Sample report on the work done by an accountant. Drawing up a report on the work done at enterprises from officials and for different periods of time

Today, it is absolutely not uncommon for employers to require their subordinates to provide a report on the employee’s work. In this case, for the most part, it does not matter what kind of work was done, what position the employee holds and how long he has been working at this place of work. Employers do not even reserve this right for themselves in the internal document flow, but at the same time, employees are obliged to unconditionally comply with this rule, drawing up monthly, quarterly and annual reporting forms depending on the wishes of their superiors, without having the slightest right to object. In this article, we propose to talk about why, in fact, such reports are needed, who and on what grounds has the right to demand them from their subordinates, and what this form of document must necessarily contain.

Why are reports needed?

None of the types of reports can be economically unjustified, because to compile them it is necessary to attract personnel, and this is a fairly significant expense item for any enterprise. The responsibilities of each head of a structural unit include justifying the following important points to management:

• number of employees by state;
• wage fund;
• organizational structure;
• functional responsibilities of employees;
• requirements for applicants for a particular position.

To hire a new employee to a structural unit, you need good reasons and a motivated proposal from the head of the department, which must be agreed upon by management. Only after the latter’s agreement can a vacancy be opened and the search for a suitable specialist begin. But even after the employee is officially hired, the justification for his need must be constantly monitored. Such an employee will need to constantly perform a certain amount of work, which is provided for by a particular position.

Important. To determine the workload of employees and the distribution of work at enterprises, production standards must be calculated. This responsibility should be assigned to the financiers or economists of the enterprise. But in practice, it turns out that these specialists are always busy with more important matters, and therefore physically do not have time to control the distribution of responsibilities.

In fact, the heads of departments monitor the workload of specialists and they are often guided only by their visual observations, that is, they make sure that all specialists are at work. In addition, it turns out that these same managers must draw up plans for how work in the next reporting period will be distributed among subordinates, and the employee must not only work productively, but also plan his own working time.

All these plans are reviewed first by the head of the department, and then submitted for approval to higher management in the manner established by the enterprise. If the plan is approved, then in the future all employees will be required to follow its points, and then report on the work done. And at this stage the need arises to draw up a report in accordance with the previously approved action plan.

Thus, we find that an employee report is required:

• to justify the costs of paying employee salaries;
• as confirmation of the performance of work or provision of services by employees of the enterprise for third-party contractor organizations, for example, under outsourcing agreements;
• in order to create order and maintain labor discipline at the enterprise;
• to establish what work was performed by a particular employee (this is especially true in cases where controversial situations arise about the improper or inadequate performance of certain job duties).

In what cases is a report required?

The legislation mandatory regulates only one type of reports on work performed. And it applies to cases of sending company employees on business trips.

In other cases, employees are required to provide reports on the work done only if this item is directly included in the specialist’s job description, or is specified in the employment contract.

Who can act as the initiator of the report?

The next question is: to whom exactly should the employee report? To answer this question, you need to understand who exactly the employee is subordinate to. Such information should also be included in the job description and in the employment contract. Accordingly, the immediate superior may require the employee to draw up a report. At the same time, he has the right to demand from his subordinate any other types of provided reports, and not just about the work done.

Based on the report on work performed, employee bonuses can be calculated, that is, financial incentives for the employer for work performed. If the report is compiled precisely for this reason, then it must contain the following indicators:

• fulfillment of planned indicators;
• performing extra work within the scope of the employee’s job responsibilities;
• performance of particularly important or extremely urgent work and tasks, individual assignments from the boss in accordance with the job responsibilities of the employees.

Important. At the same time, the report on completed work must also indicate information about the failure to complete certain tasks by the employee’s management, with a mandatory indication of the reasons why the work was not completed.

Employee refusal to prepare a report

Sometimes managers have a question: what to do in a situation where an employee refuses to draw up a report? Can he be punished for refusing? Regarding this, there is an article in the Labor Code that provides for the liability of employees for failure to fulfill their official duties and subject them to disciplinary action. This article, as becomes clear from the description, can be applied only if the provision of a report is part of the employee’s job responsibilities, that is, this is stated in his job description or in the employment contract.

For violation of labor duties, the employer has the right to apply the following types of disciplinary punishment: reprimand or reprimand. The penalty is applied depending on the severity of the consequences of the offense.

But in practice it has a slightly different picture. Typically, employers do not punish in this way employees who disobeyed their order and did not draw up a report by the specified time or completely refused to draw it up. As a rule, what is important to employers is not even the report itself, but the employee’s obedience in performing this or that type of work. And therefore, employees who ignored the report have problems not with the report in particular, but with the fulfillment of the tasks of senior management in general. Therefore, it is much easier for an employer to apply disciplinary punishment not for refusal to work with a report, but for improper performance of an employee’s job duties.

Main components of the report

The employee's report must contain the following mandatory items:

• surname, first name, patronymic;
• job title;
• department or division;
• types of work performed (can be indicated both in quantitative and percentage terms, with a mark on the time of completion);
• indication of work according to plan or above plan;
• customer of the work;
• task completion status (completed, partially completed, not completed);
• result (with or without document indication);
• the fact of transfer of the result;
• other employees who were involved in performing the work;
• compliance of actual indicators with planned ones;
• the date of the report and the period for which the report was completed.

All these points can only be called conditional, since in each specific case they can be changed (new parameters are added or existing ones are adjusted).

Some enterprises may develop and implement a system for providing daily reports to employees on the work they do. In this case, it makes sense to use a short form of the report, which will indicate all the most basic facts about the work, and filling out this report will not take much time from the employee.

A simplified version of the report may contain the following items:

• last name, first name, patronymic;
• job title;
• place of work;
• work performed according to plan and above standard;
• the date of the report and the period for which the document was compiled.

Important. All reports drawn up by an employee must be certified by himself, as well as by a superior manager.

Should the report be in a prescribed form?

There is no generally accepted form for reporting on the work done by an employee. There are several reasons for this:

• the law does not provide for the obligations of employees to prepare such forms of reports;
• Each enterprise has its own characteristics and nuances that must be taken into account when drawing up reports (including the style of the owners or managers of the company).

Therefore, it turns out that it is not possible to establish a single reporting form for all legal entities. But at the same time, if the enterprise has a well-established document flow system, and all documents are filled out and stored in strict order, then it makes sense to pay attention to this report and approve its standard form specifically for this enterprise.

You can do this in several ways:

• in a set of documents for the enterprise as a whole, if all employees report on the work done centrally;
• by order for a specific division or department, if reports are prepared only by certain categories of employees.

How should reports be stored?

If a report on the employee’s work has been compiled, then it must be stored at the enterprise, regardless of whether a unified form was used for its preparation or whether it was compiled randomly. Another question: how long should it be stored at the enterprise? The legislation on this topic is silent, again for the reason that it does not provide for mandatory completion of reports by employees.

Often, the management of an enterprise, in its actions regarding the storage of reports, is guided by a list of archival documents, according to which the following document storage periods should be adhered to:

• employee reports on the work they performed, except for travel documents, must be kept for 1 year;
• Summary reports of departments or divisions on work performed must be kept for 5 years.

The first report that needs to be filled out is the “weekly payment plan”. Since a week is a truly critical period in the monthly forecast for closing deals, you must immediately learn how to control work in this particular area.

1. Form into this shape

2. Ensure a regular process in which managers complete this report in the CRM on a weekly basis. It is best if they do this at the end of the weekly cycle, when there are already certain achievements and “promises” from clients.

3. Download the form shown above from the system and discuss it at a weekly meeting, for example on Monday morning. This way you will “publicly” confirm the plans of each manager, which will greatly increase the chances of their implementation.

The most important point in the table “When will he pay” is the key point in the form. Filling it out encourages sellers to be responsible and do everything to meet the deadline.

It is important to understand that one “bad” week of work - and now the business is faced with lost profits, cash gaps and problems with creditors. The “weekly payment plan”, among other things, indirectly affects the prevention of such situations.

Sales manager report: fact of payments for today

The “fact of payments for the past day” report mostly serves an informational function. Thanks to him, the manager monitors the situation on a daily basis.

Please note that you can enter the following in the Payment Status column:

• paid;
• partially paid;
• invoice for payment.

The main feature of this manager report is that it is filled out several times a day. The manager assigns reference points for intraday monitoring of plan execution. You can track payments based on filling out the “fact of payments for today” 2-3 times a day. For example, at 12:00, 16:00 and 18:00. Such hourly monitoring not only gives an understanding of the situation, but also stimulates sellers.

Sales manager report: payment plan for tomorrow

The manager’s “payment plan for tomorrow” report provides a detailed forecast for the week, but only with the possibility of daily control.

This form is filled out once at the end of the working day that precedes the scheduled one. At the end of the day, it is reviewed with the manager and correlated with the “weekly payment plan.”

Such an analysis makes it possible to achieve the necessary efficiency in the actions of the head of the department, who, based on it, can timely adjust the seller’s strategy.

Sales manager report: summary table of department indicators

There is another basic form of report - a summary report of the “board” type, on which plan implementation indicators for each department employee are dynamically changed and displayed. Its main purpose is information and demonstration.

In this form, it can be presented on a large monitor, or drawn out manually on a regular board. The “board” should be automatically populated in the CRM, which reflects all the necessary indicators for each seller.

Pay special attention to the second column from the left, “% of plan completed for the current day.” It requires further clarification. This is not an actual percentage that reflects how much the monthly plan has been completed. In fact, this indicator indicates the “speed” of its implementation. That is, how much the plan would be fulfilled by each of the employees if he continues to make the same efforts as at the current moment.

The “% plan completion for the current day” is calculated using the formula:

Current fact: (Monthly plan: total number of working days in a month x number of days worked in a month) x 100

Thus, if the result on this report of a sales manager is less than 100%, this means that he does not have time to fulfill the plan given the amount of effort he makes and the strategies he uses.

The “board” is mainly aimed at exerting psychological influence on sellers in order to push them to take more active, but at the same time reasonable steps to correct the situation.

Sales manager report: pipeline

Pipeline is a term that came to us from Western sales practice. It characterizes and details the status of all transactions that are at different stages in the employee’s “portfolio”. Working with a pipeline is a constant process of interaction between the manager and each employee regarding decisions that will ultimately lead to payment.

For effective interaction of this kind, 2 conditions are necessary:

1. All work and reports of sales managers are carried out through CRM
2. The manager ranks deals in CRM using filters and uploads the following form.

The key indicators for closing a deal in this table are “deal stage” and “probability”. Moreover, they correlate with each other.

Initially, the probability scale is adjusted depending on the stage at which the deal is currently located. The degrees of this probability are selected based on the established individual business practices. They also depend on the industry and the level of person with whom the salesperson interacts: middle manager, department head or director. Let's give a real example of such a scale.

• A commercial proposal has been sent - the probability of payment is up to 50%
• Sent the contract - 50−70%
• The agreement has been signed - 70−90%
• Invoice issued - 90−100%

The pipeline and the results in the reports of each manager are quite manageable things. You just need to be guided by 4 principles.

1. The overall health of each seller's portfolio is monitored on a regular, sometimes daily, basis. It is especially important to do this with newcomers and employees who are in professional “depression.” In order to change the pipeline state of a particular seller, control it at the mentioned reference points within the day.

2. The pipeline should not be allowed to become “cluttered” or, on the contrary, to be too “empty”. Monitor the process of closing deals on time using reports from managers. And promptly replenish the employee’s personal funnel with tasks for new deals. Ideally, “filling” should occur automatically as old tasks are processed, taking into account the average deal length. In this way, the necessary balance can be achieved.

3. Work with the pipeline must be configured with the ability to control the average bill. If this indicator does not reach the required level, which is established in the regulations for business processes, then it is necessary to schedule additional meetings with staff and conduct training on problem stages.

4. We should not forget that the volume of revenue depends not only on the efforts of sellers, but also on marketing support. Each stage of the transaction should include an element that will literally push the buyer to pay. Thus, along with a commercial offer, a gift in the form of an educational e-book with useful information can be sent. To make payment faster, you can provide a time-limited opportunity for additional bonuses under the contract.

We looked at 5 components of effective work with managers' reports. It includes setting up an entire system that will promptly signal the status of each transaction individually.

The activities of any organization or company always involve reporting. Even if the company is completely independent and does not have higher management, a report on the activities of such a company is necessary for the management of the company itself to assess the effectiveness of work over a certain period, to build further prospects for the development of the campaign.

Writing a report, like writing a business letter, seems like a simple question... but where can difficulties arise?

Usually, those who do it for the first time have difficulties in how to draw up a report on the work done. Having compiled such a report once or twice, correcting it according to the comments received, the specialist compiling it no longer experiences any particular difficulties in drawing up the next one.
Compiling a progress report for the first time, and drafting it correctly, is not as easy a task as it seems at first glance.

A little about the accounting report

The simplest one in terms of execution is an accounting report. It can be large in volume and time-consuming to compile, it requires precision and accuracy in its compilation, and yet it is somewhat easier to compile than a text report on the work done. When preparing an accounting report, there is usually a strictly defined form of reporting, expressed in various tables.

You need to fill out these tables with digital indicators of the organization’s activities, and that’s it. Of course, all indicators must be reliable and combined with each other, but it is still easier to calculate and insert numbers into the appropriate columns than to compile a text report on the work done, when you need to describe all aspects of the organization’s activities in words.

Sometimes when preparing an accounting report, it requires an explanatory note. It is usually not large in volume and some numbers are explained in it. For example, why some indicators have decreased, what caused the increase in other indicators, what is the general trend towards growth and development, according to the report figures.

Classification of progress reports

Reports are classified according to two criteria

• By time of reporting period: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual.
• By composition and volume: a report on the work done by one division of the organization and a report on the work of the entire organization.

Compiling a daily or weekly progress report is rarely difficult. Typically, they consist of several digital indicators that reflect the main activities of the organization. The volume of monthly progress reports is larger, but also mainly expressed in numbers. And quarterly, semi-annual and annual, most often, involve text versions of reports on the work done.

Text report on the work done - a creative process

Compiling a report in numbers is a responsible task, but easier than compiling a competent, qualified text report on the work done. Compiling a report in text form is a kind of creativity.

It should reflect the activities of a department or the entire organization as a whole, it should be written in document language, but easy to read, it should not contain unnecessary “water”, the text should be supported by numbers, it should reflect a comparison with the previous indicators the reporting period or indicators of the same period last year, and it should end with some conclusions.

Drawing up a report on the activities of the entire organization as a whole, the work of all its departments and divisions is usually assigned to the head of the organization. The general practice of providing reports suggests that a higher authority sends to the organization that must provide a report on the work done, the structure of the upcoming report, which indicates what specifically needs to be covered in the report on the work done, what numbers, indicators and areas of activity should be reflected in the upcoming report .

The head of the organization introduces the departments to the structure of the report of each department, and each department draws up its own report on the work done. The manager checks all reports, if necessary, corrects them, and generates a general report on the organization’s activities.

Basic requirements for preparing a progress report

And although drawing up a report on the work done is a creative process, and it must reflect all aspects of the organization’s activities, it is still a document, and not an essay on a specific topic, it must meet all the requirements of a business document. Therefore, the progress report should not contain any sentences with personal pronouns, for example, “I said, they did, we achieved” and the like. Here is a small example of what vocabulary should exist in the text of the report:

“The number of sales in the technology department for the 2nd quarter of 2014 was 205,000, which amounted to 27% of the total number of sales. This is 10% more than the number of sales for the corresponding period last year. Sales in the technology department for the 2nd quarter increased by 7% compared to the same figure for the 1st quarter. This increase in the level of sales occurred due to the expansion of the sales market (the creation of new points of sale, the intensification of the work of agents).”

You cannot insert into the report on the work done, when talking about improving some indicators, such sentences as “thanks to the hard work of the manager, thanks to the improvement of the team’s work.” Firstly, this is an incorrect style of drawing up a business document, and secondly, such proposals do not reflect the true reason for increasing the level of indicators. What, before the manager did not work hard, but somehow? The team worked poorly before this reporting period, and then for some reason began to work well?

When drawing up a report on the work done, in the relevant sections of the report you can insert a description of some specific events, actions, presentations that contributed to improving work and increasing performance.

Sections of the progress report

So, what sections should a text report on the work done contain, if a specific report structure is not attached to its preparation?

• An introductory part, which provides a brief description of the organization, its position among similar organizations in the city, region, or some other information about the organization or region where its activities are carried out
• This is followed by reports on the work done by each unit (department). If the organization is small and does not have departments, then the main part of the report on the work done is compiled by the head of the organization based on the data provided by each specialist of the organization.
• The final part, which summarizes the results of the organization’s work for the reporting period, draws conclusions about successes and failures, and gives forecasts for future activities.

Options for progress reports

The structure of the progress report may have some other options related to the specifics of the organization’s activities, but it must contain the following data:

• A complete and objective report on all areas of the organization’s activities, with digital indicators, possibly diagrams
• Conclusions about the organization’s work for the reporting period
• Ways and prospects for the development of the organization for the upcoming reporting period.

Determine the purpose of the report. Weekly reports may be part of the job responsibilities, but the desire to keep your job should not be the end goal of the report. Determine what the weekly report will do to ensure it captures meaningful information and uses the most effective structure.

Determine your target audience. It is impossible to create a competent report if you do not know who it will be intended for and for what purpose. This is the only way to understand what information is of the greatest value.

• Understanding the audience allows you to correctly organize the structure of the report and use the most appropriate words. For example, a report for elementary school students will be completely different from a text intended for executives of a large corporation.
• It is also important to understand what points the potential reader already knows and what points need to be clarified or additional sources provided. For example, when writing a legal report that is intended for the bar, you do not necessarily need to provide a detailed explanation of the current laws. On the other hand, such explanations are necessary if the report is intended for managers without a legal background.
• If the report is being written in connection with an internship, research, or other aspect of teaching, then it is important to understand that your audience is not the professor or supervisor, even if they collect the papers at the end. Focus on the essence of the project and specific area of ​​expertise to understand your reader.

Arrange information in order of importance. Despite the concise nature of the reports, your document may not be fully read. For this reason, you should place the most important data with summaries and conclusions at the beginning of the text.

• For example, if you need to compare and contrast three different brands of equipment and recommend the best option, then start with the results and then explain your choice.
• Typically, the first page of the report provides a summary of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Detailed explanations should be included in the main text of the document so that readers can understand the reasons for such conclusions, if necessary.

Understand the typical “fate” of a report. In most cases, weekly reports are necessary for accounting and office work, so they are simply filed and archived. It is better to immediately realize that reports are rarely read from beginning to end.

• This fact is not a reason to be lazy or submit work of poor quality. Your reports become a reflection of your work ethic and personal qualities. A weak report will likely be noticed, so saying “I knew you wouldn’t read it” won’t be a valid excuse.
• The entire report should be of high quality and literate, but special attention should be paid to those elements of the text that are read most often. These usually include a summary and conclusions or recommendations. Give them special attention.
• It is important to understand that the employer may not read the report not because he does not care or does not need the report. High-ranking managers are always extremely busy, so they are able to highlight essential information that allows them to make effective decisions. These individuals will not read the entire report unless necessary, but they can always return to it later.

Part 2

Report structure

1. Ask for a sample. Many companies have adopted a standard weekly report format, and managers and management are accustomed to receiving information in a certain form. A different report format may cause confusion.

   • Be especially careful with sales reports. Managers become accustomed to the structure of reports and can find the information they need with one glance at the page. If you deviate from the accepted format, the report will become practically useless, because the manager will have to re-read the entire text to find the necessary information.
   • Contact the secretary and ask for a sample so as not to reinvent the wheel. Typically, a company uses a document template with all the parameters, including margins, fonts, table and paragraph styles.

2. Consider the reporting method. A printed document or electronic attachment is formatted completely differently than a report that is submitted in the body of an email.

   • For example, if the report is submitted as an attachment to an email, then the summary should be included in the body of the email. Then the reader won't have to open the attachment to understand the main idea.
   • For a printed report, it is usually necessary to prepare a cover letter or cover page so that the report can be properly identified and filed.
   • Regardless of how you submit your report, it is important to include your name on each page and number them in "X of Y" format. Pages can easily become separated, so it is important to know how many pages the report is written on and who the author of the document is.
   • All the necessary information can be specified in the header. For example, type in it: “Sales report of Peter Ivanov, week 32, page 3 of 7.”

3. Attach a summary. The summary of the report usually fits into a couple of paragraphs, and each section is conveyed in one or two sentences. The bottom line is that often a manager only needs to read a summary to make the necessary decision if your conclusions coincide with his assumptions on the issue.

   • It is important that the summary is written in clear, accessible and concise language. Do not use jargon or technical terms that require explanation, even if the reader is well versed in industry terminology.
   • The executive summary is written after completing the remaining elements of the report. It is impossible to briefly summarize paragraphs that have not yet been written, even with a detailed outline. A lot can change during work.

4. Consider the structure of paragraphs and sections. Decide on a format and leave a plan for the sections of the report that will meet the objectives.

   • The plan should be logical and consistent, and also take into account the potential readers of the report.
   • Typically, a report consists of a summary, introduction, conclusions and recommendations, data and explanations, and a list of sources. Extended reports can be supplemented with appendices with important data and a table of contents, but weekly reports are quite short.
   • Each section should address one issue. Each paragraph within a section describes one idea. So, if a section of a weekly sales report is called “Popular Clothing Brands for Children,” then each model should be given one paragraph. If you need to list clothes for boys and girls separately, use subsections (with appropriate subheadings) for each brand, within which you dedicate one paragraph to clothes for boys and one to clothes for girls.

5. Create a cover page or cover letter. For summary reports, a cover page is not required, but a detailed report should have a separate sheet identifying the report's author and a brief description of the task.

   • The title page differs from the summary because it actually contains only the information that is needed for the correct registration and filing of the report.
   • An organization may have a standard cover page template for weekly reports. In this case, follow the established rules.
   • The title page should include the title or description of the report (for example, “Weekly Sales Report”), the name of the writer and any co-authors, the name of the company, and the date the report was compiled or filed.

Part 3

Persuasive words and formulations

1. Come up with smart headings and subheadings. These report elements allow the reader to quickly find relevant sections and additional information that will help understand the findings and recommendations.

   • Section headings and subheadings should accurately and clearly describe the content.
   • For example, in a weekly sales report, you could use the sections "General Trends in Women's Clothing," "Trends in Men's Clothing," and "Popular Brands in Children's Clothing." Then, within each section, you can identify subsections whose names will reflect clear trends or popular brand names.
   • Use consistent grammar across all headings to make your report appear logical and consistent. For example, if the first headline is “Best Men's Clothing,” then the next headline should be “Leading Women's Clothing,” not “Women's Sales Performance.”

2. Use simple and clear sentences. Your report should use standard Subject, Predicate Object sentence structure to clearly express your thoughts and demonstrate confidence in your conclusions and recommendations.

   • Re-read your draft and cross out any unnecessary words. In each sentence, find the performer of the action and place it before the verb. Schematically, sentences should look like "Who does what."
   • Get rid of redundant words and phrases like “as of today,” “in order to,” or “for the sake of availability.”
   • This style may seem boring, but your goal is not to entertain the reader. It is much more important for a report to effectively communicate key aspects and conclusions.

3. Conclusions must be objective and impartial. The report will often need to provide recommendations, but these should be based on facts and not personal opinions or feelings. It is important to convince the reader with irrefutable evidence and clarity of thought.

   • Avoid using adjectives or other words and phrases with strong positive or negative emotional connotations. Focus on facts and common sense.
   • For example, in a report you recommend promoting one of the sales managers. Support your recommendation with facts that demonstrate that the person is truly deserving of the promotion, but do not provide subjective opinions or appeal to emotions. “Alina regularly performs at the top of her game even though she only works 15 hours a week” is more convincing than “Alina is very friendly and always tries, but she has to work less than full time because she is looking after her elderly parents.”

4. Use persuasive verbs. If the text is written in the active voice, then the action in the sentence is expressed in one word - a verb. Use concise and compelling verbs that clearly describe the action.

   • It is advisable to give preference to simple verbs. For example, “selling” is always better than “selling”.
   • Sometimes verbs expressing mental processes are needed - think, know, understand, believe, but in general they are inferior to action verbs. Try to expand your statement and turn it into action. For example, you wrote the sentence “I believe that sales figures will increase in the coming months.” Expand the statement and outline the reasons for this assumption. Reword the sentence: “As practice shows, sales increase during the holiday season. I predict that sales figures will increase in November and December.”
   • The text should be action-oriented. Re-read the report, try to get rid of unnecessary prepositions and replace redundant words with persuasive verbs. For example, "provide assistance" can be replaced with "help", and instead of "provide protection" say "protect".

5. Don't use the passive voice. The passive form removes the subject of action from the sentence, and the object comes to the fore. In some situations, the passive voice is necessary for political or diplomatic reasons, but most often it makes the text confusing and vague.

   • The active voice allows us to emphasize the performers of the action and shows the reader who is responsible. To appreciate the importance of this aspect, imagine that in a newspaper article about the fire you came across the following sentence: “Fortunately, all the children were saved.” It is necessary to understand who saved these children. If the sentence looked like “Local teacher Ivan Petrov returned several times to the burning boarding school building and saved all the children,” then the real hero comes to the fore.
   • Also, active voice allows you to find someone responsible for negative consequences. The phrase “Some mistakes were made” will leave the employer wondering who made the mistakes and who should be punished. If you are the one who made the mistakes, then accept responsibility and accept the consequences.
   • Look at the verb "to be" to find passive sentences. If you managed to find them, then determine the action being performed and the person who performs it, and then change the order of the words.

6. Use visual ways to express data. Charts and graphs are much easier to perceive and are located immediately after the paragraph with such information (especially if such data contains a large number of numbers).

   • Choose appropriate visual aids that make things easier for the reader and serve the purpose of the report.
   • For example, use a line graph to show the growth in sales of wool coats. This presentation of data is much more effective than a table with the number of units sold for each month, since the table forces the reader to keep all the numbers in mind and compare them with each other to detect trends. One glance at the chart will be enough to understand the essence.
   • First of all, a person always pays attention to visual elements. All graphics and diagrams must be clear and neat and correctly positioned on the page. Only use elements that truly support your findings and recommendations.

7. Don't use jargon. Every field of knowledge or activity has its own inevitable terminology, as well as buzzwords that are often used in books and articles. Sometimes they are useful, but in most cases, jargon only interferes with the clear and competent expression of the main idea.

   • Try making a list of jargon to avoid overusing such words in your report. Finish the text and perform a keyword search to replace unwanted vocabulary items.
   • It should be understood that a large number of buzzwords will not show the reader that you are “in the know”, but will have the opposite effect. Directors and managers are often older than ordinary employees and have seen many such words in their time. If you overuse jargon, they will think that you are too lazy, have poor knowledge of the topic, or just want to impress.
   • It is also better not to use too complex terms. For example, a report on a legal dispute should not contain excessive amounts of legal mumbo-jumbo.

8. Correct all errors. A large number of typos and grammatical errors only distract the reader and create a negative impression of the author. Write a draft report in advance so you have time to work on mistakes.

   • Check your spelling and grammar in a word processing program on your computer, but don't rely solely on automatic corrections. Such programs can miss a lot of errors, especially in similar words (“seals” instead of “gloves”).
   • Read the report backwards to find any errors. If the topic of the report is close to you, then it is very easy not to notice the error, because the brain can automatically “invent” the missing words or letters in the text. Read backwards to understand individual words.
   • Read the report out loud to spot errors and stylistic flaws. If you can't read a sentence or paragraph without stumbling, then it's likely that your text is overloaded, and the reader will also be confused. Rewrite unsuccessful sentences.

Have there been any cases in your practice when you worked tirelessly with your arms, legs and other parts of your body 24 hours a day? Perfectly prepared the property for sale. You have already rocked the market with your commercial offers, outlined a plan for further actions and, in complete harmony with yourself, are waiting for a logical result in the form of a deal and the subsequent receipt of honestly earned commissions.

But at some point, your client’s number appears on the phone screen and you, suspecting nothing, calmly pick up the phone. But instead of gratitude, you hear many complaints, ranging from the fact that you do nothing at all to the demand to terminate the contract and threats. Sound familiar?

Before you get indignant, put yourself in his place...

The person has entered into an exclusive contract with you. He entrusted you with perhaps the most expensive property he owns. He believed you, he decided that you were almost a magician and the only one capable of helping him. But then, all the time that you work tirelessly, he DOESN’T HEAR OR KNOW anything about you or your work! Accordingly, the suspicion grows that nothing is happening. Moreover, there will always be “good advisers” from among relatives, friends and acquaintances who will give him advice. brainwash them and intimidate them with horror stories about “deceivers”, “black realtors” and “how expensive it is for such work”. Therefore, after 7-10 days, a completely logical and natural explosion occurs.

In fact, there is a very simple way to prevent such developments. It is enough to send the client a weekly report on the work done.

Regularly, using a pre-formed template, draw up a report that lists all the actions and activities completed over the past period. And send it to the seller by mail. And the client is satisfied - he understands what is happening, that they have not forgotten about him, they are working on his topic, and you will always be protected from unfounded claims.

Now let’s formulate the requirements for the document “Report on the work done”:

What must be included in the report

• Contract number
• Agent contacts
• List of completed actions and activities carried out
• Report creation date and signature

Transfer methods

• e-mail
• print it out and hand it in person

Report transmission time

• Optimally Friday evening (when you have the results of the week’s work)
• Or after the last inspections on the weekend

IMPORTANT!

• If your report contains a list of Internet resources on which you placed advertisements, be sure to indicate links to these ads
• If you have published in the media, please attach photo or screen advertisements
• If you have created a separate presentation, do not forget to attach it to the report

By following all these simple steps, you will quickly reduce the number of such calls to a minimum. And, by the way, it will become much easier for you to control the situation. Well, in order to simplify this already dust-free job of creating reports as much as possible, we suggest you download an example of a ready-made template.

About the author

Tatiana Porubaymikh. Organizer and head of the consulting center Arsenal consult. Part-time mastermind of the project and generator of ideas. And also a consultant. Main focus: marketing and copywriting. Tatyana is a marketer whose portfolio includes successfully implemented projects in a wide variety of areas.