The Office Procedures and Technology Chapter 2 Office Competencies Copyright 2003 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning

Employment Overview U.S. Department of Labor employment projections Total employment for all jobs expected to increase 14.4 percent by 2008 Administrative support positions expected to increase 9 percent by 2008 Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for EmploymentSlide 2

Largest Growth Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for Employment Slide 3 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

Information Sources The Occupational Outlook Handbook In print Online at U.S. Department of Labor Web site Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for EmploymentSlide 4 Monthly Labor Review

Office Competencies Needed by many types of workers Doctors, nurses, medical technicians Accountants, brokers, insurance underwriters Lawyers, architects, engineers Teachers, authors, computer programmers Managers, executives, office support personnel Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for EmploymentSlide 5

Key Areas Word processing Producing written documents using software and computers Important for creating electronic messages ( ) Closely related to desktop publishing Data processing Organizing, analyzing, and summarizing data Workers use spreadsheet and database software Ability to interpret data is important Information management and transmission Organizing, maintaining, and processing data Knowledge of records management principles and procedures is important General managing and communicating Handling work time and tasks efficiently Creating schedules and meeting deadlines Communicating with coworkers and customers Presenting reports orally and in written form Topic 2-1 Office Competencies Needed for EmploymentSlide 6

Issues Affecting Success Total quality management Establishing and maintaining high standards in how work is done Involves all company personnel Continuous improvement Being alert to ways of working more productively Involves all company personnel Overlaps the principles of TQM Customer satisfaction A key focus in many organizations Essential for long-term success Often measured with customer surveys Topic 2-2 Developing Office CompetenciesSlide 7

Issues Affecting Success Ethical standards Require honesty and fairness in business dealings Often stated in a code of ethics or conduct Topic 2-2 Developing Office CompetenciesSlide 8 A portion of a companys code of conduct

Issues Affecting Success Responsible teamwork Involves combining the efforts of two or more people to achieve a goal Communication is especially important for remote teams Global marketplace More U.S. companies are selling goods and services abroad Many companies are expanding through ecommerce Diversity Reflected in a workforce with people from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds Topic 2-2 Developing Office CompetenciesSlide 9 Ecommerce: business conducted electronically, often via the World Wide Web Key Term

Expectations Employers expect certain basic qualities in all employees Reliability Productivity Cooperativeness Independence in learning Topic 2-2 Developing Office CompetenciesSlide 10

Topic 2-2 Developing Office CompetenciesSlide 11 Set goals for developing new competencies Identify office competencies you have now

Focus On … Teamwork Set clear goals for the team Identify responsibilities for each member Determine how success will be measured Identify obstacles Communicate with all team members Build on the strength of individuals Recognize accomplishments of the team Topic 2-2 Developing Office CompetenciesSlide 12