Administrative Assistant's Update - sample

June 2018

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 2018 2 Employer support enhances volunteerism Volunteers form the backbone of non- profit organizations across Canada. Statistics Canada reported that in 2013 there were 12.7 million Canadians (46.3 per cent of the population) aged 15 years or older, who did volunteer work. That figure still held in 2017, according to an estimate in The Value of Volunteering in Canada, a report presented to Volunteer Canada by The Conference Board of Canada, a non- profit applied research organization. So the admins we interviewed for this month's feature (see Volunteer work builds professional skills, page 1) on the value of volunteering are the tip of the iceberg. They are members of an army that brings social and eco - nomic value to the organizations they serve, and at the same time they are expanding personal and business skills they can apply to their own lives. In many instances, employers pro- vide some sort of support to employ- ees to encourage their participation in voluntary activities of benefit to the community. The most common type of corporate support was enabling employees to spend some of their paid hours doing volunteer work. "It is clear," says the Conference Board report, "that many employers in Canada are increasingly implement- ing programs and policies that enable their employees to engage in volun- teering activities." This kind of support apparently pays dividends, because employees in firms that provided some kind of sup- port ended up putting in more volun- teer hours than counterparts without such support from employers. Does your employer support its employees' volunteer activities? It's a question well worth asking, since employers derive direct benefits from their employees' skills development, as well as being able to point to the employer's contribution to meeting long-term goals in the community. E D I TO R ' S N OT E George Pearson Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer Publisher: Todd Humber Editor: George Pearson george@adminupdate.ca Associate Editor: Jennifer Lewington jennifer@adminupdate.ca EDITORIAL OFFICE (519) 271-6000 Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 customersupport.legaltaxcanada @tr.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $195. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's Tips on volunteering By Staff Based on AAU interviews for this month's feature story (see Volunteer work builds professional skills, page 1), here are some tips for admins who are active volunteers or are considering becoming one: Be accountable. Some sign up as volunteers to build their resume without being willing to put in the time to assist in a meaningful way. "It is like they are bragging," says Laura Nash, an administrative assistant at the Hospital for Sick Kids. "If you want to get into an association or volunteer position for that reason, I would say don't do it." Capitalize on your corporate culture. Laurier University, for example, encourages employees to be active in its annual United Way campaign and other volunteer activities. "Laurier embraces volunteerism in its employees," says Janice Vilaca, an executive assistant at the universi - ty's Brantford campus. "They also encourage us that when we are in the community as a Laurier employee you are bringing that back home." Just do it. Look for ways to volunteer without worrying about the end result. "You may be helping someone else, which is a very good thing, but you are helping yourself and you are rounding out your own person- ality," says Bryan Brooker, an executive assistant at Manulife Financial. "Don't be afraid of failing...failing is if you don't do it [volunteer]." Do what you love. "It is something you would never regret, whether it is learning or supporting something you are passionate about," says Kelly Taylor, an administrative assistant at St. Joseph's Health Centre and a volunteer for a horticultural organization. "The opportunities are endless."

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