Every now and then, office administrators are forced to look for new ways to cut expenses. There are lots of dollars waiting to be saved, but many of them are in places so conspicuous they get overlooked. Go for the obvious. To save the firm money, begin with increasing staff productivity and continue on to reclaiming lost office supplies and capping what the firm pays for … [Read more...] about Boost quarterly profits with this proven 6-pronged cost cutting plan
Managing staff
TO-DOs: Your November office checklist
There's a lot happening this month—everything from Thanksgiving to budget preparations. Here are a few things you should address this month. Make your reservations. If you are planning a holiday party and haven't yet booked a venue, don't wait any longer. Certain restaurants get booked up quickly, especially if your firm wants to do a holiday luncheon instead of a dinner. … [Read more...] about TO-DOs: Your November office checklist
How to maximize your receptionist’s time
Does your receptionist seem bored? Have her co-workers complained that she seems to have little to do and spends most of her time surfing the Internet? Before assigning new duties to your receptionist, there are a few things you should consider first. How much extra work the receptionist can take on depends on how busy the desk is, says Ellen Freedman, CLM, of Freedman … [Read more...] about How to maximize your receptionist’s time
8 steps to quickly and (almost) painlessly creating an employee handbook tailored to your firm
Writing an employee handbook from scratch can be a very daunting task. Where do you start? What do you include? And how are you going to find time to write the thing? It's tempting to set the job aside and wait until work slows down a bit. Of course, if you wait for the perfect time to write, it's unlikely that you will actually do it at all. So we're here to help you get the … [Read more...] about 8 steps to quickly and (almost) painlessly creating an employee handbook tailored to your firm
Are you leveraging your staff’s enthusiasm?
Many articles have been written about motivating staff. In fact, Law Office Manager has published many of these, which are usually how-to articles aimed at increasing productivity. These pieces often share tried-and-true ways to engage employees more fully. Sometimes rewards and recognition are the hooks for motivation and greater engagement. These techniques work, and can … [Read more...] about Are you leveraging your staff’s enthusiasm?
Never-ending training
No manager can set expectations without giving staff the tools to achieve them, says a California administrator. And the main tool is training that never ends. At her office, Patricia Board starts the training on the first day a staffer comes in. She gives the newcomer a check-off list of both job and office basics and spends several hours going over each item. "Those are … [Read more...] about Never-ending training
How to deliver bad news to 3 kinds of underperforming employees
The talk of management isn't easy. Here are three especially difficult conversations to be prepared for: the "poor performance" discussion, the "no-raise-for-you" discussion, and the "we're-having-layoffs" discussion. Business consultant, corporate trainer, and psychotherapist Linnda Durre, Phd, of Winter Park, FL, outlines what to say, and what not to say, to get the message … [Read more...] about How to deliver bad news to 3 kinds of underperforming employees
Pick up on these revealing “non-verbal cues” to avoid hiring problem staffers
Good interviewing requires resume evaluation and a bit of psychology, says Scott Ford, manager of a professional office in Utah. It's not just what candidates say but how they say it. And Ford should know: he's a licensed clinical social worker, and as manager he applies his skills in therapy and counseling to interviewing. Look for other clues Beyond the resume, Ford says … [Read more...] about Pick up on these revealing “non-verbal cues” to avoid hiring problem staffers
How to do staff training that really works
"Excellence," said Aristotle, "is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." If excellence is a habit you'd like to instill in your staff, then you need to train them properly and make a … [Read more...] about How to do staff training that really works
Five reasons why staff hate their jobs and look for greener pastures
Turnover should be at the top of every manager's worry list. Employers don't realize how expensive it is, says Jennifer Loftus, national director of Astron Solutions, a human resource and compensation consulting firm in New York City. "They think it's just a matter of being behind the eight ball for a couple of weeks." But it's far more. Even on the conservative side, the … [Read more...] about Five reasons why staff hate their jobs and look for greener pastures