Common time wasters for managers

Studies of managerial activities find some common time wasters, including the following:

1. Drop-in visitors.

2. Telephone interruptions.

3. Cluttered office.

4. Unessential tasks.

5. Unnecessary or over-long meetings.

The causes of each type of problem and some possible rem­edies are described in this section.

Drop-in visitors

Casual visitors are probably the biggest time wasters for a manager. The nature of managerial work requires many brief contacts with a wide network of people, including subordinates, peers, superiors, clients, and other outsiders. However, the need to interact with many people frequently does not imply that a manager should be available at any time to anybody who wants to see him or her for any reason.

Some managers fail to screen visitors and prevent interruptions because of deep-seated fears and anxieties. Some managers may fear that without an «open door,» visitors will be offended, important information will be missed, and open communication will be discouraged. For some managers, a strong need for affiliation and desire to socialize may be the cause of too much accessibility. In other cases, attributes of the physical environ­ment or the organizational structure discourage privacy. Exam­ples include lack of a separate office and lack of a secretary to screen visitors.

Some common remedies involve a variety of barriers, sched­uling mechanisms, and screening mechanisms. Other remedies involve reducing the need for people to ask for information and advice. Frequent questions suggest a possible failure to clarify role expectations and disseminate relevant information to people. Still other remedies allow you to control the length of a visit and end it quickly.

• Have your secretary screen visitors, and provide enough guidance so that the secretary can make good judgements about who should gain access and who should be put off.

• Make yourself inaccessible during particular times of the week by closing your door or working in a more private location.

• Prepare polite excuses to discourage or shorten visits (such as, «I have to leave for a meeting,» «I am expecting an important call,» «I am in the middle of something that I have to finish right away, can I meet with you later?").

• Set up regular meetings each week with members of your work unit and encourage them to use these meetings for pre­senting appropriate problems, questions, and requests.

• Hold open office periods each week when you are available without an appointment for anybody who needs to see you for a few minutes.

• Clarify role expectations by setting specific goals and dead­lines, giving clear instructions, and reaching agreement on action plans. Develop standard responses for types of crises and dis­turbances that can be handled directly by subordinates, making it unnecessary for them to ask you for instructions.

• Use non-verbal cues to signal that you are busy (for example, don’t give eye contact to people who pass by or peer into your office; rema& standing when an unannounced visitor comes to your door;, hold the telephone in your hand as someone comes in, which ;*hows you are about to make a call; look frequently at your watch to show that a meeting is running too long).

• Meet with people in their offices instead of yours.

These remedies are usually successful in reducing the number of announced visitors and keeping visits brief. However, these remedies should be used carefully and in a way that does not make you inaccessible to people who need to see you and with whom you need to maintain good relations.