Unit 4 - Principles Of Administration Flashcards
📝📝Legal requirements relating to the management of office facilities
AC1.1
Legislation
Statutory duties of employers and employees relating to health, safety and welfare
Primary legislation
Health and safety at work act 1974 (HASAWA)
“Six Pack” regulations relating to HASAWA
- Management of Health and Safety at work Regulations 1999
- Manual Handling Operations Regulation 1992
- Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
Other regulations
- Electricity at Work regulation 1989
- Electrical equipment (safety) regulations 1994
- Working time regulations 1998
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH, 2002)
- Equality Act 2010
- Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013
Management of Office Facilities
- Interpretation of legal requirements identified in legislation
- Implementation of policies to meet legal requirements
- Establishing office procedures to meet legal requirements
- Reporting procedures
- Key personnel responsible for requirements for health and safety (health and safety officer, fire wardens)
- Ensuring a safe working environment
- Employee responsibilities to work safely
- Risk assessment
- Staff training
- Welfare facilities
Risk Assessments
- Purposes: protection of employees while at work, protection of public, protection of business’ resources, identifying sources of risk
- Problems bought about by legislation change
- Accessibility requirements
- Conducting a risk assessment
- Proposing remedial action
- Implementing changes
- Notifying others of change
📝📝Describe the typical services provided by an office facility
AC1.2
Definition of services provided by an office facility
Agreed organisational procedures that support management
Services
- Maintain diaries
- Receive and send messages
- Deal with correspondence
- Make and receive telephone calls
- Organise meetings and events
- Receive visitors
- Take minutes
- Monitor stationary
- Order new stock
- Maintain good customer service
- Work in a team and support colleagues
- Deputise for manager as appropriate
📝📝How to establish office management procedures
AC1.3
Communications
- Telephone systems: external and internal
- Electronic communication systems: shared diaries, organising meetings, email, websites, intranet, information databases
Staffing
ICT and communication systems support
Resources
-Office equipment:
•printers
•photocopiers
•computers
-Stationary
Management procedures
- Communication systems
- Setting staff responsibilities to meet corporate policies: external and internal customer service
- Reporting problems
- Risk assessments
- Following instructions
- Training on systems
- Health and safety responsibilities
- Managing stationary
- Storage of materials for office equipment
- Following security and confidentiality procedures
- Diary and meetings management electronic systems
📝📝How to manage office resources
AC1.4
Resources
- Office equipment
- Stationary
- Staffing
How to… Office equipment
- Assess what is needed
- Cost/ budget
- Research suppliers
- Order/install
- Workload dependency
- Regular maintenance and electrical checks
- Train staff on correct use
- Safety and security
- ICT support staff
How to order… Stationary
- Record of suppliers
- Assess what is needed
- Cost/ budget
How to order… Staffing
- Workload dependency
- Meeting deadlines
- Full time or part time or specific contract timescales
- Recruitment procedures
- Job descriptions/specifications
- Liason with human resources department dependent on size of organisation
- Induction training
- Integration into team
- Absence
- Illness
- Annual leave
Techniques to monitor and manage work flows
AC1.5
Planning and managing work flows
Business-wide techniques
- Organisational/strategic plans
- Resource planning (staff and equipment)
- Monitoring availability of resources
- Cost/budget analysis
- Scheduling activities to meet business objectives
Planning and managing work flows
Department/ team techniques
- Departmental plans
- Setting SMART team objectives (specific, measurable,achievable, realistic, time-bound)
- Negotiating realistic targets and setting timescales
- Scheduling activities writhing departmental/ project timescales
- Prioritising work
- Scoping work
Planning and managing work flows
Individual techniques
- Understanding the aims and objectives of task(s)/project
- Allocating tasks
- Using skills and attributes of individual team members
- Negotiating realistic individual targets
- Setting SMART individual action plans -Awareness of own responsibilities
Monitoring work flows
Motivating team members
- Achieving objectives and working together as a team
- Reporting progress systems
- Meeting interim deadlines
- Meeting budget requirements
- Meeting quality objectives
- Analysing and evaluating progress
- Recording progress made (using spread sheets, GANTT charts)
Monitoring work flows
Dealing with problems
- Not meeting deadlines
- Changes in scope of activities
- Insufficient budget or changes in costs scoped
- Member of team removed from activity
- Regular team meetings to discuss progress and any issues
📝📝Typical support and welfare facilities for office workers
AC1.6
Human resources department
- Recruitment/promotional vacancies
- Job descriptions and specifications
- Workplace culture
- Employee/ employer relationships
- Be approachable
- Fostering open and candid communication
- Mediate in any staff issues
- Encourage training opportunities
- Performance management
- Setting dress code
- Equality and diversity legislation
Operations and facilities
- Managing operational services
- Heating
- Lighting
- Access
- Security
- Cleaning
- Catering
- Routine maintenance
- Non-routine maintenance
- Parking
- IT support
Welfare
- Heathy, safe and secure workplace environment
- Maintain a clean and hygienic workplace
- Regular risk assessments
- Toilets and washing/drying facilities
- Showers and changing rooms
- Restaurant, drinks machines or facilities for making hot drinks, drinking water
- First aid supplies
- Resident or part time medical support
- Crèche
- Secure access to workplace
- Secure and safe reception facilities
- Visitor badges
- Outside facilities for smoking
📓📓The legal obligations of the employer for health and safety in the work place
AC2.1
Employer’s legal obligations
Legislation
-Meet the obligations of the health and safety legislation
•maintain safe equipment
•safe use
•handling
•storage and transport of articles and substances (COSHH legislation)
•risk assessment
•first aid
Employer’s legal obligations
Legal processes, documents and notices
-Health and safety policy document, including
•management of health and safety
•responsibility of individuals
•commitment to health and safety
-Displaying health and safety law poster
-Complying with external health and safety inspection
•Fire service
•health and safety executive
Employer’s legal obligations
Health and safety information
-How to identify and assess risks
-Provide training
•assessing risks
•using specific equipment and materials
•keeping self and others safe
- Provide adequate protective clothing
- Facilitate eye checks
Employer’s legal obligations
Maintain a safe workplace
- Conduct regular risk assessment
- Address any risks identified
- Safe access to emergency exits
- Safe use of equipment in the workplace regular testing of electrical equipment
-Regular computer risk assessment
•position of monitor
•height of chair
•position of arms
- Fire drills
- Testing for extinguishers
Employer’s legal obligations
Health and safety staff
- Overall responsibility
- Employee representatives
- Reporting hazards
- Dangerous occurrences
-Fire wardens
•to support fire drills
•give health and safety advice
- First aiders
- Security staff
📓📓Individual’s responsibilities for health and safety in the workplace
AC2.2
Employee responsibilities
Safe working practices
- Take reasonable care of own health and safety
- Alert to effect of own acts on others
- Follow manufacturers’ instruction manuals
- Wear protective clothing provided
- Follow procedures when accidents occur
- Maintain personal hygiene
- Behave in a safe manner
- Store equipment and materials without causing a hazard to self or others
- Use correct lifting techniques
Employee responsibilities
Cooperate with employer
- Comply with company health and safety procedures
- Attend training on the correct use of equipment
- Report hazards
- Report accidents in the accident book
- Take part in fire drills
- Have regular eye checks
Employee responsibilities
Additional responsibilities
-Health and safety officer •health and safety policy review •risk assessment •report to employer on hazard •dangerous occurrences •general matters affecting groups of employees
-Fire warden responsibility
•checking areas are clear
•encouraging others to leave the building
•feeding back any issues on the evacuation process
Accident and emergency procedures
AC2.3
Accidents
- Falls
- Cuts
- Fainting
- Objects falling causing injury
- Small chemical spillage
Emergencies
- Serious injuries
- Fire
- Electrocution
- Large chemical spillage
Procedures
- Trained and competent staff (technical for machinery)
- First wider
- Nominated staff to take control
-Regular training and practise
•fire drills
•use of specialist equipment
- Fire safety notices and policies in staff had books
- Procedures for raising alarms
- Contacts
- Details of emergency and location
- Staff meeting point on evacuation
- Emergency lighting
- Sufficient emergency unblocked exit routes
- Needs of staff with disabilities
- Re-entry procedures
🖊🖊 The purpose of meeting minutes
AC3.1
- Minutes are a written record of notes taken at a meeting of items discussed
- Used to confirm to delegates attending or as information for staff not attending of decisions taken
- Actions agreed are recorded
- The staff allocated to each agreed action is agreed
- The timeline of each action to be taken is recorded
- Serves as a record of the meeting’s procedures and outcomes
🖊🖊The legal implications of meeting minutes
AC3.1
Legal purpose of meeting minutes
- To protect the organisation
- To protect the meeting participants
- To provide a record of actions taken
- Evidence that the actions were taken according to proper procedure
Legal implications of meeting minutes
- Minutes may be examined in the event of legal action
- Minutes may be examined in the event of financial audit
- Minutes can be subject to Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests
- If actions are challenged
- Liability for an action may be shifted for the individual taking the action to the decision agreed by a group
- Decisions need to demonstrate that all members of the groups agreed an action
🖊🖊The importance of accuracy in minute taking
AC3.3
Accuracy
- One official version of decision made to avoid misunderstandings
- Clarity of agreements made
- Minute note taking role includes checking accuracy at meeting
- Ensures all delegates agreed on items recorded
- Action point agreed checked at next meeting
- Clarity on status of outstanding items recorded
- Challenges completion of action before the meeting
- Minutes of board meetings may be required for auditing and tax purposes
- Minutes shared with non-attendees for information
Note-taker
- Usually delegated by the person leading the meeting
- Allows the leader to concentrate on chairing the meeting
- Records decisions
- Action items and discussion clearly and concisely
🖊🖊What should and should not be included in different types of meeting minutes
AC3.4
Formal company meeting minutes
-Title of the meeting
- Time
- Date
- Location
- Number of persons present
- Proxy voters (usually for company AGM)
- Names of persons attending
- Confirmation of a quorum (required number when voting on a resolution)
- Telephone attendees (conference call)
- Details of actions taken
- Exact wording of a resolution made
- Names of nominate and seconded of motion
- Outcome of resolution voting it a nomination (re-election of a director)
- Any other matters
- Time and reason meeting adjourned
- Signed off by chairperson
Informal company meeting minutes
- Title of meeting
- Time
- Date
- Location
- Names and roles of persons present
- Purpose of the meeting
- Telephone attendees (conference call)
- Accurate notes
- Clear actions to be taken and agreed
- Date of next meeting
- Signed off by meeting leader/ chair person
Not included in minutes (all types of meetings)
- Verbatim transcript of discussion
- Unclear actions
- Details of any presentation given
- Resources used
🖊🖊How to take notes in during meetings
AC3.5
- Paper-based minutes
- Electronic minutes
- Monitoring signing off of attendance sheet listing all persons expected
- Identifying individuals (name badges, place cards)
- Note who is speaking
- Record speaker’s name and points made
- Start time
- Note main ideas and discussion points (avoid verbatim notes)
- Motions that will be voted on at a future meeting
- Clarify action points discussed and agreed to ensure accuracy
- End of meeting time
📚📚Features and purposes of different types of formal and informal meetings
AC4.1
Formal meetings-
Company annual general meeting
- shareholders’ meeting to elect of re-elect the board of directors
- present annual report and accounts
- needing a default quorum requirement of majority voting shareholders
- at least 10 days notice must be given including agenda
Formal meetings -
Board of directors’ meeting
•senior management of the organisation
- establish broad policies and objectives
- review performance of chief executive and directors
- adequacy of financial resources
- approve the annual budget
- annual report and accounts to shareholder
- take decisions on changes to business (mergers, dissolutions)
- quorum requirement for voting on resolutions
Informal meetings-
Department
- Staff working in a functional area
- team meeting: work relating to that team
- chairperson manager of that department
- updates on company information or department specific
- discussions on department or other projects
- allocation of workloads
- staffing requirements
Informal meeting-
Project meetings
- Specific to targeted work
- all staff involved normally attend
- progress updates
- targets being met
- phased deadline slippage
- re-scheduling
- costing / budget reviewed
- sufficient resources check (staffing and physical)
- continues to end of project
Informal meetings-
Standing meetings
-Regular meetings held weekly, fort nightly or monthly
- specific targeted work related (project meetings)
- particular aspects
Operations and facilities
- Managing operational services
- Heating
- Lighting
- Access
- Security
- Cleaning
- Catering
- Routine maintenance
- Non-routine maintenance
- Parking
- IT support
Welfare
- Heathy, safe and secure workplace environment
- Maintain a clean and hygienic workplace
- Regular risk assessments
- Toilets and washing/drying facilities
- Showers and changing rooms
- Restaurant, drinks machines or facilities for making hot drinks, drinking water
- First aid supplies
- Resident or part time medical support
- Crèche
- Secure access to workplace
- Secure and safe reception facilities
- Visitor badges
- Outside facilities for smoking
📓📓The legal obligations of the employer for health and safety in the work place
AC2.1
Employer’s legal obligations
Legislation
-Meet the obligations of the health and safety legislation
•maintain safe equipment
•safe use
•handling
•storage and transport of articles and substances (COSHH legislation)
•risk assessment
•first aid
Employer’s legal obligations
Legal processes, documents and notices
-Health and safety policy document, including
•management of health and safety
•responsibility of individuals
•commitment to health and safety
-Displaying health and safety law poster
-Complying with external health and safety inspection
•Fire service
•health and safety executive
Employer’s legal obligations
Health and safety information
-How to identify and assess risks
-Provide training
•assessing risks
•using specific equipment and materials
•keeping self and others safe
- Provide adequate protective clothing
- Facilitate eye checks
Employer’s legal obligations
Maintain a safe workplace
- Conduct regular risk assessment
- Address any risks identified
- Safe access to emergency exits
- Safe use of equipment in the workplace regular testing of electrical equipment
-Regular computer risk assessment
•position of monitor
•height of chair
•position of arms
- Fire drills
- Testing for extinguishers
Employer’s legal obligations
Health and safety staff
- Overall responsibility
- Employee representatives
- Reporting hazards
- Dangerous occurrences
-Fire wardens
•to support fire drills
•give health and safety advice
- First aiders
- Security staff
📓📓Individual’s responsibilities for health and safety in the workplace
AC2.2
Employee responsibilities
Safe working practices
- Take reasonable care of own health and safety
- Alert to effect of own acts on others
- Follow manufacturers’ instruction manuals
- Wear protective clothing provided
- Follow procedures when accidents occur
- Maintain personal hygiene
- Behave in a safe manner
- Store equipment and materials without causing a hazard to self or others
- Use correct lifting techniques
Employee responsibilities
Cooperate with employer
- Comply with company health and safety procedures
- Attend training on the correct use of equipment
- Report hazards
- Report accidents in the accident book
- Take part in fire drills
- Have regular eye checks
Employee responsibilities
Additional responsibilities
-Health and safety officer •health and safety policy review •risk assessment •report to employer on hazard •dangerous occurrences •general matters affecting groups of employees
-Fire warden responsibility
•checking areas are clear
•encouraging others to leave the building
•feeding back any issues on the evacuation process
Accident and emergency procedures
AC2.3
Accidents
- Falls
- Cuts
- Fainting
- Objects falling causing injury
- Small chemical spillage
Emergencies
- Serious injuries
- Fire
- Electrocution
- Large chemical spillage
Procedures
- Trained and competent staff (technical for machinery)
- First wider
- Nominated staff to take control
-Regular training and practise
•fire drills
•use of specialist equipment
- Fire safety notices and policies in staff had books
- Procedures for raising alarms
- Contacts
- Details of emergency and location
- Staff meeting point on evacuation
- Emergency lighting
- Sufficient emergency unblocked exit routes
- Needs of staff with disabilities
- Re-entry procedures
🖊🖊 The purpose of meeting minutes
AC3.1
- Minutes are a written record of notes taken at a meeting of items discussed
- Used to confirm to delegates attending or as information for staff not attending of decisions taken
- Actions agreed are recorded
- The staff allocated to each agreed action is agreed
- The timeline of each action to be taken is recorded
- Serves as a record of the meeting’s procedures and outcomes
🖊🖊The legal implications of meeting minutes
AC3.1
Legal purpose of meeting minutes
- To protect the organisation
- To protect the meeting participants
- To provide a record of actions taken
- Evidence that the actions were taken according to proper procedure
Legal implications of meeting minutes
- Minutes may be examined in the event of legal action
- Minutes may be examined in the event of financial audit
- Minutes can be subject to Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests
- If actions are challenged
- Liability for an action may be shifted for the individual taking the action to the decision agreed by a group
- Decisions need to demonstrate that all members of the groups agreed an action
🖊🖊The importance of accuracy in minute taking
AC3.3
Accuracy
- One official version of decision made to avoid misunderstandings
- Clarity of agreements made
- Minute note taking role includes checking accuracy at meeting
- Ensures all delegates agreed on items recorded
- Action point agreed checked at next meeting
- Clarity on status of outstanding items recorded
- Challenges completion of action before the meeting
- Minutes of board meetings may be required for auditing and tax purposes
- Minutes shared with non-attendees for information
Note-taker
- Usually delegated by the person leading the meeting
- Allows the leader to concentrate on chairing the meeting
- Records decisions
- Action items and discussion clearly and concisely
🖊🖊What should and should not be included in different types of meeting minutes
AC3.4
Formal company meeting minutes
-Title of the meeting
- Time
- Date
- Location
- Number of persons present
- Proxy voters (usually for company AGM)
- Names of persons attending
- Confirmation of a quorum (required number when voting on a resolution)
- Telephone attendees (conference call)
- Details of actions taken
- Exact wording of a resolution made
- Names of nominate and seconded of motion
- Outcome of resolution voting it a nomination (re-election of a director)
- Any other matters
- Time and reason meeting adjourned
- Signed off by chairperson
Informal company meeting minutes
- Title of meeting
- Time
- Date
- Location
- Names and roles of persons present
- Purpose of the meeting
- Telephone attendees (conference call)
- Accurate notes
- Clear actions to be taken and agreed
- Date of next meeting
- Signed off by meeting leader/ chair person
Not included in minutes (all types of meetings)
- Verbatim transcript of discussion
- Unclear actions
- Details of any presentation given
- Resources used
🖊🖊How to take notes in during meetings
AC3.5
- Paper-based minutes
- Electronic minutes
- Monitoring signing off of attendance sheet listing all persons expected
- Identifying individuals (name badges, place cards)
- Note who is speaking
- Record speaker’s name and points made
- Start time
- Note main ideas and discussion points (avoid verbatim notes)
- Motions that will be voted on at a future meeting
- Clarify action points discussed and agreed to ensure accuracy
- End of meeting time
📚📚Features and purposes of different types of formal and informal meetings
AC4.1
Formal meetings-
Company annual general meeting
- shareholders’ meeting to elect of re-elect the board of directors
- present annual report and accounts
- needing a default quorum requirement of majority voting shareholders
- at least 10 days notice must be given including agenda
Formal meetings -
Board of directors’ meeting
•senior management of the organisation
- establish broad policies and objectives
- review performance of chief executive and directors
- adequacy of financial resources
- approve the annual budget
- annual report and accounts to shareholder
- take decisions on changes to business (mergers, dissolutions)
- quorum requirement for voting on resolutions
Informal meetings-
Department
- Staff working in a functional area
- team meeting: work relating to that team
- chairperson manager of that department
- updates on company information or department specific
- discussions on department or other projects
- allocation of workloads
- staffing requirements
Informal meeting-
Project meetings
- Specific to targeted work
- all staff involved normally attend
- progress updates
- targets being met
- phased deadline slippage
- re-scheduling
- costing / budget reviewed
- sufficient resources check (staffing and physical)
- continues to end of project
Informal meetings-
Standing meetings
-Regular meetings held weekly, fort nightly or monthly
- specific targeted work related (project meetings)
- particular aspects
