23 July 2008

Are we in the budget?

A good question to ask your office manager or HR person would be, “Is there a budget for the administrative staff?” Here are some things that I have often wondered about, but was always afraid to ask:
  • Is there a budget for education for the administrative staff? Some organizations have this in the employee benefit package. At some places I've worked I was able to take work-related courses up to $500 a year as part of my work benefits. If you don’t have this as a benefit, would your company pay for you to further your education so you can be a better assistant?
  • Is there a budget for joining professional associations? Our bosses join their associations and they don’t have to pay. What about the assistant? We have professional associations that we can join. I think we need to educate our employers and ourselves on what is out there and how it can benefit them and us.
  • Is there a budget for work-related conferences? It is a nice perk and certainly a boost to your working life if you can go to a conference one or two times a year.
  • Is there a budget for magazines and newsletters related to your profession? We can always learn something new by reading about what others in our profession are doing. It is usually not expensive to subscribe, but have you asked?

I think that sometimes it is just a matter of asking. They can only say no, but who knows, they may even say yes. Take a chance and ask – I’m going to…