This is the time of year when most publications offer up their Best Of and Top 10 lists for the previous year. While we adore lists and general guidance on what was important in the world, we prefer to look forward instead of backward.

Resolutions that promise increased productivity and all-around happiness. Happy New Year.

In that spirit, we’re publishing our list of what you should focus on in 2012. We’ve separated it into two sections: one for IT leaders and one for employees. It’s not just a smattering of unattainable goals; these are resolutions you can keep. Get crackin’.

For IT Leaders

1. Formulate a social media policy. Yammer‘s Maria Ogneva wrote a comprehensive guide for Mashable, and in it she offers practical tips and sensible advice: “The best way to ensure buy-in to your social media policy is not through threat of disciplinary action. Rather, it’s by providing education and resources, and building the right processes.” We like how she thinks. Read it here.
2. Change is good. Embrace the mobility megatrend. See TechTarget’s big picture article here, and its how-to for CIOs here.
3. Help your folks help themselves – offer software support and training (read an old PC Helps Blog post, “Designing Graceful, Not Godawful, Solutions” – its message is still applicable).

For Employees

1. Use Excel formulas more, manually vet less. (See our repository of Excel tips here.)
2. Change your password when prompted, without the added griping.
3. Hoard mail less, archive more. Your email program will run faster, and you’ll find old mail easier. (Find email tips here.)
4. Save constantly (on a PC, Ctrl+S; Mac, Command+S), and, while you are at it, learn more keyboard shortcuts. (Get Windows keyboard shortcuts here; Mac shortcuts here.)

Happy 2012!

Jenny Sweeney Year in Review archive, Excel, keyboard shortcuts, Mac shortcuts, Mashable, productivity, security, Social Media, TechTarget, Yammer

Are You a Member of the Club?

By Joe Puckett, director of recruiting and training at PC Helps

The Rave:
It’s a well-known fact that who you know can be just as important as what you know. For example, the right person from your organization being a member of the
right golf club can make a huge difference.

Part 5 in the series: 
Are You a Member of the Club?

Personal links made on the golf links can drive business. In the location-independent global village we now live in, having the right people as followers or friends can be much like belonging to the right golf club. The increased integration of social media in iOS 5 makes it easier to be everywhere at once.

Joe Puckett iOS 5 Rants & Raves, iPad Handguns for Dummies, privacy, productivity, Social Media

Long ago, you had to use a floppy disk to get your files from one computer to another. Today, it’s easier to move files, but users face a different issue – how documents, PowerPoint presentations in particular, appear on mobile devices like the iPad.

Below are some tips for creating presentations that will survive the trip from the PC to the iPad.

Tips for creating presentations that will survive the trip from the PC to the iPad.

Choosing Fonts and Bullets That Will Display Properly on the iPad

Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, 2007, 2010

The iPad is a natural choice for running presentations without having to carry a bulky laptop, but sometimes fonts and bullets do not display properly on the device. Consider the following tips before sending your PowerPoint file to someone who will run it from a tablet. In all cases, allow enough time to review and tweak the presentation on the iPad, as some translation issues are likely. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney How To, iPad, PowerPoint, tablets Keynote, mobile, PDF, productivity

In case you missed it, Forrester Research Group released a report in December warning of the pitfalls when upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010. And it’s what we here at PC Helps have been saying all along — as far back as Office 2007 upgrades.

We think the FAQ is a wonderful thing. But a FAQ cannot stand on its own.

As reported on recently by CIO.com’s Shane O’Neill, the Forrester report outlines four pitfalls to avoid during upgrades: underestimating compatibility issues, leaving workers to figure out the migration with no assistance, assuming workers will use the software’s new features, and neglecting to emphasize peer-to-peer learning.

Here’s what we’ve been saying: Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Office 2010 CIO.com, Excel, Forrester, Microsoft, productivity, shadow support, SUMIFS

Although December can be frantic, January is likely the busiest time of year. We start thinking about taxes and springtime, and most people have recovered from their yuletide hangovers and are ready to return to full productivity levels. Here are a few clip-n-save tips from our tech folks on getting stuff done in an organized manner.

How-To: Quick Launch, Shortcuts, Save As and Jump Lists.

1. Adding Items to the Quick Launch Toolbar
Microsoft Windows (2000, XP, Vista, 7)

This feature gives users one-click access to favorite applications without cluttering the desktop. And because it is always visible at the bottom of the screen, it saves them the hassle of having to close every open window to find an application shortcut. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney How To, Time-Saving Tips, Worker Productivity Office, productivity, time management, Windows

Jensen Harris, director of program management for the Microsoft Windows User Experience Team, explains on his blog some of the logic that influenced the design of the ribbon interface:

Three-plus years later, why is the ribbon still an issue?

“[One] way we use the data is by looking for frequently used features that are hard to get to today. Any time we see this, it represents people overcoming the user interface to use a buried feature because it’s so important.

“A great example of this is ‘superscript’ in Word. In Word 2003, it must be added to the toolbar manually through customization. Yet, even as a non-default toolbar button, it gets more clicks than 30% of the buttons on the Formatting toolbar. The opportunity here is to discover the things that people love and that even more people would use if they knew they could.”

Harris makes oodles of sense. (So much so, it makes me want to uninstall my copy of OpenOffice.) Still, almost four years after it was unveiled, Microsoft’s ribbon continues to confound end users and IT departments.

And “confound” is not an exaggeration: According to a recent report sponsored by Dell KACE and conducted by Dimensional Research, of those IT leaders surveyed, 45 percent said their greatest concern in upgrading to 2010 is the ribbon.

So, three-plus years later, why is the ribbon still an issue? Read more…

Jenny Sweeney migration, Office 2010, Windows 7 computerworld, Dell, Harris Jensen, Microsoft, productivity, the Ribbon

As the daughter of a professional photographer, I know all about the feigned grin. I knew when the smile was necessary, and thus obliged, mostly to get the picture-taking over with so I could get about the business of playing with my dollies.

I read in a piece recently about one age-old way to increase productivity, one that does not require smile police or a morale militia.

So I understand how the employees of Japan’s Keihin Electric Express Railway Company feel. In the past year or so, the company installed cameras with special scanners at 15 of its stations to measure its workers’ smiles. The scanners, which are made by Japanese company Omron, analyze facial characteristics and rate them on a scale from 0-100 based on “eye movements, lip curves and wrinkles,” according to reports.

It may be a little over-the-top (there were plenty of Orwellian references when it was first reported in July), but it’s just an example of the lengths to which businesses are going to ensure that their workers are doing what they’re told and not slacking on productivity.

New technology measures workers' smiles.

Meanwhile, at France Télécom, they’re taking a different tack. The third largest telecom company in Europe and the main provider for Gauls will begin doling out bonuses for top management based on morale. Yes, morale.

It’s a response to the recent rash of employee suicides, and the company is hoping a new emphasis on worker satisfaction will turn things around. (According to Wikipedia, between early 2008 and early 2010, 34 France Télécom employees committed suicide, some of whom left behind notes blaming “stress and misery” at work.)

It seems that the recession — with all its furloughing, salary-freezing, cost-cutting, downsizing, et. al. — is finally getting to the world’s workforce. Sadly, cutting costs blindly can have unfortunate consequences.

I read in a piece recently about one age-old way to increase productivity, one that doesn’t require smile police or a morale militia. It’s called giving them the tools to get their jobs done, and giving them advancement and learning opportunities. That’s an idea worth smiling about.♦

For more info about smile scanners and other musings about Big Brother, read this piece from the Economist magazine.

MORE INFO IN: Desktop Application Support | Contact PC Helps

Jenny Sweeney Worker Productivity Big Brother, bonuses, facial scanners, France Telecom, George Orwell, Japan, Keihin Electric Express Railway, Omron, productivity, recession, smiling

Despite the reports that IT spending is down, CIOs are still expected to keep their IT infrastructures current, which may mean committing to a Windows 7 and Office 2007 migration.

Choosing the right migration partner could mean the difference between the championship or an epic loss.

As with any major investment, IT leaders are responsible for proving the value behind the purchase — no matter the economic climate. In an economic dip like the one we are riding out now, the focus on ROI is doubled.

Most IT leaders realize that a Windows 7 & Office 2007 deployment requires coordination, planning and oversight, and they know which areas need to be assessed and addressed. As a result, most bring in a third party for migration assistance.

Champion your migration and prove ROI with these eight service practices:

1. First-Level Analyst Certification: Providing certified computer consultants (Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows 7 launch partners) results in higher first-call resolution rates based on their core competencies. Information workers are less likely to be placed on hold or passed through a tiered-level support structure. Applying a simple analogy, it is probable that the golfer playing five to six times a week will outperform someone who hits the links a few Sundays a month.
2. Domestic vs. Offshore Staff: The ribbon and overall look of the Office 2007 interface compared to previous versions will test IT staff and information workers. Adding potential language barriers will no doubt raise the challenges.
3. Maintain 24-7 and After-Hours Coverage: Forgo skeleton crews or lower-level support during off-hours and deliver constant, world-class Office 2007 and Windows 7 support and training outlets throughout the entirety of deployment. Many organizations employ staff globally or remotely, in addition to a nine-to-five crew. Don’t penalize employees for working in a different time zone or after hours by providing less-than-stellar service.
4. Deliver Advanced Level Office 2007 & Windows 7 Support: As IT leaders begin to see ROI during the early phases of the migration, information workers will have begun navigating their way around the ribbon and will begin finding additional and more advanced time-saving features. Support avenues should mirror these advanced-level requests and should not be treated with any less urgency than basic-level requests made during the initial migration phase. Avoid tier-structured support models to keep service levels high and reduce worker frustration and downtime.
5. Number of Software and Mobile Device Applications Supported: Requiring a migration partner that is familiar with applications and mobile devices outside the Office suite can be critical to the complexity of Office 2007 calls. Based on statistics collected over the past 18 months, many information workers begin their support requests by referring to what they could do in previous versions and want to see those same steps applied to this new version.* Additionally, Office 2007 and Windows 7 is just as often expected to work in correlation with other applications including BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.
6. Training: Instruction before, during and after a migration is a key element in measuring ROI. Everyone learns at a different pace, so having a multitude of training options is best, i.e., self-service, on-demand, web-based, individual and customized. Being able to identify and deliver targeted training needs, solution-based metrics and measurable productivity gains can justify several portions of an Office 2007 and Windows 7 investment. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney econolypse, ROI, Windows 7 & Office 2007 Migration BlackBerry, golf, migration, Outsourcing, productivity, Windows Mobile

1. What Yo-Yo Dieting and the Recession Have in Common

The papers are saying that productivity is on the rise, that the fat officially has been cut from corporate America. Good news, right?

Depends on what you do next, says Gartner Blog Network’s Mark McDonald in a recent post. Productivity gains are “… a mathematical phantom, particularly if people remain on their current course and speed,” he writes.

“It is the equivalent of losing water weight at the start of a diet.”

That current course he’s talking about is the way many companies made it through the recession – by removing the costs (employees) without changing the underlying process or operation.

Says McDonald: “It is the equivalent of losing water weight at the start of a diet.” And, as any yo-yo dieter knows, you will gain that weight back quickly if you don’t change the habits that got you fat in the first place.

Read his post here.

2. What Recession?

Then there’s that whole other realm, the business of haute couture, which seems to be a barometer of nothing really, Read more…

Jenny Sweeney This Week in Tech News, Worker Productivity Christian Dior, Gartner, Mark McDonald, Paris, productivity, recession, Tag Heuer, Versace

There’s no doubt mobile devices have altered the way we work. According to Pew Internet and Research, almost half of American workers report doing at least some work at home, and about 20 percent say they do job-related tasks at home every day.

Accessing your e-mail using keyboard shortcuts takes productivity one step further.

In preparation for the holiday, here are some tips to help you keep your mobile work time to a minimum while you’re enjoying the family feast:

For the BlackBerry

Filter Incoming Mail

Say, for example, you receive a daily report that you will not read or deal with on your phone and would prefer to just handle it back at the office. Can you create a filter for that?

Of course you can. Here’s how:

1. Click on the Messages icon to open your messages, then click the trackwheel or Menu button and select Options.

2. Select E-mail Filters.

3. Click your trackwheel or Menu button, select New and then type a filter name. Read more…

Jenny Sweeney Mobile Devices, Time-Saving Tips BlackBerry, holiday, iPhone, Outlook, productivity, Thanksgiving, tips and tricks, Windows Mobile