Most managers perform daily functions in addition to their management duties. If staff management falls aside, a chaotic and dysfunctional environment can result. Here lies the dilemma: Finding time to do your own work and manage your employees.

Consider these tips to fit both in.

Get assistance. A reasonable span of control is ten employees. If you have more than that, consider creating a lead or assistant supervisor position. Your assistant could coordinate workflow, track attendance, train, appraise performance and help with hiring. As a manager, you should still address employee relations concerns, salary actions, department goals, hiring decisions and other important management decisions.

Manage your time. There is a fine balance between being available for your staff and completing your own work. Do your reading and other non-people contact duties after peak hours. Having an open door policy can actually head off questions or concerns from employees before they escalate to real problems. Of course, proactive communication at group or individual staff meetings is always recommended. Cover big picture company/department issues in group staff meetings and individual goals in one-on-one meetings. It's also important to create a balance of planned and informal meetings with employees.

Delegate. Any time-management book will advise handling a piece of information only once. If you find that the same pieces of information keep coming back to you or you are requesting that they come back to you, then you are trying to control too much. While you may have to keep tabs on a high-rsk project, delegate lower-risk duties.

Empower employees. Allow employees to make decisions without jerking them back to your way of doing things. This allows you to be involved in only the major decisions and not every little decision that employees should make.

One rule of thumb could be: "If the decision costs more than $_______ or if it would create a legal concern, please involve me. Otherwise you have the power to make these decisions and just give me an update by  _(date)____."

Replace yourself. Feel like you can never go on vacation? Well, it's your own fault. It is egotistical to think that you are the only person to perform your management and other daily functions.

Business should not stop just because you need to go on a business trip or want some rest and relaxation. Creating a back-up for your manager duties is important.

Look at those functions that need to happen while you are gone and train others to perform them in your absence. If you have an assistant supervisor, this would be a natural transference of skills. If not, train employees to take on certain duties while you are away.

A succession plan is the responsibility of a manager. If you want to see if you have successfully achieved a back-up plan, count how many phone calls you receive while you are out of the office for an extended period of time.

Manage your boss. Sometimes we focus only on our staff and forget to manage upward. This means that you also have to create time to manage your boss. For example, if you have a boss who has a tendency to be a "control freak," then you need to proactively and frequently communicate with him and her so that constant interruptions do not occur. If your boss is constantly in your office asking for information, then suggest a weekly meeting at an agreed time where communication can take place.

Sue Romero is a human resources consultant and facilitator specializing in employee relations issues, manager coaching, management and team training. She has over 20 years experience coaching managers on enhancing their effectiveness. Her Web site is:  www.romeroconsulting.com.