4 Tips to Staying Organized as an Office Manager

Be Wise, Organize

Organized

Some people love to organize, while others take a more lackadaisical approach to their home and professional lives. Regardless of your natural organizational skills, however, you can find success as an office manager with the following four organizing tips.

or·gan·ized  [ˈôrɡəˌnīzd]

 ADJECTIVE: Arranged in a systematic way, especially on a large scale.

1) Make Organization Beautiful

As Debbie Fletcher points out on the Nimble blog, you’ll follow your organizational system more faithfully if you use beautiful supplies. Whether you like a colorful pen cup, patterned file folders, or a few mementos scattered around the office, try to make your workspace beautiful. Organization will become more enjoyable thanks to the aesthetic beauty you’ve created.

Some offices lend themselves to color and design more than others, but get creative. For example, select a themed mouse pad or bring a potted plant to sit on top of your file cabinet. Maybe you can get away only with customized stationery, as Fletcher suggests, but at least you’ve put forth the effort.

2) Keep Detailed Records

A paper trail doesn’t merely protect a business — it’s also essential for organization. When you write everything down, you can always find notes again. As the office manager, you can take point on record keeping, setting up your own system for recording information and storing records appropriately.

Most businesses now use digital records instead of hard copies. Put shortcuts to your most-used documents and folders on your computer’s desktop so that you can get to them with one mouse click. Don’t let files languish in generic folders. Move them to the correct storage site on your server or shared drives as soon as you create or receive them.

3) Download Organizational Apps

Your smartphone can do more than help you find creatures on Pokémon GO. Download organizational apps that can help you plan travel, arrange meetings, keep track of emails, and build your calendar. Since you probably carry your smartphone everywhere, you’ll always have an organizational device in your pocket.

If you can sync smartphone apps with other devices, such as your computer or tablet, you’ll get more value from the apps you use. Additionally, consider asking other employees to download the same apps so that you can share information and keep track of each other’s schedules.

4) Take Time to Purge

Similar to bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens, offices can become magnets for unused detritus. Obsolete paperwork, depleted pens, unused technological devices, and stacks of sticky notes can pile up on every surface. At least once a week, purge everything you no longer need.

Don’t simply clear off surfaces. Open drawers and cabinets, too, so they don’t stay crammed with unnecessary items. Put away everything you still need so that objects have their own dedicated storage spaces. Leave notes to let other office staff know if they should return items to a certain place or avoid touching specific items.

Keeping an office organized can take work, but honing your organizational skills will help you keep the chaos under control. Use the above strategies to turn your office into a well-oiled machine, and don’t let other staff members throw off your system.

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This article was originally published on CareerBuilder on 10/28/16

Image Sources: organize365.com

4 Tips for Managing Millennials

Actually, They Don't Suck

Work Life Balance

The millennial generation has an undeservedly bad reputation in the workforce thanks to people who have little experience with this group nevertheless calling out the entire generation as lazy, entitled, and unwilling to pay their dues.

This supposition is just a blatant misrepresentation when the truth is simply that they work differently than the generation before them. The secret to successfully managing millennials is really no secret at all.

It simply involves having a mind that’s open to new ideas and a willingness to listen to new, young employees.

Let Them Ask Questions

One thing that sets millennials apart from other generations, especially Gen X, is their unquenchable thirst for answers. That sounds like hyperbole but think of the millennials in your life as well as your work environment. This is a group that always asks “Why?”

They do not blindly follow orders; they are not yes-people.

Although this need to question the whys and wherefores of their directives may come across as arrogant, disrespectful, or even antagonistic, that’s not the driving force behind the trait. Rather, millennials simply want to understand what they’re doing and why. The previous generation raised millennials to become curious, inquisitive individuals. Let that work for your workplace.

Provide Constructive Feedback

Millennials do not crave praise. They do, however, appreciate feedback on their work and performances. They want to know how they’re doing not because they want their egos stroked, but because they genuinely care about doing a good job. Yes, they absolutely want acknowledgment for their hard work, but they also want to make sure they’re doing things

correctly. They don’t fear evaluations and they don’t get angry when they receive constructive criticism. They get better.

This is why it’s so essential to understand the causes behind millennial behavior in the workforce. It pays to look beyond the surface. To run a successful business and to get a return on your investment in your millennial employees, you have to understand this generation.

Maintain the Work/Life Balance

The work/life balance is of utmost importance to millennials. They’ve learned from previous generations that a life sustained only by work is no life at all. They know the risk of burning out and becoming demotivated.

Although this might seem counter-intuitive to a manager, understand that helping your employees balance their lives will ultimately improve their productivity and motivate them to work harder because they have the energy to do so.

Always Be Transparent

Millennials respect transparency. If something’s going wrong in the company, they want to know. If something needs improvement, they want to know. If layoffs are afoot, they want to know. Sneaky practices and subterfuge will not cut it with this generation.

Although there are certain things you cannot tell your employees, try to keep things as clear, honest, and open as possible. The payoff is worth it.

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Ryan Tyson | CopyPress Writers
ryan@copypresswriters.com

Image Sources: Seedcamp Photos