The Online Newsletter for Clients of Express Services, Inc.

Make Time Work for You

Part Two: Understanding Time Temperaments

Everyone has unique preferences and behaviors that affect how they approach and think about time management ? and time in general. These styles or temperaments form our beliefs and behaviors about time at work and at home. That?s why knowing about time temperaments is valuable no matter how good or bad you think your time management skills are. It?s also important because you undoubtedly work with and manage people of differing styles. Understanding your co-workers? time perceptions better equips you to work with them. Most people fall into one of four categories or time temperaments based on their personality style. These time temperaments are Organizers, Catalyzers, Strategizers and Expeditors. �

The Organizer is a time manager. This time temperament is characterized by responsibility and closely adhering to rules, procedures and protocol. Their strict adherence to procedure and plan can cause problems when fresh thinking or quick, decisive action is required. They tend to plan specific ways to use time with well-thought out schedules, thus helping ensure projects are completed on time. Typically, Organizers are seen as being good time managers, because they create action plans and stick to them, organizing material and resources before starting a project.

The second time temperament, the Catalyzer, is a time crusader, motivated by relationships rather than structure or regulations. They value unity, self-actualization and authenticity over following rules or schedules. Gifted at unifying diverse groups and encouraging individuals, they are a valuable part of any team. However, it is difficult for people of this temperament to say ?no? to interpersonal demands and have a realistic idea of what can be accomplished in a given amount of time. This frequently results in time management dilemmas. Catalyzers serve as bridge builders, and armed with empathy, persuasion and motivation, they connect people and groups together.

The Strategizer is the time engineer. Achieving an ever-expanding level of competence is the golden standard that motivates them to perform. Learning, improving performance and solving problems are continual goals for Strategizers. However, their push for change and creativity sometimes makes them come across as being critical and argumentative. Desiring to work independent of authority, they frequently test and push boundaries. Valuing progress, expertise, logical consistency, concepts and ideas, Strategizers are often a source for innovation and vision.

The Expeditor, a time negotiator, is driven by action and reaction. They work well when practical, immediate needs come up moment by moment. Routines and structure are confining to Expeditors. They view time as a gift that should be experienced rather than managed, but this can often mean they get bored easily with routine projects or following schedules. Experts at doing what is needed to get to the final results, Expeditors utilize creativity in generating solutions, focusing their energy on skillful performance, variety and stimulation.

It is important to remember that although each time temperament differs in how they use and view time; no one temperament is better than another. Also, many people find that their time temperament is a blend of more than one style. Knowing your own time temperament can help you find ways to manage time that account for your temperament?s weaknesses and strengths and make better use of time. Further, understanding how each time temperament works best and ways managers can work with each of them is vital to helping ensure workforce harmony. Check out the upcoming articles in this series, which will explain each time temperament in detail and how to work with each group. �

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How to Improve Electronic Communication

Part One: Tips for Creating Effective E-mails

Technology like the Internet, e-mail, intranets and blogs are now a firmly established part of small and large businesses around the world. However, since these technologies are communication-based, it is important to consider communication principles when using them, to ensure effectiveness and professionalism. This article will examine how to make e-mail a powerful tool for communicating.

E-mail is one of the most common technologies used across businesses, no matter what the industry. In fact, in 2004, over 31 billion e-mails were sent each day. E-mail is important because it can reach a variety of audiences instantaneously; this also makes it a very powerful tool for communication ? for better or for worse.

The first guideline for effectively using e-mail is to distinguish personal e-mails from job-related ones. Save things like script fonts, colored backgrounds, abbreviations and emoticons for personal e-mails. Do not overuse bold, italicized or underlined text. Avoid sending chain letters, writing in all capitals, or including confidential or personal information about anyone via e-mail. Remember that e-mail can serve as your first impression, and it can affect others? perception of your professionalism.

Whether it is for interoffice or external business use, work-related e-mail should always strive for clarity. Remember that your tone of voice, non-verbal cues and eye-contact are not present when using electronic communication. Word e-mails carefully, because they can easily sound harsh or abrupt, which can lead to misunderstandings, confusion, hurt feelings or other problems.

Try to keep your messages simple and to the point. Typically, e-mails should be kept to one screen because people get many e-mails each day, and will rarely read or glance at anything that seems long or tedious. To get a detailed message across, make the subject line work for you by thinking of it as a title or a headline to your work ? make it meaningful but brief. Use bullet points for important information, because research shows that doing so makes online information more memorable.

Use proper formatting, grammar, punctuation and spelling in all business e-mails. Include traditional letter writing elements such as a salutation as well as your name and business contact information at the bottom of every message. Remember that even though e-mail is a quick way of communicating, you should take time to re-read each message before it goes out to ensure your main point is clear and presented well. Anticipate potential questions and answer them if possible. You want to avoid receiving unnecessary responses or causing confusion.

Finally, remember that you cannot control where your message goes once you send it. E-mails you send can be forwarded with your information to anyone with an e-mail address ? including people within or outside your organization. Also, every e-mail you write at work legally belongs to your company. They have the right to file, monitor and store your electronic communication, without your knowledge or consent, so think carefully about what you say, how you say it and why or whether it needs to be said at all.

Following these simple guidelines can transform e-mail communication from an often tedious, time-intensive aspect of work into a tool that increases profitability and information flow for your organization. Check out next month?s article for more tips on using electronic communication. �

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Celebrate Employees During the Holidays

The holiday season is one of anticipation and merriment for many workers, and workplaces frequently celebrate holidays with gifts, bonuses and/or parties. But, holidays can also be a stressful season for many people, due to financial difficulties,  personal issues or concerns over religious observances. So, how can employers be sensitive to the diversity in their workplace as well as the personal aspects of employees? lives in planning how to celebrate the holiday season? A growing trend is to focus on the holiday season as a time for celebrating employees.

With a growing emphasis on diversity in the workplace, an increasing area of concern for many employees and employers is whether to celebrate specific holidays or the holiday season at all. Some experts say that emphasizing religious holidays in the workplace can create an atmosphere detrimental to diversity, and they recommend that religious holidays should not be a part of your work culture. Others recognize that religious affiliation and holidays are important to employees, who want to express their celebratory spirit during this season. They recommend allowing employees to celebrate holidays in their own ways, encouraging expression. More specifically, the dilemma of whether or not to promote Christmas celebrations or to have a general holiday party is a common problem. Most employers have transitioned to a more generic ?holiday? party or celebration to avoid potential offenses. Another trend is to avoid the holiday aspect of the celebration and instead have a themed party, such as a winter wonderland celebration or casino night to reward employees and increase morale. �

Creating an event that celebrates your workforce itself can be as simple or elaborate as your budget and planning allows. Some companies have gone as far as to have a red carpet, black tie event, spending big bucks for sit-down dinners, limos and actual awards ? one for every member of an organization. But, more companies are opting for a less formal event. CEOs or managers of many small workforces will host an informal dinner at their homes for employees and their families. Other organizations leave it up to each department to design and implement their celebration. Daytime lunches or onsite workday celebrations that include the entire workforce are other options.

It is important to remember your company or organization?s culture when determining how to celebrate the holidays in the workplace. Knowing what works for you ? your company and the people who work for you ? is the most important consideration in deciding how to celebrate the season. Avoid the tendency to minimize celebration at holiday-time because of potential missteps. Instead, remember that all employees deserve recognition and rewards for their work. Focusing on employees instead of simply participating in holiday hoopla can ensure that every member of your organization, no matter what their background or preferences, will feel appreciated and valued ? a perfect start for the new year. � �

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Employment Situation Summary

United States

Non-farm employment fell by 35,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.1%.

Major Industry Employment for September 2005

• Construction: + 23,000

• Manufacturing: - 27,000
• Retail Trade:- 88,000

• Professional & Business Services: + 52,000

• Educational & Health Services: + 49,000

• Leisure & Hospitality: - 80,000

• Government: + 31,000

Canada

Employment increased by 31,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 6.7%.

Major Industry Employment for September 2005

• Business, Building & Support Services: - 12,000

• Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing: - 29,000

• Information, Culture & Recreation: + 20,000

• Educational Services: + 14,000

• Other Services: +29,000

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