Focus on the Needs and Goals of Administrative Staff
Administer skills assessments. Some employers conduct skills testing before hiring employees, but these tests also can be administered with longtime employees, particularly when introducing new computer software applications or company processes. Clarify the objective of the skills assessment. Letting workers know that the purpose of the skills tests is to assist in designing training programs will alleviate their fears of losing their jobs or being criticized or demoted.
Develop individualized career development plans. Treat each administrative employee as a person with unique strengths and needs. Engage in one-on-one discussions that explore employee goals, needs, challenges and interests. Create a timeline for skills development. Encourage administrative personnel to accelerate skills enhancement by assigning a deadline for completion of training programs. Skills development timelines are helpful for both the employer and administrative personnel. For example, an executive assistant who achieves advanced mastery of word processing software will potentially benefit from greater productivity and shorter work days.
Balance administrative development goals with other workplace expectations. Personnel who work long hours, for example, cannot be expected to spend their after hours and weekends in mandatory training programs. Schedule trainings and skills discussions to take place during company downtime.
Identify Links Between Administrative Staff Development and Organizational Objectives
Examine common workplace conflicts, complaints and challenges. Customers might be complaining about unclear email communications. Departmental teams may be missing project deadlines on a regular basis. Focus on common issues to identify developmental needs. Resolve challenges by training personnel. For example, miscommunication between clients and the company might be remedied by implementing a business communications training for administrative assistants.
Establish team meetings to address time management skills. An administrative team might be consistently late in delivering documents or responding to communications. Weekly meetings help to uncover common challenges. Staff members may be in need of additional resources, information or training to get their work done in a timely manner. Meet separately with administrative services managers. Individuals who manage products, services and an administrative team will have different needs than those who are responsible for a sole task and/or have no direct reports. Their goals typically will center on becoming more decisive leaders and communicators, and developing more effective problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
Offer training with organizational growth in mind. An administrative assistant might need additional training on a website development product in order to update website information for a new product. Executive assistants who receive comprehensive training on new company policies are in a better position to answer questions from new company partners.
Institute a rewards systems for high achievement. Create incentive by establishing an "Admin of the Week" award or offering gift certificates to administrative teams that meet organizational objectives in a timely manner.
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