Transcript
Transcript: Cup of Joe with Joseph Silva: Managing Your Daily Desk Time
[0:00 A man with a white mug in front of him.]
Joseph Silva: Hello, my name is Joseph Silva.
[0:02 Title "Cup of Joe with Joseph Silva: Daily Desk Time" appears next to an animated coffee mug.]
Having daily desk time or office time is critical for Executives to keep up with all that comes through their offices.
[0:12 Text appears on screen "Joseph Silva, Former Director General, Human Resources, Privy Council Office".]
[0:23-1:43 a white banner appears and stays at the bottom of the screen, with the text "Canada School of Public Service".]
Executives need to have time to review materials, prepare for meetings, connect with staff as well as some thinking or planning time and need to do this when they feel that their energy for this is at their personal peak so they are able to handle more information and make quicker and better decisions.
For me, mornings have always been the most optimal time, so I prefer to have my desk time booked in the morning where I am able to sit with a cup of coffee and review whatever work staff sent to me, plan my day and address any urgent issues that needed my attention.
For others, afternoon or end of day may be their best thinking time so it is a matter of knowing what works best for you.
This time provides you the ability to review the work of subordinates in a timely manner, especially when they have tight deadlines. I had a personal goal to provide a review of any staff documents within 12 to 24 hours and usually did. I've received much appreciation from staff as it was seen as showing respect for their time and their work.
Desk time can also be used as flex for last minute urgent issues or meeting and also provides you time to connect with staff who may need to quick signal check or an opportunity to walk the floor physically or virtually to say hello to all the folks that do all the work.
We need to be careful not to be caught up in meetings all the time or other activities at the expense of our desk time. Make sure you dedicate some time to it: you’ll be glad you did and so will your staff.
[01:36 Title "Cup of Joe with Joseph Silva: Daily Desk Time" appears next to an animated coffee mug.]
[1:43-1:54 The CSPS logo appears onscreen. A text appears on the screen: canada.ca/school. The Government of Canada logo appears onscreen.]
