Administrative Assistant's Update - sample

7 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE 9 to-dos before your next vacation By Julie Blais Comeau Vacation dreams dance in your head. You can't wait to say "Bye-bye boss, see you in a week." Even if you love your job as an administrative professional, I bet that you are counting down the sleeps… What a long white windy winter it has been… You deserve this break: at the beach, at your cottage or just relaxing at home. Stop! Stop daydreaming about your feet in the water, sitting by the campfire or cuddling with your book in your hammock. Prepare your departure and return with your usual poise, pol - ish and professionalism with this V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N.E.R. countdown. Two weeks before your vacation V-alidate your current list of projects and tasks. Do this review with your boss and your replacement. While you're at it, clarify communication expectations. Are you expected to check in or can you completely disconnect? A-nnounce the exact dates of your absence. A lot of people count on you and appreciate you. Prepare them by in - cluding a note in your emails. A week before your vacation C-ompile your list of tasks and deliv- erables. Keep it in full view. I am a big fan of a simple piece of paper. It gives me a concrete vision of my mission. I love checking off each task! Done! Check! Yay! Vacation here I come! A-pprise, on the status of your deliverables. With a full week's notice, adjust- ments can be made. Take this oppor- tunity to also introduce or connect colleagues and clients with your replacement. T-ake no commitment for the last nor the first day of your return, if pos- sible, of course. Use this time to organize, review and prioritize. Go on an office tour to update team members. Two days before your vacation I-nitiate a meeting with your replace- ment or contact person. Meet in person, in your office. Show where everything is: your files, your supplies, as well as the instruction manuals for the office's gadgets. Don't forget the passwords and contact information for support persons. As a stellar administrative professional, you may already have a manual with all of this information. Bravo! O-rchestrate the synching of de - vices and backups. This is a definite must. Make sure to put this crucial step on your to-do list. Start with clearing your inbox and downloads. While in cleaning mode organize your workspace, too. On your last day before your vacation N-ever ever, I insist, succumb to the temptation of wearing your new vaca- tion outfit. No flip-flops, no "On vacation" t-shirts, nor sunglasses on your head. Maintain poise, polish and profession- alism to the last second. E-xpress your out-of-office status on your voicemail and in your email auto-reply. Be clear and concise, avoid cute and clever. Here's what to say and write: (See "Out of office dos and don'ts," April 2018 AAU, page 7). A small sign for your door, or wall, is also a good idea. On your first day back from your vacation R-eturn refreshed with your usual poise, polish and professionalism. Remove your absence alerts. Make sure to thank your replacement. It could be a jar of your homemade jam or a box of summer coloured candies. At a minimum, write a thank you note. Enjoy making memories! Julie Blais Comeau is Chief Etiquette Officer at etiquettejulie.com, a firm dedicated to teaching the interpersonal skills necessary to professional success: client service, business etiquette, international protocol and cultural intelligence. She is a professional speaker, author and media collaborator. Book your free 20-minute brand alignment with Julie – julie@etiquettejulie.com and shine at work. Julie Blais Comeau PowerPoint shortcuts Continued from page 6 board shortcuts you will use most and then practice them. Do you need to learn all of them? No. There are more than 200 of them and you would never use them all, ever! So list the type of tasks you nor- mally perform when working in PowerPoint and locate the associated keyboard shortcut. The accompanying table lists the ones I have found are used most often.

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