Time Management training courses - UK: Free Newsletter, Podcast, training materials.


NEWSLETTER: Time Management Working from Home Time Management, Time management working with Microsoft Outlook, Project management for non-project managers, Assertiveness, Management Skills and Stress Management are some of the courses trained by Total Success in London and throughout the UK. We have over 18 years experience training people on strategies to improve productivity and enhance self development. Click on the link if you require further information on our training courses or if you wish to contact Total Success via e-mail. We will be delighted to discuss your needs and provide practical answers. Time Management Course Dates: 21st Apr '08, 20th May '08, 23rd Jun '08 21st Jul '08, 22nd Aug '08, 22nd Sep '08, 24th Oct '08, 21st Nov '08, 15th Dec '08 BOOK NOW
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CLICK ON COURSES FOR FULL OPEN COURSE AGENDAS Appraisal skills (one day) - updated to include new legislation Assertiveness Skills (one day) Assertiveness and managing conflict (one day) Coaching for managers (one day) Correcting poor performance and disciplinary procedures (one day) - updated to cover current legislation Dealing with difficult people (one day) Interviewing skills (one day) - updated to cover current legislation Introduction to selling (two days) Leadership and team building (one day) Letter and report writing (one day) - updates include writing e-mails Negotiation skills (one day) Presentation skills (two days) PowerPoint Presentation skills (two days) Advanced Presentation skills (one day) Project planning for non-project managers (one day) Stress Management (one day) Telesales and Telemarketing (two days) Telephone skills and customer care (one day) Time Management (one day) Time management working with Microsoft Outlook (one day) Time management working with Microsoft Outlook 2007 (one day) The New Manager (six days) Training the trainer (one day) We provide many free articles packed with valuable information about the topics we train. Our newsletter page contains many more. Here are some of our more recent articles Presentation tips Overcoming presentation fear How to structure a presentation Interviewing Skills Good work through praise Time management tips Time management skills Managing your e-mail Time management and working from home Assertiveness Self Assertion Analysis Self Assertion Analysis Becoming More Assertive Dealing with difficult people Customer Service on the telephone Telephone skills and Customer Care Managing your stress Organisational stress management Practical appraisal skills Planning an appraisal and setting objectives Giving feedback in an appraisal The power of attitude in selling Opening the call effectively PowerPoint presentation tips and techniques Using visual aids in PowerPoint presentations How to use transitions in PowerPoint presentations		Working from Home Recently the media has made much of the fact that the government is pushing forward legislation that gives workers increased opportunities to work more flexible hours and also work from home, if applicable. This will either seem a gift from heaven or your worst nightmare depending on how you view this in relation to your current work situation. For more than seven years we have run courses covering effective home-working and managing home-workers successfully. This newsletter covers the subject on two fronts: how to work from home and how to manage home-based workers. Preparation and planning are key requisites to make the process run smoothly and we are always happy to discuss training programmes if your organisation is embarking on this way of working. Many organisations now allow key staff to work from home either full or part time. There are numerous benefits and pitfalls both for the individual and the company and a great deal of thought needs to be given to this if it is to be successful. Not all of us thrive in conditions of isolation but the savings in time and interruptions can greatly improve productivity and morale. A report commissioned by the DfEE to assess the state of the nation's work-life balance found: Britain's employees are more likely to be offered stress counselling (49 per cent) to help with the effects of the long-hours culture than be offered assistance with their basic childcare needs (nine per cent). Eighty per cent of workplaces have employees who work more than their standard hours, and 39 per cent of those employees who work extra hours do so without extra pay. Only 20 per cent of employers are fully aware of the increased maternity leave rights and only 24 per cent are fully aware of the new paternal leave rights. Twenty-five per cent of women take less than 18 weeks maternity leave. However, it was also found that: 55% of employers think that moving from full-time to part-time Is acceptable in some cases. 24% of employees now work flexitime and 12 per cent have arranged to work only during term time. 56% of women said they would rather work more flexibly, such as working part-time or from home, after pregnancy rather than have a longer maternity leave period. How well would you cope with working from home? We have included some extracts from our course in Home-working that usefully (and sometimes humorously) outline the positives and negatives of being a home-based employee. We also show simple strategies on how to get the ‘most out of your day’. But first, complete the questionnaire below to see how suited you are to home-working. Questionnaire 1 Can you work on your own for long periods of time Are you organised to get things done Do you dislike office gossip Do friends and family have a healthy respect for your time Do you actively refrain from involving yourself in office politics Are you often able to use your initiative to sort out unexpected problems Do you prioritise work at the start of your day If the answer to these questions is yes then you are probably the ideal person to work from home Questionnaire 2 Do you need people around you to gee you up when you're having a bad day Are you prone to distraction Do you have trouble getting out of bed - especially on cold, wet and windy days Would you have difficulty separating home-life from work-life Do you tend to look for someone to blame when things go wrong Do you often tend to work later because of procrastination and allowing interruptions Do you smoke/tend to snack during the day If the answer to these questions is yes then you may experience difficulty in working from home. Many have taken the plunge, some find it ideal and others a real challenge. Here are some comments from those who currently work from home: "It can be a pain when your spouse ridicules what you do and your kids think all you do is gab on the phone and swear a lot. Other than that, what a joy it is!" "I truly miss the energy of working with a team in an office." " I find it difficult to draw a line between my home life and my work life, working from home. I find myself in a constant grey area running back and forth from the "office part" to the "home part" of my home, trying to manage both. The only thing I miss about having a traditional job is being able to "go home". You may find some of the tips below useful. HOW TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF FOR A SUCCESSFUL DAY Make the most of the time you're not commuting but you must be disciplined with yourself to work your normal hours. Don't delude yourself that you can take mornings off and work later, it just doesn't work. Set yourself a work-target each day/week that does not overload you You may feel that you need some form of a half-way routine to help you with the strains of working alone e g, you may still feel the urge to go for a walk in the mornings to simulate some of the time you used to take commuting, but it is essential you start to work immediately you return. Plan your day to take care of all interruptions. You should be able to work out after a while how much loading you can add to tasks if you're prone to interruptions. Plan your day the night before. Plan breaks during the day, (between 5-15 min's), but make sure that these do not interrupt your schedule or extend them to longer than 15 minutes. An ideal number is two a day. Have a timetable in front of you at all times and stick to it. Don't be tempted to fix things around the house because they seem more enjoyable than the job in hand. Always remember, you're at work and you owe it to yourself that you put in a full day. It’s amazing to many home-workers how tempting the ironing seems when you fancy a break or a distraction. You have to be brutally firm with all your family that your work space and time are valuable. You must not get drawn into ‘helping out’ every time someone needs you, just because you are there. WHY SHOULD YOUR STAFF WORK FROM HOME? In any business proposition the relative benefits must outweigh the risks. Yes, there will be changes to your organisations current methods of working but a realistic assessment of the benefits may cancel out the fear of change. Remember the words of Thomas Edison: 'Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work' In a recent survey commissioned by Lloyds TSB found that 7 out of 10 respondents acknowledged that they would be more motivated if their employer offered flexible working. Lower/no paper costs You could employ less support staff Managers become better people managers Lower capital costs e.g. vehicle, office space, power, equipment People are easier to manage if basic principles are set in place and followed through Your staff will be able to manage their own time better and be far more effective No commuting Staff morale is higher More able people e.g. women will have access to the market place than ever before Distance Management-Managing home-based staff One of the biggest problems for the home based manager is the fact that they cannot physically see what is going on around them. Many managers have grown up with the comfort zone of having all of their workers laid out in front of them to be inspected and questioned if problems occur. These types of manager felt in control because they ruled all which lay before them, when in reality they were in no greater control than the home-based manager because staff can always find ways of doing what they want whether you're there or not. One of the basic needs of any worker is to know that they are in full control of the situation, but many home-based managers find themselves in situations of having many more staff than previously and it would be unrealistic for them to think that they must know what each of them is doing 24 hours a day. You must now look to a situation of trusting your staff to do the jobs they are paid to do whilst you still train, motivate and develop them. To do this effectively means you must have an effective reporting procedure that both sides feel comfortable with. Many managers are concerned about the unknown aspects of managing a team of home workers. A loss of control over daily tasks is a fear expressed by new managers to the role. Many fall into the role by looking for things to control. They feel in control if all their staff are visibly placed in front of them and will rely on formal and informal communication to gather the information they feel they need. This flow of information can compensate for large gaps in good management practises. They are either incapable or unwilling to implement workable structures and procedures to ensure the work is done correctly. MANAGING STAFF AT A DISTANCE It is important to recognise the most suitable characteristics which managers should be recruited for or possess before entering this type of role. The first requisite is the willingness to contribute to the scheme and make it work. A job function as distance management carries with it many unknowns and it is essential to have a leader/ champion of the project to give it an upward stability and momentum: the main characteristics which managers should possess are: An ability to make the right decisions Trust in their staff Ability to set clear goals and objectives A willingness to delegate responsibility and follow it through Project management/planning skills; for scheduling and time tabling work Good communication skills Good at motivating staff and encouraging independence/initiative Flexibility about time use-even under conventional office structures Assessing performance and giving constructive feedback Results orientated rather than control orientated The relationship between manger and home worker is different to the conventional office based worker. The manager here must initiate a higher level of trust between themselves and their team members for it to work successfully, a lack of trust even when staff are highly experienced and qualified can lead to resentment and de-motivation. This means acquiring new skills and becoming a better manager of people than of processes. The setting of objectives becomes much more important and people must think very carefully of what they want their staff to do, how they deliver the information and what the implications are of any course directives given. Managers may have to act as a vital link between members of the new workforce and also the bridge between them and the core organisation. The manager has also to give more support than previously offered in an office environment. The new processes can quickly show up a manager’s deficiencies and weakness which is why they need a support programme as the workers themselves. For the process to work it is essential that manager undergo training to develop the skills needed on a regular basis to reinforce the best practices. An element of the training should include a training needs analysis so benchmarks can be set and progress regularly monitored. This will help in the evaluation of the scheme and the right practises for future training and focus. 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