Health care coverage if the job’s gone
Given the high cost of health care, many employees worry about what they would do if they lose their jobs. Experts offer this advice: Use it before you lose it; sign onto your spouse’s plan; look into COBRA.
Category: Productivity
Keeping up with all the online chatter
Tracking web sites, blogs, social networking sites, Twitter—it can be overwhelming. And if you’re not fluent with online tools, it can sometimes feel like a serious waste of time. Here are four tools to help you keep track, without straying to web pages you don’t have time for.
Ever think about being an ‘intrapreneur’?
You’ve been hearing a lot about creating value at work, especially lately, right? Being an intrapreneur is one way to do it. Intrapreneurs create a new process, product or service where they currently work. It’s like being an entrepreneur, but without venturing off to start your own business. It’s what Google famously allowed its employees time to do.
Stay tuned in to free professional advice
A podcast can turn a morning commute into a chance to work on your professional goals. And it’s completely free. Here are some of the best for administrative professionals.
Tell a tale to sell your ideas
As many companies cut back on expenses and, in some instances, cut staff, how do you maintain your edge and ask for what your department needs without immediately seeing your request denied? Tell a tale, become a storyteller and see your words make an impact.
Summer get-togethers for every budget
While you may not have been partying much at the office lately, some employers see summer as an ideal time for an all-staff get-together. Instead of spending a lot on flowers and glassware rentals, though, they’re getting creative with summertime themes. Here are ideas that assistants posted on the Admin Pro Forum.
Make decisions like Sully
We can learn a lot about good decision-making by noting how Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger behaved after he realized that both engines on US Airways Flight 1549 had cut out.
Solving life’s little gadget problems
Like McGyver, you probably have a trick or two that you deploy when you don’t have the exact items you need for the job. Maintain your reputation as “the one who always finds a solution, no matter what,” by using these low-tech solutions for common gadget problems:
1-Minute Strategies: May ’09
Boost productivity by “plotting” the items on your to-do list … Organize a boss’s overflowing e-mail box by setting up inbox folders … Manage team conflict with this tactic … Take a breather every hour, for peak productivity …
Stop interruptions: 4 gatekeeper moves
More than half of senior executives say they’re interrupted about once every 30 minutes, according to a Center for Creative Leadership survey. Here’s where assistants can play a vital role. Stave off interruptions by partnering with your boss, using these tactics.