Suggestions for Scheduling a Supervisor's Time
The following information is excerpted
from the IAAP Complete Office Handbook,
3rd edition (Random House) available to order from the
IAAP Online
Bookstore
Suggestions for Scheduling a Supervisor’s Time
- Understand thoroughly the goals of your organization and your supervisor. Find out how you and the office staff can assist in meeting those goals.
- Determine how your supervisor prefers to schedule appointments, handle interruptions, and take messages. Ask about these matters the first week you are in the new position.
- Organize a system for telephone messages. Place all messages in a special message box on your desk; arrange the messages in order of their importance or by the time of the call.
- Schedule a time to discuss goals, priorities, and changes with your supervisor for 5 to 10 minutes each day. Ask for instructions so you will not have to interrupt your supervisor all the time. Throughout each day write your questions, ideas, and suggestions in a notebook so you can refer to them the next time you meet.
- Use an electronic organizer or personal information manager (PIM) software to remind your supervisor to things to do, meetings, and appointments. If software is not available, prepare an appointment reminder form that highlights important events scheduled for the next day and give it to your supervisor before you leave the office. Schedule time daily to compare calendars.
- If you and your supervisor agree to do so, underline, circle, highlight or summarize information on documents that may be of interest to your supervisor. If the material is to be read at a later time, identify it by topic and prepare a file for each.
- Keep track of where your supervisor is throughout the day in case you need to contact him or her on an urgent matter. Be persistent in reminding your supervisor of meetings and deadlines. Also, inform your supervisor when you leave your desk area. Forward your telephone calls to an appropriate location if you will be away from your desk for 15 minutes or longer.
Special Concerns About Scheduling a Supervisor’s Time
Your assumptions about what items have high priority may be incorrect, so check with your supervisor to determine the relative importance of your projects.
Several warning signs may indicate impending crises - a supervisor’s procrastination, equipment malfunctions, or missed intermediate deadlines by people to whom work has been delegated. When you notice the warning signs, stay ahead of your own schedule so these last minute crises can be handled with a minimum of frustration.
Request assistance before a rush period occurs. Monitor work schedules and check assignments to other departments so you can estimate more accurately the amount of assistance and the amount of time you will need.
Keep abreast of sources of help or costs of outsourcing. If you need assistance for rush jobs, you will have the information available and save your own and your supervisor’s time.
Keep your supervisor apprised of your workload. If you see over-scheduling about to occur, request a review of priorities. One approach is to say “I’m willing to try to finish it by the deadline, but I have several other projects that also require immediate attention. What would you suggest I do first?”
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