Fewer than 10% of managers expect to see a rise in their available budget, according to the CMI's latest Economic Outlook report. And it is something managers have to cope with and budget reductions present an ideal opportunity to take stock of your business plan for the year.

Begin by looking at the activities you have planned and ask yourself which are essential to the plan and which are 'nice to do', then drop the latter. Reassess your team's objectives. Are they realistic and achievable, given your new financial constraints?

Numerous reports suggest that employee engagement and motivation levels are at an all time low right now so the last thing you want to be doing is heaping unrealistic pressure on an already concerned workforce. But do this carefully. Many organisations assess progress against targets on a quarterly or bi-annual basis.

You must ensure the organisation operates in the context of market conditions. Manage the expectations of your senior colleagues. Make sure they know what can and cannot be achieved given the circumstances.

That way, at the end of the financial year, accusations cannot be leveled at you that the team has not delivered the original plan. Look also at how efficiently the team is running. Most people automatically assume that 'efficiency savings' is a euphemistic reference to redundancies, but this need not be the case.

There have been several stories of late about companies making huge savings by making simple, practical changes to workplace behaviour, such as changing computer settings so everything was printed double-sided.

Good budget management is an ongoing process. Just because you have solved one problem, it doesn't mean another won't crop up, so however you achieve savings ensure that you have a contingency plan should anything arise in the future.

A record number of people are taking up new courses and there are tens of thousands to choose from, including many tailored to suit those in full-time work.

However, if you do need to change your working hours you'll need to persuade your employer. If the course is related to your job you should make a business case to your employer.

Demonstrating that it is in your bosses' interest for you to train should help to persuade them to change your hours. Some employers provide funding for staff taking up courses so it is worth asking about financial support. Your employer may also be able to access Government subsidies, albeit rumor says funding will be cut in 2010.

Even if the course is not related to your job it is still worth asking as many employers recognise that out-of-work learning can improve morale, confidence and job satisfaction. From next year, employees will have a right to request time off for training, similar to the current right to request flexible working.

Hi there, thanks for your question.

To get some ideas on how you can get customers, grab yourself a sheet of A4 paper and a pen and then get ready to be creative. Now, put yourself in your customer's shoes and on the paper, write down as many places as you can where you would go if you were looking for translation services - it doesn't matter if these ideas are wacky or different or completely mad, just get them all down on the paper.

Try not to filter your ideas either - it's easy to think "well that's not going to work" and not write the idea down. Try to get all the ideas you can down on paper. Do this exercise with a friend and you'll get even more ideas. Try not to stop writing ideas until you have at least 20 things on that piece of paper. This exercise should give you a really good insight into where your potential customers are likely to go when they're looking for translation services and then I would recommend you start using your ideas to look for customers. Hope this all makes sense.
Best of luck.

Any projects you work on consistently and already know how to approach and complete, can be delegated to others. The best way to do this is to come up with written checklists for these types of projects. A written checklist, along with verbal instructions, will help you train the assigned person properly.

Of course, you're still responsible for the work getting done, so it is highly recommended that you meet with the assigned person regularly to be sure he or she is meeting the deadlines you've assigned, so the project keeps moving ahead.

If you have a brand new project that you're not exactly sure how to tackle, it is generally advised that you work on it yourself independently, or along with another staff member. This way, potential problems can be resolved and a training checklist can be developed for the next similar project.

Would you use paper made entirely out of waste paper from your company's recycling bin? What if I told you it was greatly benefiting the environment and still extremely high quality?

Buying recycled paper, made of 100% post-consumer recycled content, may cost a bit more (sometimes not), but the benefits can be truly worthwhile. Here are four reasons to buy recycled:

1. Recycled papers of comparable quality to virgin-made papers are becoming increasingly easy to find, especially in large office supply stores such as Staples.
2. When your company buys recycled paper, it demonstrates concern for the environment. This is an excellent message to pass on to employees and your customers.
3. Making recycled paper creates less air and water pollution than making new paper.
4. The fewer trees that must be cut down to make paper, the less chance that valuable wildlife habitats and ecosystems will be lost.

I think it's well worth it, simply for the facts listed above. Plus, it gives you the benefit of knowing that you're doing something good for the environment.

Here are my top-5 favorite ways:

1. Use email, read reports and manuals on the screen in PDF format, and don't print unnecessarily. Doing so will reduce your company's paper consumption - which will result in less paper needing to be purchased.
2. Before purchasing something new, be sure you don't already have something in your office that can do the trick.
3. Confirm business appointments BEFORE you leave the office. You'll reduce wasted time and wasted fuel.
4. Don't disregard inexpensive storage options such as simple shelves. Whether you get wood, steel or wire shelving, shelving will help you make excellent use of all the wall space that typically goes to waste.
5. Need more filing space, but can't afford filing cabinets? Cardboard file storage boxes and banker's boxes are awesome for paperwork that can be archived, especially since they stack so beautifully!