employees / Support Staff & AP Handbook / Minimum Technology skills (A/P & Support Staff)

Minimum Technology skills (A/P & Support Staff)

Summary

We are a learning centered institution.  If we are to provide excellent learning opportunities and support services to our students and other offices, we must, as staff, possess the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the needs of our students and colleagues.

Procedures

Minimum skills required, but not limited to:

Telephone

Etiquette
Outside calls should be answered in a friendly, business-like manner, identifying the institution, department, and self (last name optional).  Inside calls should be answered in the same manner with the exception of identifying the institution.  If unsure of call (inside or outside) answer as if it is an outside caller.
Employee should be able to:

    • Transfer calls – always give caller transfer information, i.e. extension, department, person’s name to whom they are being transferred. If unsure of where to transfer caller, never just transfer.  Make sure that you are sending caller to the right department before you hang up.
    • Place and retrieve a call “on hold.”
    • Manipulate Voicemail – check messages (at least once a day, if not more), record a message to reflect schedule and give caller an alternate option, change message to out-of-office greeting, for a message to another number, place a call directly to a voice mail box, and check voicemail from another location.

Rationale
Our first contact with a customer may be our only opportunity to make a good impression.  By engaging in the above skills, it provides consistency within the College and projects a professional image.

Electronic calendar

Etiquette
Allow sufficient notification/response time.  (If less than 48 hours, additional means of notification may be necessary.)  If unable to attend a very small meeting, use face-to-face, email, or phone to notify other participants.
Employee should be able to:

    • View daily – to acknowledge any new appointments that may have been added
    • Schedule and edit an appointment
    • Respond to a group meeting
    • Schedule a group meeting
    • Edit access rights – to allow others to have access to your calendar
    • Change preferences
    • Print calendar (day, week, and month)

Rational
Electronic Calendar is an efficient tool for scheduling meetings.  It increases productivity and improves internal departmental communication.

Fax machine

Etiquette
Follow operating guidelines provided for machine in that area.  Never use auto redial; it delays use of the machine and ability to receive incoming faxes.  Always use a fax cover sheet with pertinent Delta information, i.e., your name, department, office phone number and fax number.  Leave machine in “operational” mode.  Be courteous, wait patiently, and provide privacy to user ahead of you.  Maintain a neat work area and notify person responsible in that area if a problem arises.
Employee should be able to:

    • Send a fax
    • Load paper

Rationale
Faxes have become a primary and necessary communication tool in today’s business environment.

Copy machine

Etiquette
Follow operating guidelines for machine in that area.  Tend to the machine while making copies. Do not start machine, and then walk away.  Leave the machine "operational" and "cleared" for the next person, i.e., reset to default, and return to standard 8 1/2" x 11" white paper.  Be considerate.  Do not make more than 35 copies. Anything over 35 copies should be taken to the printing department.  If an occasional need arises to make more than 35 copies, invite persons with smaller quantities to proceed ahead of you.  Maintain a neat work area and notify appropriate person if problems arise.
Employee should be able to:

    • Turn equipment on and off
    • Load paper 
    • Input account number / Employee ID number

Rationale 
In today's business environment, a copy machine is a necessity.  It saves time, money, and increases productivity.

Printers

Etiquette
Refill paper, clear paper jams, remove specialized paper when finished, report maintenance issues to appropriate personnel, follow Delta College's acceptable use guidelines for non-Delta related work, and maintain a neat work area.  Make sure printers are left in operational mode.
Employee should be able to:

    • Turn equipment on and off 
    • Load paper 
    • Remove paper jam

Rationale 
In today's business environment, printers are essential to provide professional, personalized documents for both internal and external clientele.

PC

Employee should be able to:

    • Turn equipment on and off 
    • Reboot the system 
    • Use file manager (example: distinguish between different drives, understand difference between folder, file, drive, and path) 
    • Set defaults to save to the Network folders and NOT C: drive

Rationale
A fundamental foundation for PC literacy maximizes our return on the College's technological investment.  Most employees have access to a PC, which enables them to perform their job responsibilities more efficiently.

Email

Employee should be able to:

    • Compose (send) message 
    • Read messages - Check at least daily, if not more. If e-mail is not checked at least daily, someone may be missing an important message and, by not responding in a timely manner, you may be losing your communication link.
    • Reply to messages - Respond to inquiries in a timely manner.  Be professional in your replies. Use spellchecker.  Be able to respond appropriately to a particular person versus a group. 
    • Delete messages in Inbox,  Sent Items, and Deleted Items folders
    • Print messages 
    • Create a folder 
    • Save messages to appropriate folders 
    • Attach and retrieve an attachment 
    • Use signature 
    • Use the out-of-office auto reply feature

Rationale
In today's technological world, e-mail is one of the primary vehicles of communication.  People are using e-mail more and more as a means of internal and external communication. 

Security maintenance

Employee should be able to:

    • Reset passwords
    • Set up a password protected screen saver
    • Demonstrate an understanding of electronic resources access and use guidelines 
    • Demonstrate an understanding of copyright laws and FERPA
    • Demonstrate knowledge of security awareness – employees should lock down their computers when not in use; passwords should not be shared.

Rationale 
Provides protection to the individual, student, and the College.

Internet/intranet

Etiquette
Follow Delta College acceptable use guidelines for technology use.
Employee should be able to:

    • Demonstrate an understanding of World Wide Web (WWW) sites relevant to one's position 
    • Print a web page 
    • Use search engine or subject guide to find appropriate information or sites 
    • Add a bookmark 
    • Locate a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - a web page address 
    • Download documents relevant to one's position
    • Access Delta's intranet “The Portal” and the Web through WebAdvisor.

Rationale
A useful resource to gain information and conduct research.

Word processing skills

Employee should be able to:

    • Create a document (letter/memo) - Make use of basic productivity tool.
    • Create a folder 
    • Open, close, and save a document 
    • Select text, cut, copy, and paste 
    • Use undo and repeat commands 
    • Use spellchecker 
    • Print a document 
    • Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between Save and Save As.

Rationale 
Increases productivity and efficiency within one's job.

College supported software

Employee should:

    • Know what College supported software is available to be used as an appropriate tool for a specific task. 
    • Know the purpose of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
    • Possess software licensure awareness

Information technology help sheet
Additional information about Delta College's Information Technology can be found at the Office of Information Technology Training Resources.

Rationale 
Increases productivity and efficiency within one's job.

Administration

The management of these steps will be the responsibility of the Human Resources Office in assuring supervisors and employees use the College resources.

    1. Assessing employees
      • Employees will be assessed during the annual performance evaluation by Supervisors.
    1. Methods to acquire skills
      • Access the employee-training website.
      • Workshops, handouts, manuals, and job shadowing.
    1. Standard orientation
      • Orientation checklists include resources for training covered by Human Resources, Supervisor and Employee.  The standard orientation should include, but not be limited to, setting up accounts for and demonstrating the use of Delta’s phone system, Outlook mail, Outlook, calendar, etc.

The above minimum standards are required of all employees.  However, as standards change, employees will be expected to acquire the new standards and skills as determined by the College and individual positions.  Additionally individual job descriptions may require that an individual obtain skill levels above the minimum.

Participation
All administrative/professional and support staff.

Revision/review dates
8/17