Administrative Assistant's Update

5 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Standing at desk has limited value Looking for ways to counter the negative effects of sitting for hours, some offi ce workers are standing more, and employing devices such as easily adjustable sit-stand desks. Sitting, we have learned, brings on undesirable changes in body functions. For example, enzymes involved in fat burning are sharply reduced, metabolism slows and HDL cholesterol (the good choles- terol) levels are reduced. Going to the gym or otherwise exercising before or after work does not, apparently, undo the harm done by too much sitting. So standing or walking more while at work seems to make sense – anything we can do to reduce sit- ting time is good, right? The short answer is yes, but attempts to measure the health benefi ts of standing haven't given us much to go on. The Cochrane Library recently identifi ed and analyzed 20 studies that assessed the effects of a range of workplace interventions includ- ing sit-stand desks, treadmill desks, pedaling desks, counseling and even computer prompts encourag- ing workers to stand. For various reasons, the studies were not of good enough quality to draw conclusions about the ef- fectiveness of these interventions. However, the research team did fi nd that sit-stand desks decrease the amount of time a person spent sitting by an average of 30 minutes to two hours. Even so, an international group of experts recommends individuals aim for two to four hours of stand- ing and light exercise each work day, so sit-stand desks seem to still fall short, although this would not be reason to spurn their use. Until there is more conclusive research about sitting interven- tions, Jos Verbeek, the study author and a health researcher at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, sug- gests offi ce workers focus on being more active during the work day. Take stairs whenever possible and perhaps move printers/fi les farther away. "I sold myself as a quick learner and someone who was up for the challenge," he recalls. "I went for it." He took a pay cut but, 16 years later, has no regrets about his career switch. He worked in a variety of admin- istrative roles for several private sector companies in Edmonton. In 2009, looking for a new position as an admin, he felt he was not getting called back for interviews despite his experience. "I was not getting noticed and I suspected it was because I was a man," he says. That's when he decided to join the IAAP and received his certifi cation in 2009. "I knew I had to do something different to stand out in the crowd," he says. "That's when things really changed." He recertifi ed in 2013, ahead of schedule. In his administrative career, McLar- en has battled gender stereotypes, including a preference by male bosses for female support staff. His strategy is to win over doubt- ers through his performance. "When I exert myself and say 'I can do that for you' and get it back to them in 15-20 minutes, then it builds confi dence," he says. "You have to break them in." At Enbridge, McLaren manages the travel arrangements and calendar for his boss and monitors that contracts and work orders are up-to-date for a large roster of non-Enbridge contrac- tors employed by the pipeline com- pany. "I deal with it [contracts and related issues] so he can concentrate on the important stuff," says McLaren. "If it [an issue] hits him, then I know I have failed." He likes to take initiatives he thinks could benefi t the company. For ex- ample, he helped develop a dashboard to show the number and cost of safety incidents by division at Enbridge. Now, at the click of a mouse, there is a visual account of motor vehicle ac- cidents, for example. A big believer in networking, McLaren is a past volunteer with IAAP in Edmonton and Western Canada. "Being involved shows you are com- mitted to your profession and oppor- tunity will come to knock." What does he most like about his job? "I love learning all the policies and procedures and then going in and adapting them to be more effi cient," he says. "I like going in there and improve the process." Continued from page 4

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