Category: Latest News

Time can be thought of as the most valuable resource we have.  It is not like money (although both seem to be a limited resource).  It cannot be stored in the bank for later use.  We cannot ‘make’ more time, but most people, even those with good time management skills can benefit from time management training.

Effective use of time is essential if you want to be able to achieve your goals.  People who are skilled time managers are the highest achievers in all walks of life.

‘Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend’ – Laertius Diogenes

In order to make the most of our time we must have effective time management. This involves organising ourselves to manage the time available to our best advantage.  It depends upon:

• Our personal organisation
• Our ability to delegate
• How we prioritise what must be done
• Our interest in making the best possible use of the time available to us.

Many people have busy lives and trying to juggle the competing demands of work, home and other activities can be exhausting.  We sometimes may feel that we are achieving less and less, and juggling the competing demands on our time becomes increasingly difficult.

We need to start by examining how we use our time – and this is done by examining the information collected from a time audit. A time audit will show you how long you spend each day on tasks that are not moving you forward.  Do you really know how much time you spend checking your emails, looking at the net, talking to colleagues.  Do you set aside time for long term planning?; Do you plan your day to what time of the day you are most effective?; When do you work best?

Step 1: Time Audit

To truly analyse your time usage you need to keep a logbook of time for a typical seven days.  If you are serious about looking at your time usage you must undertake a time audit.

Step 2:

This log (Example shown in Figure 1.1) will show you how you spend your time.  Most people who are very honest in their time log are shocked at the amount of time that they waste.  When using the time log you need to carry it with you and enter in your activity every half an hour! Our memory is very poor and if we look back and record we will record the ½ hour for lunch not actually the 47 minutes we really took! Be honest with yourself.

Use your time audit to identify your main categories of activity.  Try to make your categories as specific as possible (e.g. not just ‘work’) otherwise you will find it difficult to draw any conclusions.

Step 3

Based on the information collected in steps one and two of your time audit, complete the following table

Some people may have found it easy to identify how they spend most of their time and any associated problems.  If you found this difficult, ask yourself the following…

1. Did you have a plan for the day?
2. Did you have priorities for tasks to be done?
3. What were your major interruptions?
4. After an interruption, how long did you take to get back on track?
5. Did your workday consist of a variety of types of work e.g. routine/creative?
6. What could have been done better?

Once you realise where your time is being spent then you can set realistic goals on what you can do to improve your time management.  ‘Take care of your minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves.’ – Lord Chesterfield

Pivot Institute Copyright 2013

Is Modern Technology Taking over in the workplace?

In recent years, it’s becoming more likely to have mail in your email inbox than in your letterbox. With the internet taking over, is it for the better?

According to recent studies up to 75% of a company’s property can be recovered through email. All emails are recoverable, so you can delete them but it still can be found as easily as in the recycle bin on your desktop or the recipient may have already forwarded it on or printed it. With such options as to CC someone without the original recipient knowing, how safe are our emails? On the other hand, when the system is not abused, emails can be fantastic! Without the wait on the postman or the cost of the stamp it is by far the more efficient method of transferring information. Emails in the workplace have its distinct advantages such as:

• Employees can be informed of missed messages when out of office;
• Employees can be more contactable when out of office;
• Many recipients can receive the one same email at a time;
• Cheap and timely;
• Important emails can be easily stored, filed and shared;
• Better for the environment as only important emails are printed.

But also holds disadvantages:

• Lack of non-verbal communication (tone, gestures etc.) mean that the messages can often be misinterpreted;
• Can be easily sent to wrong person;
• Work emails being used for personal conversations.

Aside from emails, companies now have options to make life a lot easier and convenient.  A meeting can be had without all members attending via Video Conferencing. Participants can be at separate sides of the globe but communicate as if in the same room without the travel hassle or expense. Large companies can also create their own Intranet.  This enables work files to be accessible and edited by a selected number of people.  Information is easily transmitted and news can be communicated.  Instant Messaging (IM) is also an effective means of communicating amongst employees.

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instgram and My Space have been known to cause significant problems in the modern workplace.  Many employers have opted to block access to social networking sites on their server or to issue disciplinary actions to those caught using them during work hours.  Sites like these have been known to slow productivity in the workplace with workers mindlessly spending long periods of time on them and completing little or no work at all.  Another issue that has arisen, employees have used their social network site to slander their job/boss/workplace publically, often when caught (depending on the severity) have resulted in the dismissal of the employee.

Many would struggle without the use of search engine sites such as Google or Yahoo.  With one click it gives an instant pool of knowledge and resources which potentially saves hours of time researching.

With the typewriter and rotary telephones truly a thing of the past, is it for the better?   Yes.  I think as technology has developed, on the whole, it has improved our experience, efficiency, and competency at work.  Now I eagerly await the magnificent inventions which will take over in the next decade.

In today’s extremely competitive environment continuous change is a given. Long gone are the days when employees could continue doing the same job the same way they always have. Employees’ today are required to adapt constantly to incorporate change into their organisations. Change is going to be a permanent fixture in most organisations. Change can cause a high level of anxiety for many employees that can be detrimental to both the performance of the individual and the organisation.

It is important for individuals to realise that this change is happening in most workplaces.  It has become the norm in today’s working world.  This has come about as a direct result of the enormous changes including globalisation, hyper-competition and the technology revolution; and the pace of change is accelerating. Charles Darwin noted that it is not the strongest of the species that survives or the most intelligent – it is the one most able to adapt.

One of the biggest traps is the failure of organisational leaders to resist the temptation to rush through the planning process to get to the ‘action stage’. A great portion of change effort fails because of a lack of understanding of what the process of change involves.  Of course when the manager lacks an appreciation of the complexity of the process, it is predictable that the emphasis will be on ‘action’ or ‘results’.

But why is it so common that individual resist change?

Resistance to change can usually be caused by 5 reasons (detailed bellow) or a combination of a few.

• Selective Information Processing: Employees may process the information about change selectively to keep their perceptions intact.  They may not see the need for change because they see and hear what they want to.
• Fear of the unknown:  Employees have a sense of security doing things the way ‘they have always been done.  They know what is currently expected from them.  Negativity about the changes can result from the fear of the unknown.
• Economic factors: Employee’s may fear that they are not safe in their jobs or that the change processes will result in lower pay or a change in conditions.  Resistance to change will occur unless management can reassure staff that there will be no negative impact on pay and conditions as a result of the change.  Often there can be with downsizing but management need to put out the message that these workers will be fairly compensated.
• Security: Many employees feel a high need for security and as a result are likely to resist change efforts because it makes them feel unsafe.
• Habit: People are creatures of habit and feel uncomfortable with the threat of a change in routine.  Our natural tendency is to resist this threat to our normal way of doing things.

The world is continually evolving and improving and with that comes change. Change is good and should not be resisted. If the change hasn’t been a success, at least it was an experience!

It has been argued that non verbal communication has more meaning than verbal communication itself with most studies claiming that 55% of all communication is non- verbal, 7% spoken words and 38% tone of voice.

But what is non verbal communication? It consists of one’s body language, facial expression, tone of voice, hand gestures, posture which are often done unconsciously to the individual. The same words can be spoken but with different tones and gestures can have completely different meaning. Gestures can emphasise what one is saying such as nodding your head when agreeing with something, smiling when saying thank you.

A person’s posture can often unintentionally give insight into how they are feeling. A closed posture would be someone with their arms crossed and/or legs. Often this may mean they aren’t comfortable in the situation, creating a barrier by closing themselves off or simply cold! An open posture would be someone who sits openly with their arms apart. This may indicate that they are interested in the person’s conversation and open and at ease with the conversation.

It can also define people’s relationship. If someone stands too close to you in the workplace it may be classified as inappropriate invasion of space. But in a social scene it would signify that the people are involved or feel comfortable in each other’s company. Appropriate distance between individuals varies greatly depending on culture, situation and relationships.

It is common for words to be misinterpreted and the meaning behind their words misread. Often you would turn to your friend and say ‘What did he mean by that?’ after a vague conversation. Hoping that they may have overheard the conversation and the analysis of all the possible meanings can begin. The true intention of a person’s words may not be found in their words, but in their non verbal communication. With email and text messaging have such a huge impact on modern society the cues from non-verbal communication are lost and often messages are misinterpreted.

It is important to read a person’s non-verbal communicant as well as listen to their literal words. By correctly reading a person’s signals you can adjust your behaviour accordingly. Likewise you have the power to be more conscious of the signals you are sending and portray yourself the way you want to be seen.
‘Think before you speak’… Think before you act!

Many of us dread the sound of the alarm clock going off at 7am, with the only quick movement before 9am is pushing the snooze button for 10 more minutes. But with many employers opting to follow the Japanese, our lazy mornings may be a thing of the past.

Health and wellbeing has been highlighted a lot in the past decade. So much so, that fitness campaigns, exercise programs, work sport clubs, reduced employee gym membership are starting to become common incentives in many companies. Not surprising, as numerous studies have all proven the benefits with the employees who are exercising have seen a drop in employee absenteeism, less sickness, increased productivity, more concentration and alertness, increased energy levels and a better attitude from employees.

Aside from the obvious there are so many more benefits from exercising early. The gym is often quieter in the early hours. That means no problems getting a parking space, no waiting for the equipment you wish to use and no distractions while you’re working out. Also, working full time often feels as if you have absolutely no time for yourself.

Once you complete your days work, arrive home and make the children dinner- it’s time for bed! So why not add a relaxation hour to your evening to enjoy in front of the television watching your favourite tv show, by exercising in the morning rather than taking away your precious evening hours.

There are so many physical and mental benefits of regular exercise. So why not improve your performance, appearance and health by setting your alarm clock as little as half an hour earlier. Morning jog tomorrow anyone?