So many times your open door policy has resulted in constant interruptions and last minute meetings that eat away at your day. You want your employees to be able to openly communicate with you but you also need to get your work done. What can you do?

Start by systemizing and documenting information that can be easily answered in written form. . Design an employee FAQ handbook or update the one you have to include the answers to questions that your employees routinely ask. Have an employee newsletter that goes out regularly and covers company news, changes in applicable human resources laws and new policy and procedures. Last, but not least, when an employee comes into your office to talk, welcome them and then schedule a convenient time in the future for the two of you to talk. This gives the message that you make their concern or questions a priority by setting aside uninterrupted time to talk.

You can also have fun with this. Stick a RED card on your door or cubicle when you do not want to be disturbed and a GREEN one when you are available. It is possible you might also need to retrain yourself and others so that you are not bombarded by Instant Messages (IM) or unwanted e-mail. It’s a brave new world that can swallow a time capsule unless corralled at the start.