more than to gossip and chatter with their colleagues and can be a terrible distraction from work. If you spot your office chatterbox heading your way then be ready with an opening line to get rid of them. Keep it firm but polite and then put your head down to work. Eventually they will get the message that you are too busy.

In these challenging times it is best to make sure you are as effective at work as possible by limiting your chit chat to break times and lunch; this will keep you in the boss’s good books and help you to meet those deadlines.

One of the key things you need to do to ensure you are happy and content at work is to reduce stress levels. Today, business can be tough and challenging with employers expecting more from staff than ever before. Here are three top tips for reducing stress:

The Stress Ball

You’ll have seen these things littered around office desks. They are usually hand sized balls that are reasonably soft, but need some force to squash in your hand. As you squeeze and the let go they spring back to their normal shape and size. When stressed, you can direct all your frustration, anger and stress into this little ball. It gives your body and mind an outlet to focus on and the act of squeezing can make you feel better.

The Sound of Water

Running water can be peace inspiring and relaxing. The gentle flow of water triggers in us the act of relaxation. There are table top fountains you can buy for your office desk, or even CDs with running water and sounds of the sea to calm you.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy oils can be used to relax you. There are certain oils that stimulate and those that cam and relax the body. Use a simple oil burner in your office with oils such as Lavender and Chamomile to soothe the senses.

The secret of a good presentation is to prepare. By giving thought to the different aspects of the presentation you can be sure to develop a winning presentation that will achieve your goals and be remembered by your audience.

When to Present

Timing is crucial. You need to be aware of the best timing to bring your contributions to a particular audience making sure your presentation is relevant to certain issues and topics that are current. There are times to speak and other times it is best to remain silent.

Where to Present

If you have time visit the venue. Check out the facilities, the layout of the room and rearrange the office furniture to best suit your needs. Make sure rooms are available and that visual aids and technologies are set up for you on the day.

Why Present

If you want to successfully convert listeners then you need to be sure you understand what they will listen to. You may need to point out to them why they need to listen.

When putting together slides remember less is more. Use graphs and images rather than lots of words as this is more effective, and don’t be too detailed.

There is a huge preference growing towards being able to work away from a fixed place of work rather than being tied to the office desk. As our lives become busier and our family commitments more difficult to balance with the traditional nine to five job, more people are choosing to work remotely.

Working from home can actually enhance productivity and communication. A laptop provides so much flexibility that you no longer need a traditional office desk to work at. You simply need to find a flat surface.

There was a survey carried out by Working Nation for Vodafone last year. Employees across the UK revealed that they felt their performance increased dramatically if they were able to work from a home office. Fifty nine percent of staff who took part found they were much more creative and focused when not chained to an office chair.

Parents in work find that mobile technologies such as laptops and mobile phones allow them to juggle work and home life much more successfully. Working from home allows them to cope with the day-to-day demands of children and family.

The marketing manager for T Mobile and Blackberry, Camilla Cochrane commented:

“For working mothers, a lot of the difficulty they have is being able to grab those minutes between meetings and the office desk, or on their way to or from work, and make the most of them. A device like the Blackberry is so handy for that because you don’t have to be anywhere in particular to use it. Working mums feel more in control as they know they’ve got it covered.”