Where Did The Time Go?

As we enter the last month or so of 2012 I believe we will hear the phrase… “Where did last year go?” Certainly for me it has flown by and my close friends constantly feel the same. The seasons come and go and before you know it another year has gone.
At lunch in the summer I was having a meal with a fellow practitioner and he said to me… “If my firm’s partners could see the hours which we are now working they would turn in their grave”

Are the work pressures which we have to cope with ordinarily ever going to reduce? With the economic climate which we are faced with I think that is most unlikely. We therefore have to really examine what we do each day and seek to reduce the non-productive and wasted time which can clutter up our working day. I can almost hear some readers being up in arms about any suggestion of there being such time but I am afraid it is prevalent in varying levels for most business owners / managers. Whilst I accept that for smaller businesses it is harder to rearrange procedures, I am going to set out instances that I am aware of to illustrate the main thrust of my argument:-

Changes to Child Benefits

You may recall that the Chancellor: George Osborne partly reversed a planned cut in child benefit, meaning more families will be entitled to help than was originally proposed, though anomalies still exist and confusion still reigns.

The result is that 1.2 million families will either lose their child benefit or get a reduced payout, according to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), though under the original plans 1.6 million would have lost all their entitlement.

What's more, 500,000 parents will have to fill out a self-assessment tax form each year to continue receiving the benefit. Many more will also be asked to pay a portion of their payout back.

Respect - You Have To Earn It

It is my experience that in management of any organisation, too many people fail to realise that to obtain the respect of their colleagues, they first of all have to earn it. During my working career I have seen many instances of senior officials thinking that just because they have the title works manager or sales director they will as a result enjoy the respect of the employees working directly for them.
Normally on promotion to a senior position there is an initial period where the employees are waiting for tell-tale signs as to how the person concerned is going to perform towards them in relation to his or her overall designated contribution to the business or organisation. 

So how is respect achieved?