Admin Prelim – Outcome 1 and 2

Leadership
Benefits:
• All team members will feel more motivated and gain more job satisfaction • Good relationship within the team making it more productive • Good use of delegation making employees more motivated • Improved communication leading to better decision making
Skills:
• Good communication skills, could be written or verbal • Able to build trust and relationships within the team • Able to listen to ideas so that all the team are included • Able to influence others towards the achievement of goals
Time Stealers • Making unnecessary journeys – group jobs so that visits to the photocopier etc are cut down. • Interruptions by telephone – learn how to control the conversations. • Unexpected visits by colleagues – be polite but firm especially if the person is just looking for a chat. • Taking on too much work – learn to say NO – be assertive.

Physical environment and morale
Ergonomics - Furniture wall colours, work stations lighting, protective equipment, ventilation • If the area/equipment is unsafe or insecure this can affect staff morale. • Office Layout – cellular/open plan relating to space/privacy/work flow • Lack of storage space and subsequent untidiness/health hazards • Sick Building Syndrome
Decision taken to minimise sick building syndrome: • Introduce better lighting, introduce better air conditioning, Ensure good natural light, Repaint with pastel colours
Display Screen regulation
Responsibilities:
• Appropriate safety equipment is provided for regular use of a PC eg wrist rests, adjustable seating etc • Ensure the equipment is maintained by carrying out regular checks eg testing electrical connections
Implications to employee if rules not followed: • Headaches or eye problems leading to low productivity or having to take time off work to recuperate • Loss of data therefore requiring the data to be inputted again – this is time consuming
Flexible Working Practices: • Employers can recruit and retain valued staff1 and meet changing customer requirements more easily. However there may be a lack of continuity and therefore customers would be dissatisfied. • The individual can balance work with other commitments. • Costs can be cut by using peripheral workers eg fixed term contracts to cover • busy periods. • Introduction of hot-desking means that savings in office space can be made. • Co-ordination of work flow, training etc is more difficult for management. Office Layout – change from open plan to traditional cellular layout: • Organisation may feel that some workers are too easily distracted in an open plan office. • Organisation may need more privacy to hold meetings. • Organisation may want to keep information more confidential or secure. • Organisation may want to cut down on the noise generated in an open plan office.

Outcome 3 and 4

Selection/testing in recruitment Testing: • Practical tests are used to check whether the information the candidate has written on their application form is correct. • It also helps the organisation assess whether the candidate has the necessary skills for the post they are applying for. • Medical tests to check if candidate is fit for the job. • Personality tests used to gain an insight into the candidates personality On/off the job training • Cost/Budget – Internal is more cost-effective than external training (travel, accommodation etc not required). • Time - Internal can be arranged as and when necessary. • Facilities available – What equipment is available within the organisation? • Suitable Learning Environment – Staff can be easily distracted and interrupted if they are in their own workplace. Staff Welfare: • Family friendly policies – flexible working/paid or unpaid paternity leave/duvet days • Advice – access to written company policies and procedures/advice of rights, grievance and disciplinary procedures • Return-to-work interviews – employee is invited to meet with their line manager after a period of absence • Counselling by a trained member of staff or by an external specialist/counselling on work and non-work issues Job description vs Person Specification • Both result from the job analysis. • Information from both documents is used to prepare the job advertisement. • Both are used by the candidate/organisation in the preparation for the interview. • The Job Description clearly defines the duties and responsibilities associated with the job, whereas the person specification lists skills and qualities required for the job.

Meeting Terms: • Abstain - Refrain from voting • Casting Vote - A second or additional vote held by the chairperson and used when there is deadlock • Ballot - This is a process of voting. • Unanimous - This is where everyone votes the same way for or against the motion.
Documents in meeting: • Notice of Meeting - Tells those eligible to attend the meeting where the meeting is to be held, the date and the time – often combined with an agenda – a set period of notice has to be given between issuing the Notice and the meeting. • Agenda - list of the items which will be discussed – listed in the order of discussion – some of the items are called ‘standard items’
Technology in Meetings: • Software (WP, SS, DTP, PP) for the preparation of documentation – e.g handouts, posters, charts, questionnaires • Web cam or videoconferencing or Tele-conferencing linkup – e.g guest speaker may not be able to travel to the focus meeting • Powerpoint can be used by a key speaker and can lead to a more interesting and focused presentation • Data Projector can be used to provide a focus e.g. viewing a film

Outcome 5 and ITFM01

Customer Service Policy: • Customer service policy details what a customer should expect of the organisation. Penalty payments may apply if deadlines are not met. • Service standards policies/Service level agreement will detail how a customer should be dealt with e.g detailing how long a customer should wait on a telephone before being spoken to. • Loyalty schemes will detail how the scheme operates and what the customer can expect to get as their reward. • Complaints procedure will detail what a customer should do if they have a complaint and how the organisation will deal with it.
Handling Complaints
Good practices: • Have an established complaints procedure. • The complaints procedure is transparent and available to all customers and is known to all staff. • Any complaints received are logged. • Those who handle complaints are given careful training e.g. time in which to reply and method of reply • It is often effective to have the same person deal with the complaint from start to finish.
Reasons for customers not complaining: • Too scared to approach a member of staff • Don’t know who to complain to • Don’t want to make a fuss • It would take too much time • Don’t think it will make a difference

Features of good information: • Reliability, accuracy, concise, Cost, effective, up-to-date

IFM02

Confidentiality of Information: • Use passwords to limit access , change passwords regularly • Lock material in secure cabinets, have a policy for quickly filing papers
Legislation:
Data Protection Act: • Data must be obtained lawfully and fairly. • Data must not be passed on without permission to a third party • Data must not be kept longer than necessary.
Computer Misuse Act: • It is an offence to try and access data held on a computer that you are not allowed to access • It is an offence to change/erase/move data that you shouldn’t have accessed. • It is an offence to introduce worms and viruses to a computer system.
Preventing Viruses: • Install high quality antivirus software on all computers and ensure that antivirus software is updated regularly. • Firewalls can be installed to prevent outside sources accessing system/data. This is important to organisations which run web-sites. • Forbid employees from using disks which have been used on computer systems out with the organisation unless checked on a standalone PC.
Intranet:
• All have access to the same data at the same time e.g customer feedback • Updated information is available to all at the same time – no issue about using different versions of data • Intranet provides an excellent notice board for advertising information to all team members
Internet
Advantages:
• It saves time as you do not have to leave your desk to find the information
• It operates 24/7 so you do not need to wait until information sources are open to find out information
• There is a lot of information to choose from
• It can be accessed anywhere
• Finding information is quicker than using paper based sources
• Finding information is relatively inexpensive
Disadvantages
• Do not always know the accuracy/reliability of the source of information
• Information is not always well organised and therefore it may take some time to find the correct information