/TAR_February

REAL ADMIN NEWS FOR REAL ADMIN WORKERS

5 February 2011

THE ADMIN REPORT

THE ADMIN REPORT WELCOME NOTE Welcome to the first official newsletter written by admin workers for admin workers every-where.

Each month there will be different articles based on topics and issues that are relevant to you and if you would like to submit any This newsletter discusses articles or express any the admin world, office issues or opinions let me issues, and any other office know so I can submit them related topics specifically into this newsletter. written for administration workers, virtual assistants, This month I will be clerical officers, office focussing on Working at managers, receptionists Home, Office Ergonomics, and any other admin The Eco-Friendly based profession.

Workspace, Work Stress & How to Beat it and many more articles that hopefully

you will find interesting and informative.

To contact me for any comments you have on any articles or topic submissions, please don’t hesitate to contact me: reneech@westnet.com.au

Enjoy

☺

Renee Chapman The Admin Chick www.theadminchick.com.au

For article submission or comments, contact Renee at reneech@westnet.com.au

In this Issue: • Welcome Note • Office Ergonomics • Professional Development • Eco-Friendly Workspace • The “S” Word • Events • Who Is?

THE ADMIN REPORT 5 February 2011

Office Ergonomics If you work in an office, chances are relieve some of the problems you have in some instances, associated office work. experienced symptoms of • Take a break, frequently - if Occupational Overuse Syndrome you take a 10-15 min break every 2 (OOS). OOS covers a range of hand, hours or so you'll be surprised how arm & neck issues such as Carpal refreshed you’ll feel, if you can get Tunnel Syndrome & is becoming outside & get a bit of natural more common than ever.

Vitamin D (Sun), thats even better!

With the increased use of • Look away - Sitting in front of a computer related activities in the screen all day can take its toll on workplace, and at home, there is a your eyes, make sure that your huge rise in related injuries and as monitor is at the correct height & office professionals we need to look not too far away. Invest in a good after ourselves. screen filter & new monitor if need A lot of co-workers seem to think be. that admin officers, etc, just sit on • Posture - Try to sit up straight their butt & answer the phone & I and keep your shoulders back. totally disagree with this. We are the More importantly invest a great bread & butter to any organisation & chair that has lumbar support and our profession is one of the most is comfortable, your back will thank important, so it is essential to look you for it. after ourselves. With that in mind, I • Stretches - There are many have a few tips that may help to stretches you can do, a couple of good one are pictured right.

Professional Development Knowledge is power!

If you’re anything like me, then updating your skills and knowledge is something that you’re always looking for. But maybe you’d rather study on your own terms. Below is a list of places that I would recommend for anyone looking to improve and compliment their knowledge & skills base & you’re able to take your time.

• ACS Education - ACS has full certification on a number of different study fields but also has a lot of short courses you can do such as Leaderships Skills, Event Management, and others. You can study online, by correspondence or elearning (CD work). Some courses have very lenient time schedules others have none. www.acs.edu.au

• Accredited Online Training - AOT has a number of courses that you can do online, including short courses & Advanced Diplomas some of which may be government funded. All lessons are done online and they give you access to their portal for a certain period in order to do the work. www.aot.edu.au

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

Henry Ford

• Cengage - Formerly Thomson Education Direct is one of the leaders in distance education and their time frames for which you can complete courses is great.

They can give you from 1 - 4 years to complete your studies & have a wide range of courses available. www.cengage.edu.au

For article submission or comments, contact Renee at reneech@westnet.com.au

FASHIONMONTHLY 5 February 2011

“You are a product of your environment, so choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyse your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you towards success - or are they holding you back?”

W Clement Stone

The Eco Office

If you want to do your eco bit in the office but not sure where to start then maybe this article might help.

To be honest going green is easier than what some people think. All it takes is bit of common sense & openness to the idea of change. Not only will you help save the planet but you’ll also save money.

More importantly, is trying to educate others to do the right thing. Most people just don’t want to change. I was working in an office some years ago & while I was on a break I saw a fellow co-worker printing out a document that was about 100 pages. I noticed that she had not used the double sided option. She knew how to do it but she just forgot, so putting up signs in the office may be a good idea to spark their memory.

Here are a few simple tips to use in your office: • Printing - Use the Print Preview & Go for double sided printing where-ever possible, you will save much more paper • Stationery - start recycling your cartridges, paper & containers & try to buy stationery that is made from recycled material (Neco, Todae, even Office National are great stores to buy from)

• Computers - Switch off the Screen saver - it uses more energy when you have one on. Especially if your not using for a while. Upgrade the memory in your PC before thinking about buying a new one.

• Office - Use natural light and invest in a few indoor plants & make sure the air-con doesn’t go lower than 24 degrees, any higher & it will overwork & cost you more.

• Travel - Set up a car pool or better yet walk or ride to work, maybe you can even work at home. If you need to have face to face contact think about using Skype or other video-conferencing instead of flying.

• Go paperless - use online storage like Dropbox or Google Docs to store your files. Cloud Computing is becoming more & more popular, because you can access your files from anywhere and you don’t need CD’s.

• Equipment - get your equipment serviced regularly and try to buy energy star rated items.

Also know how to use them properly to get the most out of them.

Up Coming Events * Office Professional of The Year Dinner- 22nd of February The WA Division of Australian Institute of Office Professionals is having their annual awards dinner on Tuesday 22nd of Feb to congratulate workers working in the office profession. For more info go to www.aiop.com.au/wa

* Clean Up Australia Day - 1st March The time has come around again to select a site that you feel needs cleaning up and help keep Australia beautiful. for more info go to www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au

* International Women’s Day - 8th March Time to celebrate everything about being a woman. Join us all in celebrating 100 years of women’s initiative. To find out you can get involved visit www.internationalwomensday.com.au

* Earth Hour - 26th March All it takes is a flick of the switch at 8.30pm in a display of commitment. Sign up at www.earthhour.org.au

For article submission or comments, contact Renee at reneech@westnet.com.au

THE ADMIN REPORT 5 February 2011

The ‘S’ Word

“Being in Control of your life & having realistic expectations about your day to day challenges are the keys to stress management, which perhaps is the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.”

Stress Control

So we’ve all heard about it and we’ve probably all experienced at some point of our professional life but for some reason it is still one of the most common complaints that is voiced by many workers.

Work Stress. Its a normal, involuntary response to any demand made upon the body.

Too much work or too little work can lead to stress but not all stress is bad for us. It is an imbalance between a person and their environment, including the people around them. It can even be beneficial to us by helping us to perform new & challenging tasks.

There are all types of different factors that cause stress from poor security, lack of space, poor lighting, office layout, excessive job demands, relationships with others, lack of job security and heaps more.

It comes in many forms from headaches, to lack of motivation, stomach aches and everything in between. so how can we minimise the risk of getting it and how can we stop it before it gets too much for us to cope with?

Supervision - having regular meetings with your supervisor so you can talk about issues that

Renee Chapman Owner of The Admin Chick loves animals and caring for others.

Marilu Henner

are affecting you is one way to vent your frustrations but it also lets you get it off your chest and at the same time develop a positive relationship with your supervisor. They are there to help you and should be understanding to what you’re going through.

Counselling - There is nothing bad or crazy about going to see a counsellor, believe me. I am proud to say that I have been in counselling sessions my whole life for a whole range of issues, including work stress and the sessions I had allowed me to work out exactly what my issues were and how I can make changes to help myself without being told what to do. Some employers even have specialised programs called Employee

Assistance Programs in order to keep their workers happy & healthy.

Tips - Here are a few tips that have helped me to be a little bit less stressed in the workplace.

I. Make a To do list & work out your priorities II. Try to identify what your signs are , when you get them, how bad, etc. This can be good to give to your GP III. Think before you commit to other people’s expectations IV. Don’t dwell on past mistakes V. Learn to discuss your feelings instead of bottling them up.

VI. Set aside just 20 minutes a day to un-wind, relax or just have time to yourself.

Who is Renee Chapman?

The Admin Chick

Renee has over 8 years experience in office work, loves learning new things and loves to help others. In her own time she helps out at the local wildlife shelter when she can and is passionate about caring for animals, environmental issues, social justice and human rights.

If you’d like to know more about Renee or her business visit: www.theadminchick.com.au

Renee Chapman is the founder of the business ‘The Admin Chick’ located in Kununurra WA. Her business focusses on helping other small businesses, non-profit groups & individuals reach their full potential by providing admin and office services so that others can be more organised and efficient in the workplace.

Would you like to be the next “Who Is” then contact me at reneech@westnet.com.au

For article submission or comments, contact Renee at reneech@westnet.com.au