NEW Higher
Administration
Administration Services
Outcome 1.1
The Role of the Administrator
What does Administration involve?
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Communicating: telephone, email, faxes etc
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Keeping Records: diaries, reports, logbooks
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Providing and storing information: manual and electronic
systems
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Presenting information: WP, SS, DB, DTP and other software
eg accounting, project management
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Interpersonal skills: reception, internal and external
customers
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Systems and Procedures: including mail, reprographics,
arranging meetings and making travel arrangements
The Senior Administrator
Duties include planning, organising and supervising junior
members of staff.
They should be able to:
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Delegate
Make Decisions
Develop systems and procedures
Encourage and support other staff
Monitor and Evaluate systems
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Other duties include:
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recruitment and selection of staff;
training and appraisal;
ensuring that legislation is complied with and
the planning and organisation of meetings
Skills and Abilities
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QUICK to learn
ATTENTION to detail
ORGANISATIONAL skills
MOTIVATED and a TEAM PLAYER
CUSTOMER CARE
FLEXIBLE
ICT skills
PROBLEM SOLVING skills
TACT and INITIATIVE
COMMUNICATION and ENTHUSIASM
Recruitment
Internal
External
 Intranet
 Newspapers
 Bulletin
 Specialist
boards
 Newsletters
Journals
 Job Centres
 Internet Websites
 Education
Establishments
The Recruitment Process
 Job
Evaluation/Analysis – there may not
need to be a vacancy, roles may be
reassigned.
 Job
 Job
Description and Person Specification
Advertisement – the basic information
to attract potential candidates
The Job Description

Shows the job title, duties and responsibilities,
remuneration etc.
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Helps applicants complete their application form.
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Job Descriptions should be updated regularly to
reflect changes in the job and what the postholder is expected to do.
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Often a statement “and any other duties as
required by line manager and relevant to the
position”.
The Person Specification
 Shows
essential and desirable skills and
qualities.
 The
interviewer will use this document
during interviews to compare one
candidate with another.
Activity:
Job Description and
Person Specification
Use your research skills to find some
examples of Administration jobs.
Then create your own Job Description and
Person Specification for your own company.
Make use of tables within word processing.
Quick Quiz
Questions 1
Aims, Objectives and Targets
Achieving the Vision…
 Staff
need to share management vision.
 The
Senior Administrative Assistant will set
both personal and departmental targets
to meet these goals.
 Departmental
targets need teamwork
and individuals to meet their own
personal targets.
Importance of Target Setting
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Employees and departments know what
is expected of them
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Is the organisation achieving success?
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Any deviations from target can be
corrected, if monitored regularly
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Increased productivity
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Increase in motivation – trying to reach
the target set
The Mission Statement

A mission statement is a short statement of the aims of an
organisation, and how it will achieve these aims.
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It contains the values of the organisation eg “eco-friendly”
or “fair-trade” policies. This may improve the organisation’s
image.
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It will assist decision-making. It provides "the framework or
context within which the organisation’s strategies are
formulated.”
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It has the power to attract custom and helps employees
see their purpose in the business.
Recording Targets…
 Gantt
Write down a
Chart
short definition
 To-Do List
of each
 Priorities List
 Action Plan
 Electronic Diary (e-Diary)
 Personal Development Plan (PDP)
Recording Targets…
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Gantt Chart – shows comparisons between work planned
and work accomplished. Key target dates (milestones) will
be marked on the chart.
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To-Do List – shows a list of tasks to be completed.
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Priorities List – tasks put in order of importance.
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Action Plan – identifies what should be done by whom, with
expected completion dates
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Electronic Diary (e-Diary) – different views are available to
show daily/weekly/months
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Personal Development Plan (PDP)
Recording Targets…
Personal Development Plan (PDP):
 A document used to record formally areas
of strength and areas for development with
targets set taking account of the aspirations
of the employee.
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Allow an employee to:
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Focus on specific aspects of their job
Allows skills to be shared with others
Identify training needs
Expand job role in the organisation
SMART Targets
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Specific – state exactly what has to be done
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Measurable – state how much/what size, so
you know how to achieve them
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Agreed – with Line Manager as part of PDP
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Realistic – achievable but still a challenge
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Timed – key dates identified when the work
will be completed
Examples of SMART Targets
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By the end of next month a database of
100 suitable UK hotels for company
travel is to be compiled
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Within the next two months the manual
filing system detailing employee records
is to be transferred to a database.
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By 30 September, the administrative
assistant is to attend a training course on
our new CRM system
Monitoring and Improving
Performance
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Line manager checks eg meetings /staff updates
Gantt chart – targets and milestones
Audits checks to review current procedures
Mentoring systems (help and advice)
Buddy system (help and advice)
Sample quality checks (eg call centres)
Structured CPD programme
Job Shadowing
Job Enrichment
Job Rotation
Changing Priorities
 Unexpected
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circumstances:
Member of staff absent
Computer network ‘crashes’
Changed deadline for a piece of work
 Priorities
lists should list high, medium and
low priority items to assist with
rescheduling when required
An Effective Leader
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Good communication – verbal or written
Can build trust and relationships
Will listen to all ideas
Can influence others towards goals
Clear thought process
Able to analyse problems
Know the importance of delegation
Can motivate others effectively
Has the knowledge to deploy team skills
Minimise conflict
Poor Leadership
 Team
unclear = resources wasted = job
not done properly
 Low
motivation = longer to complete job =
low morale and high staff turnover
 Unlikely
to work under pressure = suffer
stress = can’t sustain a standard of work
Time to Test Your Leadership…
Time and Task Management
What is Time Management?
Time management is not
about how much time you
spend, but how it is spent.
Time Stealers –
Reducing Effectiveness
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Interruptions eg telephone or visitors
Meetings – set time limits
Taking on too much – delegate
Unable to find information – poor file managemnt
Acting without complete information
Crisis Management – not having plans
Unclear or Poor Communication
Inability to say “NO”
Desk Stress – clutter
Procrastination
Effects of Poor Time Management
 Staff
become stressed and absence
levels increase
 Poor productivity – work is not produced
as efficiently or to the right quality
 Morale will decrease – low job satisfaction
 Increase in accidents or unnecessary
incidents
 Increased costs to management
Managing Time Effectively
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Record appointments in desk/e-Diary
Access email only at certain times in the day
Good File Management
Delegate tasks to others
“Do Not Disturb” Time
Group Jobs – avoid unnecessary journeys
At end of each day – tidy desk and prepare
a priorities list
Allocate tasks as: must be done/needs
action/delegate
Delegation
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Develops staff abilities and motivation
Allows managers to have time, to carry out more
important tasks
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But…
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Fear of losing control – impact if something goes wrong
Job insecurity and loss of status
Unable to trust subordinates
Don’t want to overburden staff/upset staff/start conflict
Don’t know how to tell others to work
Lack of knowledge and strength of the team
Delegation
Consequences of poor delegation may include:
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Work not completed on time or a poor standard
Increased stress and possible absenteeism
Decreased motivation and unhappiness
Low productivity and efficiency levels
Benefits of Good Time Management
 Improved
morale and job satisfaction
 Increased productivity and better quality
of work
 Lower stress levels and less staff absence
 Better relations with both internal and
external clients
 Elimination of procrastination and
indecision
 Improved promotion prospects
Internet Activity
 Access
www.mindtools.com
 Choose Time Management
 Work through the activities and take some
short notes on Time Management
 There
are some example documents
which you can download.
Internet Activity
Some useful information can be
accessed here on the
businessballs.com website
Quick Quiz
Questions 2
NEW Higher
Administration
Administration Services
Outcome 1.1