Spending more time than you want at the office? Deadline pressure getting to you? Not getting along with the boss as well as you’d like? Well, spare a little sympathy, then, for those above you.
A new survey of Canadian chief financial officers suggests they would like to change all those things about their jobs — and more.
In the survey, developed by Menlo Park, Calif.-Robert Half Management Resources, 33% of CFOs said if they could change one thing about their jobs, they would work fewer hours. Improving relationships with bosses and more forgiving deadlines were the next most frequently cited responses, at 12%.
The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 270 CFOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with more than 20 employees. CFOs were asked, “If you could change one thing about your current position, what would it be?”
Their responses:
- Work fewer hours — 33%
- Extend tight deadlines — 12%
- Improve relationship with boss — 12%
- Reduce the number of meetings attended — 11%
- Spend less time traveling — 10%
- Better work environment /improved relationships — 1%
- Other — 7%
- Nothing — 5%
- Don’t know / no answer — 9%
Dave King, Robert Half Management Resources Toronto-based regional manager, said many financial executives must work overtime to keep up with mounting responsibilities. “But doing so on a regular basis can lead to burnout and decreased productivity,” King said in a release. “Ensuring sufficient support is available during busy periods and vacation schedules can help keep projects on track, alleviate job stress and minimize costly mistakes.”
The company suggests executives stick to a number of proven time-management strategies:- Delegate effectively: Strike a balance between the tasks you feel comfortable assigning and those that require your direct involvement, such as overseeing the preparation of financial reports and, for public companies, certifying financial statements. Realize you can’t do it all, and be willing to delegate less-pressing projects to trusted team members who can competently assume the responsibility;
- Conduct an audit of your time: If your schedule seems to be controlling you, track how you spend an average workday. Consider how you might rely further on your staff for tasks and activities. For example, if appropriate, have your assistant respond to standard e-mail requests on your behalf and manage your schedule for daily meetings and conference calls;
- Evaluate your resources: Determine if your organization is adequately staffed to meet current business demands. If you don’t have enough people in the right places, consider arranging for other departments to reallocate staff for mission-critical projects. Assess whether additional full-time or project employees are needed to manage workloads.