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P R O F E S S IO N A L D E V E L O P M E N T F O R C A N A DA' S O F F IC E S U P P O R T S TA F F
Administrative
Assistant's
AUGUST 2014
UPDATE
Worst boss?
And the worst boss in the world
is... drum roll... the CEO of
Amazon; at least, according to
people who voted in the annual
International Trade Union
Confederation World Conference
in Berlin this year.
Jeff Bezos was awarded the
title of world's worst boss at
the convention, according to its
website, which accuses Amazon
of treating its workers like robots
and says it "has been at the
forefront of tax avoidance scams
and diffi cult working conditions."
According to a new book about
Bezos by Brad Stone, the CEO
"thrives on confrontation," Forbes
reports. The book says he is
similar in leadership style to many
other technology executives.
"Most of his outbursts
are a direct result of his total
commitment to improve
customer service," writes Stone.
INSIDE
Bad bosses . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 6
Coping with a diffi cult manager.
Presentation tips . . . . . . . . . 4
If you can speak at a BBQ, you
can be a good presenter.
Wireless charging . . . . . . . . 7
Something cool is coming to a
Starbucks near you—not a new
drink, a new technology.
We're not married . . . . . . . . 8
Execs weigh in on the term "offi ce
spouse."
Time management tips
Five tips to help you take back control
By Robert Hosking
Complex methods for organizing
your schedule, while well mean-
ing, often just end up distracting
you from your work—and wast-
ing extra minutes you
don't have. Instead, try
these fi ve simple but
effective time man-
agement tips
to maximize
your effi -
ciency.
1. Create "no interruption" blocks
Set aside a chunk of uninterrupted
time—30 minutes to an hour—each
day. Use this period to get started
on a high-priority project or to wrap
up an almost-completed assign-
ment. Turn off your phone, don't
check your email and close the of-
fi ce door. If you don't have a door,
give other signals that you don't
wish to be interrupted, such as put-
ting on a headset or headphones.
Or, go and hide in an unused con-
ference room.
2. Simplify your to-do list
Extensive lists not only take time
to write, they're also overwhelm-
ing. In theory, long to-dos help you
visualize your tasks and organize
them methodically. However,
seeing the laundry list in black
and white can be a killjoy. Psycho-
logically, it's better to create short,
manageable lists and to be able to
check off items quickly.
3. Expect the unexpected
Setting a rigid schedule and fol-
lowing it slavishly can backfi re.
Whether it's a phone call that goes
long or a last-minute meeting, your
Continued on page 4
Credit: Elnur/shutterstock.com
