Pinching pennies can save salaries
Pay attention to small amounts of spending that could add up to huge savings across your organization.
Year: 2005
Learn from the job you didn’t get
If you don’t win the promotion or new job you interviewed for, find out how to strengthen your position for the next opening. After every interview, immediately critique your own performance by asking yourself these questions.
Say ‘No’ at work without feeling guilty
Rachel Montgomery of Ft. Meade, Md., came close to burnout, working long hours and weekends, before she found the power to make a priority of what she has to do, should do and even wants to do. Here are her tips.
Make the most of your office
To survive in your workstation, you may have unconsciously adapted to many small inconveniences. Take a few minutes to analyze your surroundings, and you’ll see how small changes could add up to a major improvement to your work space … and your mood.
Grammar Repair Shop: Will they understand every word?
Problem: Moni Jackson, Toms River, N.J., takes minutes during a board of directors meeting. “At a recent session, the vice president stated that policies should be reviewed biannually,” Jackson told us. “I found out later that she actually meant once every two years. I believe the word should be ‘biennially.'”
Cubicle etiquette: Don’t be a prairie dog
If you’ve noticed a lack of “cubicle etiquette” around the office lately, distribute the following “good neighbor” checklist to your co-workers. Example: Don’t be an office prairie dog. Instead of popping your head over the top of a partition, walk around it to see your neighbor.
Catch more errors
Catch more errors by proofreading the last section of a document first.
Save the boss time: Screen applicants
To keep hiring from stealing too much time from your boss’s day, offer to interview promising candidates by phone before you set up an appointment.
Stand firm when marketing yourself
Sherry Turner, Chicago, wanted to apply for a newly created position in her organization that combined three jobs and offered more management duties than her existing admin job did.
Small offices can go paperless.
If you think your organization is too small for an electronic document system, check out eCabinet ( www. ecabinet.net ). This small (about 25 pounds), single device connects to computers, photocopiers, fax machines and other devices to capture and retrieve files.