Effective Office Management

Duration: Two Days

Suitable for: Anyone responsible for the smooth-running of a general or departmental office - whether newly appointed or wanting to develop their skills. Efficient office management requires a wide range of communication and organisational skills, including budgeting, buying and negotiating with suppliers, facilities and people management, trouble-shooting, HR administration and problem solving. If you want your office to run like clockwork, these two days will help you discover techniques and ideas to make it happen.

Objectives:

• To redefine the breadth of your role and key issues for success
• To learn to apply practical skills to organise the people and facilities in a busy office
• To focus on people management skills to get the best from your team
• To understand your objectives for internal and external customers
• To set up systems to manage and monitor budgets
• To learn how to buy and negotiate with suppliers confidently
• To apply assertive techniques to get things done to deadline
• To develop the key management skills and planning techniques which improve information flow and decision-making
• To embed project management techniques for planning through to successful completion

NB This is practical, hands-on training and you will use Microsoft Office applications as appropriate throughout the course.

Locations: Guildford, Surrey & London

Course Description

Day One

Setting the Scene

• Your objectives for the two days
• Discussion - current issues and expectations

Your role and responsibilities

• The importance of office management to your company
• The variety of responsibilities of the office manager
• The skills and qualities of an effective manager
• The strengths and weaknesses of your management style

Organisational effectiveness

• Setting up effective systems and procedures
• How process, procedures and templates aid efficiency
• What technology do you have, or need, to help you
• Structuring tasks - prioritising and time management
• Continuous improvement and corrective action

Managing Projects

• Using project management techniques to plan for success
• Setting up and managing your budget
• Defining your requirement and negotiating with suppliers
• Understanding and meeting stakeholders objectives
• Making decisions you can justify and gaining support

Day Two

Managing Yourself and Your Team

• Understanding and meeting your boss's expectations
• Setting realistic goals and deadlines for you/your team
• Delegating effectively and building confidence
• Building on the strengths of your team and dealing with areas for improvement
• Giving and receiving feedback

Communicating to make things happen

• Embracing change and helping others to do so too
• Running successful meetings to get things done
• Recognising different people have different objectives
• Handling challenging situations with confidence
• Influencing colleagues and customers

Resources to support you

• Review the number of free resources available
• Online support and helpful websites
• Peer and professional networking
• Keeping your thinking up to date

Review and Action Plan

• Your objectives for your return to work