Administrative Assistant's Update

June 2017

Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).

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JUNE 2017 P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T F O R C A N A D A ' S O F F I C E S U P P O R T S T A F F Administrative Assistant's UPDATE UPDATE PM #40065782 INSIDE Bullying is costly � � � � � � � � � � 2 Let's celebrate enablers who see and build postives Document versioning � � � � � � 3 Making the most efficient use of computing resources LinkedIn tips � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5 Skills and endorsements are an important part of profile Career paths � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6 Bring-it-on interview reveals a good-to-have "feistiness" By Jennifer Lewington Administrative professional Sue Munro was well established in her ca- reer when she was recruited to work for a known bully. The boss belit- tled Munro in public and made false accusations behind her back. After three months of put-downs, Munro spontaneously walked into the boss's office, closed the door and did something she had never done in her career: she swore at her executive. "I said 'I can't f***ing take this anymore,'" Munro recalls of the incident. Her female boss burst out laughing, saying she wondered how long her assistant would put up with the bullying. "She was really testing me to see if I would stand up for myself," says Munro. "It was a great lesson." After that, she says, their relation - ship turned "a total of 180 degrees," becoming a productive partnership. Munro's story is no surprise to workplace bullying researcher Jacque- line Power, an as- sociate professor of management at the University of Wind- sor's Odette School of Business. "People who are in a support role are more likely to be bullied," she says, confirming Canadian data that estimate 40 per cent of workers are bullied on a weekly basis. Adds Power: "Many people think they have the freedom to treat these people [admin professionals] badly and I find that extremely annoying." Munro, a panel moderator at the recent Executive Leadership Support Forum in Toronto (sponsored by Q1 Productions), told her story to an au - dience of about 75 AAs and EAs, some of whom earn six-figure salaries. From the floor, they shared their experi- ences, a few with similarly satisfying results as Munro. But others reported they had taken sick leave or quit their jobs to escape an abusive workplace and some said they were still trapped working for a bullying boss. Q1 speaker Bonnie Low-Kramen, founder of The Ultimate Assistant Training, urges admin professionals to talk about workplace bullying so they know they are not alone. "There is a high price for bullying and we need to speak up," she says. Take a break from coffee? Ninety per cent of top perform- ers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control, says Travis Bradberry, co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0. Caffeine can sabotage that skill, putting one's brain and body "into a hyper-aroused state of stress," allowing emotions to overrun behaviour, he says. This release of emotions can cause you to react re- grettably when a provocative email shows up in your inbox. Also, caffeine "takes its sweet time working its way out of your body," he warns. Bullies: A workplace blight for admins Continued on page 4 Credit: Yeexin Richelle (Shutterstock) Sue Munro Jacqueline Power

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