Detailed Report on Principles of Administration: Office Management

This report delves into the core principles of administration, encompassing office management, legal requirements, health and safety protocols, and meeting procedures. It begins by outlining legal requirements related to office facilities, including the Equality Act 2010, the Employment Rights Act 1996, and the Working Time Regulations 1998. It also covers client record management, resource management, and workflow processes. The report then addresses health and safety management, risk assessments, and emergency procedures, highlighting the responsibilities of employers and employees. Furthermore, it explores the importance of meeting minutes, including their purpose, creation, and legal significance. The report differentiates between formal and informal meetings, detailing the roles and responsibilities of a chairman. The report aims to provide a comprehensive guide to effective office administration and management.

Principles of
Administration

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1...........................................................................................................................................1
1.2...........................................................................................................................................2
1.3...........................................................................................................................................2
1.4...........................................................................................................................................2
1.5...........................................................................................................................................3
1.6...........................................................................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
2.1...........................................................................................................................................3
2.2...........................................................................................................................................4
2.3...........................................................................................................................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................4
3.1...........................................................................................................................................4
3.2...........................................................................................................................................4
3.3...........................................................................................................................................5
3.4...........................................................................................................................................5
3.5...........................................................................................................................................6
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................6
4.1...........................................................................................................................................6
4.2...........................................................................................................................................7
4.3...........................................................................................................................................7
4.4...........................................................................................................................................7
4.5...........................................................................................................................................7
TASK 5............................................................................................................................................8
5.1...........................................................................................................................................8
5.2...........................................................................................................................................8
5.3...........................................................................................................................................9
5.4...........................................................................................................................................9

TASK 6............................................................................................................................................9
6.1...........................................................................................................................................9
6.2.........................................................................................................................................10
6.3.........................................................................................................................................10
6.4.........................................................................................................................................10
6.5.........................................................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Administration, also referred to as business administration, is the management of an
office, business, or organisation. It involves the efficient organisation of people, information, and
other resources to achieve organisational objectives. Information is key to business operations,
and people are the resources who make use of information to add value to an organisation. This
means that companies will struggle without some type of administration management. Legal
requirement related with the management of office facilities and responsibilities of both
employees and employers at workplace is all detailed in this report.
TASK 1
1.1
Legal requirements relating to the management of office facilities are:
 Equality act, 2010: The Equality Act became law in October, 2010. It replaced previous
legislation (such as the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act
1995) and ensures consistency in what employers and employees need to do to make their
workplaces a fair environment and comply with the law (Koven, 2011). Men and women
in full-time or part-time employment have a right to equal pay (Sex Equality) - which in
law means 'no less favourable' pay, benefits and terms and conditions in their
employment contracts where they are doing equal work.
 Employment rights act, 1996: The ERA set out the rights of employees in situations such
as dismissal, unfair dismissal, parental leave, and redundancy. In 1997, the Labour
government proposed an amendment to the act – strengthening the right of an employee
to request flexible working time – which was subsequently passed by Parliament.
Employee's may have been given these rights previously contractually, either within
business' employment policies or within employment contracts of service. The Act now
enshrines those rights in statutory law
 Working time regulations, 1998: These Regulations govern the time that people in the
UK may work. The Regulations apply to all workers (not just employees) and stipulate
minimum rest breaks, daily rest, weekly rest and the maximum average working week.
First, it sets a default rule that workers may work no more than 48 hours per week
(although one may opt out of it). Secondly, it granted a mandatory right to paid annual
1

leave of at least 4 weeks (including bank holidays and public holidays). Thirdly, it creates
the right to a minimum period of rest of 20 minutes in any shift lasting over 6 hours.
1.2
 Clients record management
 Petty cash and expenses handling
 Room booking and appointment making
 Stationery issues and stock control
 Sales/purchasing
 Making travel arrangements
 Bookkeeping and accounts
 Document production and control
 Audio transcription
 Resolving Queries
1.3
 Establish office management routines and stick to them.
 Set up clearly delineated responsibilities.
 Keep records – and keep your business records updated.
 Take a walk through your office and have a sit.
 Schedule the tedious work.
 Delegate and outsource.
 Make business planning a priority.
1.4
The most efficient way to manage resource use in your office is to take a systematic
approach:
 Set a baseline to work out your current performance
 benchmark your performance against similar organisations
 create an action plan to achieve your identified improvements
 set achievable targets and responsibilities for office staff to meet them
 monitor and report your performance and set up reporting processes
 review actions and performance to learn lessons and continually improve
2

1.5
Workflow is a visual diagram of a structured, predefined set of activities that produce a
desired result. Workflows can be a basic, sequential advancement of steps, or a complex series of
events that must occur in parallel with specified dependencies, rules, and requirements. In
theory, every time you run the same workflow, you have the same result. A workflow consists of
the steps, the resources needed to accomplish the steps (such as your staff or machinery), and
how these interact (Selznick, 2011). Workflows delineate start and end points, the direction(s) of
movement, where there may be decision points, what you expect for results, and potential
substitute steps. Finally, responsibility is assigned for each step.
1.6
The Welfare Facilities and Arrangements
 the provision of toilet, washing and changing facilities
 clothing storage
 facilities for eating
 rest rooms
 facilities for pregnant women and nursing mothers
 arrangements to protect non-smokers from tobacco smoke
 the need to take account of people with disabilities.
TASK 2
2.1
Under the law employers are responsible for health and safety management. The
following provides a broad outline of how the law applies to employers. Don't forget, employees
and the self employed have important responsibilities too.
It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and
other people who might be affected by their business. Employers must do whatever is reasonably
practicable to achieve this (Milakovich and Gordon, 2013). This means making sure that workers
and others are protected from anything that may cause harm, effectively controlling any risks to
injury or health that could arise in the workplace. Employers have duties under health and safety
law to assess risks in the workplace. Risk assessments should be carried out that address all risks
that might cause harm in your workplace.
3

2.2
 As far as possible, to have any risks to your health and safety properly controlled
 To be provided with any personal protective and safety equipment free of charge
 To stop work and leave your work area, without being disciplined if you have reasonable
concerns about your safety
 To tell your employer about any health and safety concerns you have
2.3
Quick and effective action may help to ease the situation and reduce the consequences.
Points to include in emergency procedures:
 Consider what might happen and how the alarm will be raised. Don’t forget night and
shift working, weekends and times when the premises are closed, eg holidays
 Plan what to do, including how to call the emergency services. Help them by clearly
marking your premises from the road (Bose, 2012). Consider drawing up a simple plan
showing the location of hazardous items
 If you have 25 tonnes or more of dangerous substances, you must notify the fire and
rescue service and put up warning signs
 Decide where to go to reach a place of safety or to get rescue equipment. You must
provide suitable forms of emergency lighting
TASK 3
3.1
Taking Minutes forms an essential part of most meetings.Their purpose is firstly to record
Action Points, ie, what actions have been decided upon, who is responsible and what the
milestones and deadlines are. Secondly they record summaries of the discussions held at the
meeting (Hughes, 2012). Taking minutes is a skilled job because the minute taker has to follow
what can be confusing and inarticulate debates and summarise accurately what was said.
3.2
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
Meeting minutes are important legal documents. They serve as a record of the decisions
made by a board of directors and a historical document which traces the achievements and
4

obstacles experienced by a non-profit organisation. The following information can be used as a
fact sheet about meeting minutes.
WHY KEEP MINUTES?
• They serve as a reminder of decisions, assignments and deadlines.
• They summarise the meeting for those individuals who could not attend.
WHO TAKES THE MINUTES?
Usually the board secretary is responsible for taking and safekeeping the minutes. It is
preferable that a board member is responsible for recording the minutes as they are a legal record
of the organisation.
3.3
Your employee makes a claim that simply is not true because they have misconstrued a
meeting and the action points. You agreed to a pay rise for 6 months. Yet the employee says it
was a permanent pay rise. What was actually agreed? Who knows because there are no minutes
of a meeting and no paperwork to support your version of events. You take control and stop the
employees pay rise (Patel and et. al., 2011). Yet the employee interprets this as a wage reduction,
resulting in a claim for unfair constructive dismissal, as well as unlawful deduction of wages and
breach of contract. Now you face an impossible task to convince a tribunal that the pay rise was
temporary. You have nothing to support you.
3.4
Taking minutes is a key role at any meeting. But it’s often a function that’s taken for
granted. Anyone can take notes, right? Actually, meeting minutes play a key legal function, and
it’s important to take them correctly. Here are some notable dos and don’ts when it comes to
taking minutes.
 Do keep minutes at all general meetings and board meetings. If your group is
incorporated, this is one way to maintain the legal protection the corporate shield gives to
your officers.
 Do keep minutes at any meeting where people vote. At committee meetings where there
is no voting, you might choose to keep minutes for your records. But minutes are not
required for legal purposes.
 Do list where the meeting takes place, along with the time and date it starts.
5

 Don’t detail the debate over an issue. In your formal notes, you just need the facts.
Minutes should record what is done at meetings, not what is said.
 Don’t list the vote count. Outcome is enough.
 Don’t be shy about asking for clarification during the meeting to get a point straight in
your notes.
 Don’t wait to type up the minutes from your notes. Do it the same day or the next day,
while you still remember what occurred.
3.5
Methods for Taking Meeting Notes
 Comprehensive notes: For a person who is more comfortable knowing and recording
every single detail, it is best to write down everything that is said. While this would be
difficult or impossible for some, for others it is simply the only way to be sure the
information they collect is accurate.
 Mind mapping: This graphical approach is an excellent option for people who do not
want, or who don’t feel able to accumulate detailed written information.
 Noting on the agenda: One of the easiest ways to take notes is on the physical agenda
itself because it should already have the main points listed. Any information that could be
used at a later date can be added next to the point on the agenda where it was discussed.
TASK 4
4.1
A formal meeting is a pre-planned gathering of two or more people who have assembled
for the purpose of achieving a common goal through verbal interaction (Taddei, Bruno and
Ghiadoni, 2011). Formal meetings are characterised by their predetermined topics, a set of
objectives and formal notices. These meetings are held at a specific time, at a defined place and
according to an agreed agenda. Formal meetings are typically lead by a chairperson with the
discussions and agreements recorded in a written form known as minutes.
An informal meeting is a meeting which is far less heavily planned and regulated than a
formal business meeting, and so lacks many of the defining features of a formal business
meeting, such as minutes, a chairperson and a set agenda. These informal meetings are far more
likely to take place in a casual setting, such as a restaurant or a coffee shop, or at one of the
participant’s desks, rather than take place in a boardroom.
6

4.2
Main roles and responsibilities of a chairman are as follows:
 Provide leadership
 Ensure the management committee functions properly
 Ensure that organisation is managed effectively
 Provide support and supervision to the chief officer
4.3
Meeting Members: These individuals are the active participants during a meeting. They
are the ones called for to attend a meeting. As stated earlier, the attendees of a certain type of
meeting are selected individuals and are called for by invitation. They join a meeting in response
to a meeting request sent out by the facilitator or meeting organizer.
Minute Taker: The minute taker is otherwise known as the note-taker or recorder. This
person takes a neutral stance just like the facilitator. The minute taker does not get involved in
agenda evaluation, decision-making process, and interaction among meeting members.
4.4
 Do not attempt to be the know-it-all
 Agree on the purpose or goals of each meeting and design the announcement, publicity,
and format accordingly
 Choose the most appropriate environment or venue
 Start and end on time and stick to the schedule
 Do not expect one format to fit all circumstances
 If this is a discussion type meeting, give everyone an opportunity to participate but allow
no one to dominate
4.5
Before the Meeting
 Meeting Notices:
• Give members notice well in advance of meetings.
• Set the schedule.
• Stick to the schedule.
 Time Management:
• THANK THEM for attending
7

• Express your gratitude by starting and ending on time.
• If necessary to complete work, suggest a conference call between meetings
During the Meeting
 Explain meeting expectations & introductions
 From time to time your group may have a guest speaker, presenter, etc.
 Be respectful – introduce guests to the other members
After the meeting
Reports:
• One committee leader responsibility is to keep the BOD and Staff informed.
• Encourage the Secretary to submit minutes within 10 days of the meeting,
Interim Efforts:
• Check the progress of committee work between meetings.
• Use the committee’s online community or email.
TASK 5
5.1
Targets are vital in a business environment as they are the motivators which push
employees to perform. Without setting employee targets they will not be motivated to put in as
much effort as possible to achieve desired outcomes. Employees are targeted in a number of
ways: Individual, Team and Organisational.
Budgets are an estimate of how much money an organisation will have incoming and
how much money they will spend. A budget helps a company to manage its working operation
and ascertain resources needed to meet financial targets.
5.2
Distributing and delegating work out amongst a team is a key responsibility for
managers. The most important consideration when delegating is individuals' strengths and
weaknesses so that tasks can be allocated to ensure that teams achieve results in the most
efficient way (Zevenbergen and et. al., 2013) . Time considerations are also important to ensure
that staff are not over-burdened causing them to be stressed or under-burdened causing them to
be bored.
8

5.3
Quality Management Techniques' are used to ensure that practices are put in place so that
staff produce work quickly and efficiently but also to a very high standard.
SMART Targets: setting targets which are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely
so that employee knows exactly what is required.
Key Performance Indicators:- performance measurements set for a department or group. Usually
monitored for a set period eg quarterly. KPI's are tangible targets against which achievement is
measured.
5.4
A key responsibility for managers is to monitor staff performance and identify
improvements
This can be done in a number of ways:
-Observation
-Feedback
-Analysis of errors
-Performance review
-Analysis of Output/Deadlines Met
TASK 6
6.1
Seminars and Conferences
Purpose: Organizations plan and hold these meetings with targeted audiences, and provide them
with relevant information.
Trade Shows
Purpose: Organizations attend trade shows as a lead generation activity (Yarbro, Wujcik and
Gobel, 2016). They may also choose to host or sponsor a trade show to reinforce their image as
an industry leader among those who attend, such as members, customers, prospects, and
suppliers.
6.2
Why are you holding an event? You’d be surprised how many people think an event is a
wonderful idea but when pressed on what the purpose of the event is, or its overall goal, they are
unable to clearly articulate its objective. Depending on the type of event you are holding and
9