Administrative Office Procedures Instructor Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ..............................................................................................................................................7 What is Courseware? ................................................................................................................................ 7 How Do I Customize My Course? .............................................................................................................. 7 Materials Required ................................................................................................................................... 9 Maximizing Your Training Power .............................................................................................................. 9 Module One: Getting Started ........................................................................................................... 11 Housekeeping Items................................................................................................................................ 11 The Parking Lot ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Workshop Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 12 Module Two: Why Your Office Needs Adminstrative Procedures ....................................................... 13 Business Continuity ................................................................................................................................. 13 Succession Planning ................................................................................................................................ 14 Internal and External Audit Requirements ............................................................................................. 15 Recovery Planning .................................................................................................................................. 16 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 17 Module Two: Review Questions.............................................................................................................. 18 Module Three: Gathering the Right Tools ......................................................................................... 21 Binder...................................................................................................................................................... 21 Section Divider ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Sheet Protectors...................................................................................................................................... 23 Cover to Cover Binders............................................................................................................................ 23 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 24 Module Three: Review Questions ........................................................................................................... 26
Module Four: Identiyfing Procedures to Include................................................................................ 30 Tracking Tasks for Some Days ................................................................................................................ 30 Reach Out to Other Employees for Feedback/Ideas ............................................................................... 31 Write Down Daily Tasks .......................................................................................................................... 32 Keep Track Using a Spreadsheet............................................................................................................. 33 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 34 Module Four: Review Questions ............................................................................................................. 35 Module Five: Top Five Procedures to Record..................................................................................... 38 Use a Template to Stay Consistent from Track to Track ......................................................................... 38 Be as Detailed as Possible ....................................................................................................................... 39 Use Bullet Points Instead of Paragraphs................................................................................................. 40 Ask Someone to Execute the Procedure ................................................................................................. 41 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 42 Module Five: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 43 Module Six: What to Include in Your Binder (I).................................................................................. 46 Phone Etiquette ...................................................................................................................................... 46 Business Writing ..................................................................................................................................... 47 Effective Time Management................................................................................................................... 48 Creating Meeting Arrangements ............................................................................................................ 49 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 50 Module Six: Review Questions ................................................................................................................ 52 Module Seven: What to Include in Your Binder (II) ............................................................................ 55 Policy on Absences .................................................................................................................................. 55 Breaks ..................................................................................................................................................... 56 Salaries.................................................................................................................................................... 57 Benefits ................................................................................................................................................... 58
Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 59 Module Seven: Review Questions ........................................................................................................... 60 Module Eight: Organizing Your Binder .............................................................................................. 63 Create a Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... 63 List Each Section (e.g. Accounting) ......................................................................................................... 64 List Procedures in that Section................................................................................................................ 65 Keep Binder Updated with any New Changes ........................................................................................ 66 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 67 Module Eight: Review Questions ............................................................................................................ 68 Module Nine: What Not to Include in the Procedure Guide ............................................................... 71 Passwords ............................................................................................................................................... 71 Identify Other Confidential Information Via Your Employer ................................................................... 72 Store Information in a Separate Folder Outside of the Guide ................................................................ 73 Find a Secure Location to Store .............................................................................................................. 74 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 75 Module Nine: Review Questions ............................................................................................................. 76 Module Ten: Share Office Procedure Guide ...................................................................................... 79 Give Guide to Boss/Executive to Review ................................................................................................. 79 Inform Office Personnel of Procedure Guide .......................................................................................... 80 Place Guide in a Visible Area .................................................................................................................. 81 Allow Office Personnel to Express Improvements/Updates if Needed ................................................... 81 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 82 Module Ten: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 84 Module Eleven: Successfully Executing the Guide ............................................................................. 87 Create a One Hour Meeting/Seminar for Employees ............................................................................. 87 Stay Consistent with Procedures............................................................................................................. 88
Make Employees Aware of any Updated Changes ................................................................................. 89 Keep Open to Improvements .................................................................................................................. 90 Case Study............................................................................................................................................... 91 Module Eleven: Review Questions .......................................................................................................... 92 Module Twelve: Wrapping Up .......................................................................................................... 95 Words from the Wise .............................................................................................................................. 95 Review of Parking Lot ............................................................................................................................. 95 Lessons Learned ...................................................................................................................................... 96 Completion of Action Plans and Evaluations .......................................................................................... 96
To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart. Thomas Watson Sr. Preface What is Courseware? Welcome to Courseware.com, a completely new training experience! Our courseware packages offer you top-quality training materials that are customizable, user-friendly, educational, and fun. We provide your materials, materials for the student, PowerPoint slides, and a take-home reference sheet for the student. You simply need to prepare and train! Best of all, our courseware packages are created in Microsoft Office and can be opened using any version of Word and PowerPoint. (Most other word processing and presentation programs support these formats, too.) This means that you can customize the content, add your logo, change the color scheme, and easily print and e-mail training materials.
How Do I Customize My Course? Customizing your course is easy. To edit text, just click and type as you would with any document. This is particularly convenient if you want to add customized statistics for your region, special examples for your participants’ industry, or additional information. You can, of course, also use all of your word processor’s other features, including text formatting and editing tools (such as cutting and pasting). To remove modules, simply select the text and press Delete on your keyboard. Then, navigate to the Table of Contents, right-click, and click Update Field. You may see a dialog box; if so, click “Update entire table” and press OK.
(You will also want to perform this step if you add modules or move them around.) Page 7
If you want to change the way text looks, you can format any piece of text any way you want. However, to make it easy, we have used styles so that you can update all the text at once. If you are using Word 97 to 2003, start by clicking the Format menu followed by Styles and Formatting. In Word 2007 and 2010 under the Home tab, right-click on your chosen style and click Modify. That will then produce the Modify Style options window where you can set your preferred style options. For example, if we wanted to change our Heading 1 style, used for Module Titles, this is what we would do:
Now, we can change our formatting and it will apply to all the headings in the document. For more information on making Word work for you, please refer to Word 2007 or 2010 Essentials by Courseware.com.
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Materials Required All of our courses use flip chart paper and markers extensively. (If you prefer, you can use a whiteboard or chalkboard instead.) We recommend that each participant have a copy of the Training Manual, and that you review each module before training to ensure you have any special materials required. Worksheets and handouts are included within a separate activities folder and can be reproduced and used where indicated. If you would like to save paper, these worksheets are easily transferrable to a flip chart paper format, instead of having individual worksheets. We recommend these additional materials for all workshops:
Laptop with projector, for PowerPoint slides
Quick Reference Sheets for students to take home
Timer or watch (separate from your laptop)
Masking tape
Blank paper
Maximizing Your Training Power We have just one more thing for you before you get started. Our company is built for trainers, by trainers, so we thought we would share some of our tips with you, to help you create an engaging, unforgettable experience for your participants.
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Make it customized. By tailoring each course to your participants, you will find that your results will increase a thousand-fold. o
Use examples, case studies, and stories that are relevant to the group.
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Identify whether your participants are strangers or whether they work together. Tailor your approach appropriately.
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Different people learn in different ways, so use different types of activities to balance it all out. (For example, some people learn by reading, while others learn by talking about it, while still others need a hands-on approach. For more information, we suggest Experiential Learning by David Kolb.)
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Make it fun and interactive. Most people do not enjoy sitting and listening to someone else talk for hours at a time. Make use of the tips in this book and your own experience to keep your participants engaged. Mix up the activities to include individual work, small group work, large group discussions, and mini-lectures.
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Make it relevant. Participants are much more receptive to learning if they understand why they are learning it and how they can apply it in their daily lives. Most importantly, they want to know how it will benefit them and make their lives easier. Take every opportunity to tie what you are teaching back to real life.
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Keep an open mind. Many trainers find that they learn something each time they teach a workshop. If you go into a training session with that attitude, you will find that there can be an amazing two-way flow of information between the trainer and trainees. Enjoy it, learn from it, and make the most of it in your workshops.
And now, time for the training!
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An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. Edwin Land Module One: Getting Started Administrative office procedures may not be glamorous, but they are essential to the success of any enterprise. A well run office reduces miscommunications and helps to eliminate common errors. By making the administrative office a priority, you will establish clear policies and procedures with employee understanding and buy-in, which ensures that your work environment runs smoothly.
Housekeeping Items Take a few moments to cover basic housekeeping items.
If you need an opening or a way to introduce the participants to each other, utilize the Icebreakers folder to begin or between breaks during the day.
Let participants know where they can find washrooms, break facilities, and fire exits.
Ask participants to turn off their cell phones or at least turn them to vibrate. If they must take a call, request that they do it outside.
Take this time to encourage the group to ask questions and make this an interactive workshop.
Write the words Respect, Confidentiality, and Practice on a piece of flip chart paper and tape it to the wall. Explain to participants that in order to get the most out of this workshop, we must all work together, listen to each other, explore new ideas, and make mistakes. After all, that’s how we learn!
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The Parking Lot Explain the concept of The Parking Lot to participants.
The Parking Lot is a visible place where you will “park” ideas that arise which are not on the agenda, may be off topic, or are better addressed outside of the program.
At the end of the session, we will review parked ideas and follow up, or make suggestions for your own investigation when you are back at work.
Suggestions for the trainer: 1. If you are working with a large group of participants, you may wish to nominate a recorder to park items as you are facilitating. 2. It’s a good idea to note the name of the contributor along with the parked item. 3. Items noted on the parking lot can be useful to you later as you plan future training sessions.
Workshop Objectives Research has consistently demonstrated that when clear goals are associated with learning, it occurs more easily and rapidly. With that in mind, let’s review our goals for today. At the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:
Organize a binder
Develop procedures
Prepare checklists
Understand succession planning
Collect the correct tools
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You can’t do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow. Anonymous
Module Two: Why Your Office Needs Administrative Procedures Administrative procedures are more than mundane policies. They are put in place to ensure the survival of the company in any event or situation. From catastrophes, to change, to basic day-to-day activities, administrative office procedures address them all when they are done correctly. Business continuity, succession planning, audit requirements, and recovery planning are all included in administrative procedures.
Business Continuity Business continuity is also known as business continuance. It is the plan in place to keep a company running in the event of a disaster, both during and after the disaster. Establishing business continuity requires identifying essential tasks first. This includes items and services that are critical for the organization to function. These will vary by organization but they include technology, employee safety, sound structure, etc. Business Continuity Steps:
Determine risks that the company will likely face (weather, IT, sabotage, etc.).
Analyze the effects of each risk or hazard that you discover on different aspects of the company (safety, functions, assets, etc.). Determine how long your company could function if one of these risks came to pass and what recovery would require.
Develop a team and strategy to address the potential problems.
Develop a plan and document each step before sharing it with the rest of the team.
Test the plan using different methods such as drills, walkthroughs, and checklists.
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Estimated Time
7 minutes
Topic Objective
Introduce business continuity. Business Continuity
Topic Summary Consider business continuity. Materials Required
01 - Business Continuity
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Complete the worksheet individually. Share your answers with the rest of the class.
Stories to Share
Share any personal or relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
What is an essential task?
Succession Planning Successful succession planning develops a pool of talent so that there are more than enough qualified candidates to fill vacancies in leadership. This strategy requires recruiting qualified talent, creating a talent pool, and instilling loyalty in employees.
Identify goals and objectives: Common goals include profitability, employee loyalty, service, and productivity.
Identify needs in the company: Consider changes in the responsibilities of different positions the company develops.
Recognize trends in the workforce: Understand the changes occurring in within and without your organization, such as an aging workforce.
Develop the employee pool: Determine where to find employees to fill in the gaps (within, recruiting drives, social media, etc.), and develop a plan to engage them once they are chosen.
Estimated Time
10 minutes
Topic Objective
Problem solving.
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Problem Solving Topic Summary Explore creative problem solving. Materials Required
02 - Succession Planning
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Complete the worksheet individually. Share your answers with the rest of the class.
Stories to Share
Share any personal relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
Define succession planning.
Internal and External Audit Requirements Both internal and external audits are important for identifying risks that organizations face. The internal audit addresses how effective and reliable administrative controls are. An internal audit also addresses record accuracy, legal compliance, and management action. Internal audits and external audits are similar, but the internal auditor is an employee of the company that he or she audits. The external auditor is not an employee, and he or she will create a report based on the finances, operations, and compliance of companies. Both internal and external auditors provide recommendations based on their assessments. The auditor, whether internal or external, is required to be independent and objective, qualified, provide adequate testing, provide adequate documentation and action, offer verification and review, and give a report that will be reviewed by relevant parties, such as the board of directors.
Estimated Time
7 minutes
Topic Objective
Introduce internal and external audit requirements. Internal and External Audit Requirements
Topic Summary
Consider the importance of imagination and inspiration to the creative process.
Materials Required
Flipchart/board and marker
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Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Discuss your experiences with internal and external audits. Consider the pros and cons of each, and list these on the flipchart/board.
Stories to Share
Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
What do audits identify?
Recovery Planning Recovery planning goes hand-in-hand with business continuity. Recovery planning or disaster recovery planning is the process that is put in place to recover data, software, hardware, and manpower that the company needs to start back up after a disaster.
Recovery Planning Steps:
Identify critical systems and prioritize them, and identify potential risks.
Determine strategies for data, technology, suppliers, people, and facilities.
Create a plan with step-by-step instructions based on the strategies discovered.
Test the recovery plan and make adjustments as necessary.
Estimated Time
7 minutes
Topic Objective
Introduce recovery plans. Recovery Planning
Topic Summary Discuss recovery plans. Materials Required
03 - Recovery Plan
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Complete the worksheet individually. Share your answers with the rest of the
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class. Stories to Share
Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
What does a recovery plan relate to?
Case Study Sharon worked at the same company for 26 years. She was coming close to retirement and asked her supervisor if her help was needed training her replacement. She was surprised to learn that no one was in the running for her position, and she retired in a month. Her supervisor explained that they were having trouble finding someone qualified to replace her.
Estimated Time
5 minutes
Topic Objective
Outline the Why Your Office Needs Administrative Procedures case study. Case study
Topic Summary Discuss the importance of succession planning. Materials Required
None
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Discuss the outcome of the case study. What should have been done differently? What do you think will happen after Sharon retires?
Stories to Share
Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
Why do you think there was there no replacement?
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Module Two: Review Questions 1. Business continuity is also called _______. a) b) c) d)
Business strength Business continuance Business conformity Business combination
Business continuity is also called business continuance. It keeps a company going in the event of a disaster. 2. What is not an example of a risk? a) b) c) d)
Weather IT Sabotage Functions
Functions need to be analyzed in business continuity, but they are not risks. The other answers are. 3. What are profitability, employee loyalty, service, and productivity? a) b) c) d)
Goals Needs Trends All of the above
It is important to determine goals in succession planning. Goals are profitability, employee loyalty, service, and productivity. 4. An aging workforce is an example of a ________. a) b) c) d)
Need. Goal. Trend. None of the above
Trends are factors that influence the needs of succession planning. An aging workforce is an example of a trend.
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5. Which type of auditor works for the company being audited? a) b) c) d)
External Internal Both Neither
Internal auditors work for the company being audited. External auditors do not work directly for the company being audited. 6. What is Not required of an auditor? a) b) c) d)
Objectivity Independence Reports Leadership skills
Auditors must be objective and qualified, provide adequate testing, provide adequate documentation and action, offer verification and review, and give a report that will be reviewed by relevant parties. Leadership skills are not required. 7. What is the first step in recovery planning? a) b) c) d)
Identify critical systems Create instructions Test the recovery plan Create a plan
All of the answers are necessary in recovery planning. The first step is to identify critical systems. 8. What is the last step in recovery planning? a) b) c) d)
Identify critical systems Create instructions Test the recovery plan Create a plan
All of the answers are necessary in recovery planning. The last step is to test the recovery plan.
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9. How long did Sharon work for her company? a) b) c) d)
26 years 25 years 24 years Unknown
Sharon was nearing retirement. She had worked for her company for a total of 26 years. 10. When was Sharon retiring? a) b) c) d)
A Year 2 weeks A month 2 months
Sharon was going to retire in a month. She was surprised that there was no candidate for her replacement.
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Give us the tools and we will finish the job. Winston Churchill
Module Three: Gathering the Right Tools Any activity requires the use of the correct tools, and the administrative office is no exception. Administrative binders and other materials are necessary tools that ensure tasks are completed correctly. By gathering the necessary information and finding these tools, you will eliminate confusion and ensure that your procedures are done correctly.
Binder Administrative binders contain instructions on administrative procedures that all employees will be able to use. Begin by choosing a binder and collecting the necessary dividers and sheet protectors. Creating a binder requires you to keep track of the day-to-day operations. You must also develop a list of responsibilities for different jobs. The list should include daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks. The binder needs to include basic procedures. Begin with the job descriptions and interview different employees to determine their tasks. We will discuss what information is needed and how to collect it in depth in the next module. The binder should also include basic resources such as phone lists, locations, and planning checklists. These will vary by organization, but technology guides and other information that is essential to know about the company’s systems should also be included.
Estimated Time
8 minutes
Topic Objective
Introduce binders. Binder
Topic Summary Consider what to include in binders. Materials Required Page 21
04 – Binder
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Complete the worksheet individually.
Stories to Share
Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
What do binders include?
Section Divider Section dividers are used to physically break down the binder into different sections so that information will be easier to find. After collecting all of the relevant information, organize it and create a table of contents. The table of contents will guide your section division. (We will specifically address the table of contents later.) The sections and topics will vary by organization, but they need to be organized in a clear and concise manner. Use tabbed sheet protectors as section dividers to make it easier to find specific information.
Estimated Time
8 minutes
Topic Objective
Explore the importance of section division. Section Divider
Topic Summary Discuss section dividers. Materials Required
Flipchart/board and marker
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Discuss different ways to organize binders. Create a list of sections as a group and list these on the flipchart/board.
Stories to Share
Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
What do section dividers do?
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Sheet Protectors Sheet protectors are necessary to keep the binder safe from accidents and spills. Tabbed sheet protectors should be used for section dividers. Regular, un-tabbed sheet protectors need to be used for the other pages in the binder. Heavy-duty sheet protectors are recommended for pages that will be used frequently such as templates, phone lists, and checklists. It is not necessary to place each page in sheet protectors. Leaving the bulk of pages outside of sheet protectors will make it easier to make changes to the information when necessary.
Estimated Time
7 minutes
Topic Objective
Introduce sheet protectors. Sheet Protectors
Topic Summary Consider ways to remove mental blocks. Materials Required
Flipchart/board and marker
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Refer to the lists made in the previous section. Discuss which topics and items should use sheet protectors. Note these on the flipchart/board.
Stories to Share
Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
Why are sheet protectors necessary?
Cover to Cover Binders Once you have collected all of the items needed to create a binder, determined what should be included, and organized the information, it is time to place everything in the binder. Choosing the correct binder is important. The information in the binder should be completely enclosed so that it is kept safe. The binders need to be reviewed cover-to-cover to ensure that they are completely enclosed. The size of the binder typically used for this purpose should be one ½ inch to 2 inches wide. It is important to choose a binder that is large enough to add pages to if necessary. Additionally, choosing a binder that is too small can cause the pages to tear and fall out as the binder is used.
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Estimated Time
8 minutes
Topic Objective
Consider the importance of choosing the correct binders. Cover to Cover Binders
Topic Summary Discuss binders. Materials Required
Samples of different binders
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Show the class samples of different binders. Discuss how many pages can be included in different size binders. Have the class share stories of troublesome binders that they have used.
Stories to Share
Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
When is the information placed in the binder?
Case Study Aaron was told to create a procedures binder with the tools available to him. He was able to find a 1-inch binder and un-tabbed sheet protectors. As he was putting the binder together, he realized that it was going to be a tight fit. To create section dividers, he placed post-it notes between the sections. As he looked through it, pages fell out and so did the section dividers.
Estimated Time
5 minutes
Topic Objective
Outline the Gathering the Right Tools case study. Case Study
Topic Summary Discuss the importance of tools. Materials Required
None
Planning Checklist
None
Recommended Activity
Discuss the outcome of the case study. What should Aaron have done
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differently? Stories to Share
Share any personal relevant stories.
Delivery Tips
Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions
What was Aaron’s task?
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Module Three: Review Questions 1. Which of the following is Not a resource? a) b) c) d)
Contact list Checklist Job descriptions Planning locations
Job descriptions can be used to help create binders. The other answers are resources that can be included in binders. 2. What is the first step in creating an administrative binder? a) b) c) d)
Choose a binder Interview employees Read job descriptions None of the above
The first step in creating an administrative binder is to collect the necessary tools. The binder is the necessary tool. 3. What is useful as a section divider? a) b) c) d)
Folders Tabbed sheet protector Un-tabbed sheet protector Multiple binders
Section dividers break the binder into sections. Tabbed sheet protectors are useful as section dividers. 4. How do section topics vary? a) b) c) d)
Department By leadership By demographic Organization
The section topics for each organization will vary according to its structure.
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5. Frequently used pages will require which of the following? a) b) c) d)
Tabbed sheet protectors Heavy duty sheet protectors Un-tabbed sheet protectors None of the above
Frequently used pages will require heavy-duty page protectors. Not every page needs a page protector. 6. Why not use sheet protectors on all pages? a) b) c) d)
Save money There is not room The binder would be bulky It is easier to make changes
It is not necessary to use sheet protectors on all sheets. This allows you to write down changes easily. 7. What is the average size of a binder? a) b) c) d)
1 ½ inches 1 inch 3 inches 2 ½ inches
Binders are typically 1 ½ to 2 inches. The first answer choice is correct. 8. What occurs when the binder is too small? a) b) c) d)
It is too difficult to organize There is not enough room for the binder Pages fall out None of the above
When binders are too small, they cannot easily contain all of the pages. This causes the pages to fall out of the binder.
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9. What size binder did Aaron have? a) b) c) d)
1-inch 1 ½ inch 2 inches 3 inches
Aaron used a 1-inch binder. This was too small to complete the task. 10. What type of sheet protector did Aaron use? a) b) c) d)
None Tabbed and un-tabbed Tabbed Un-tabbed
Aaron only had un-tabbed sheet protectors. This made section dividers difficult to establish.
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