CHAPTER ONE

1.0              INTRODUCTION:

The secretary works in a dynamic environment pack full with conflicting situations and instruments – so much that no two working days are exactly the same.  These conflicting decisions and instructions crop up all the time and they demand prompt attention and decisions, but the role of it is that the time to perform these function does not increase rather, it seems to diminish and with this apparent shortage of time comes “stress”.

The roles and functions of the secretary are basic to the organizational roles and so cannot be confined within the purview of a job description.  They range from covering of meetings, taking care of office duties, keeping schedules in both hers and her boss’s desk diaries for complete and effective job performance up-to-date and supervising subordinates as well as keeping order generally in the office.  All these to be done without a pause to enable the smooth flow of work.  Thus, she is also important to the organization because of her ability to remain calm under extraordinary condition of work pressures and human demands.

The secretary’s obligations to the boss can sometimes be strenuous and conflicting with her other obligations to herself and to the company.  This view of secretary’s function is an archaic one in view of the changes that have taken place in her training and job, but some employers still cling to it and cause her stress on the job when she finds difficulty in obeying these instructions.

1.2              STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

The medium organization operates in the dynamic and ever changing environment.  Because the modern organization exists in rapidly changing environment, the secretary is faced with a lot of physical and mental hazards on the job which may cause her stress – noise, lack of preparations for certain jobs or duties, attitude of the public to the job she does and the societal and organizational structures and their effects on her job are some of these factors that may affect her performance on the job.  As well, the sitting arrangements, dangerous chemicals and substances used in the course of her work and lack of proper qualifications for the job may cause her stress.

Added to these stressors is the fact that technology may eventually make her learned skills unwanted in the work place.  Though not manifest in quantifiable terms, these threats cause stress that may eventually spell doom to the secretary mentally as well as physically.

Fache (1981) said “for every successful businessman, executive or organization, there is always an efficient and hardworking secretary”.  In view of the adverse effects of stress on the performance of the secretary on her job, which may in turn cause her boss or even her organizational performance not to be up to what it would have been or not to realize its goals, it becomes of urgent need to take a very keen look at the job the secretary does and find out what does cause her stress.  If this is done, then plans on how to eliminate in control than can be successfully made and executed.

1.2              PURPOSE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:

The purpose of this research is to find out the environmental factors associated with the secretary’s job stress, and their effects on her job performance.  The study, in looking at this problem, attempts to find out:

1.                  What specific factors in the job situations cause the secretary stress.

2.                  Who is to blame for her stress – the boss, management or secretary herself.

3.                  What could be done to reduce or eliminate stress from the job environment.

Further significance of the study, the researcher based on the importance of the study, which will be of great importance to the society at large and primarily be useful to the following:

1.         The management (secretary’s boss).

Ignorance of how well to treat a secretary in order to get her best performance may be one of the reasons why the secretary is subjected to stressful conditions at the place of work.  It is hoped that after reading this work the boss will be better informed as how to handle a secretary to get maximum performance from her.

2.         The professional secretary:

It is hoped that as a result of careful perusal of this work, the secretary will be in a better position to recognize stressors, avoid them whenever possible and control their effects on her performance.  This should lead to a better job performance on her part.

3.         Trainers:

Sometimes, people who train the secretary for the job are hopelessly out of contact with what is required of her at the place of work so that training programmes are not up to what they should be.  It is hoped that this will help trainers identify vital training areas on which to lay emphasis and from time to time improve on facilities to meet with modern office procedures.

4.         Academicians:

This work may later prove useful to academicians who may find all or it as useful points for further research work on the secretary’s job.

1.3       SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

This research was on the study of the effects of stress on the secretary’s job performance.  The researcher covered some selected organization in Enugu metropolis only.  The findings, after analysis would be used as generalization upon the organizations under review.

The organizations are as follows:

·         Anammco Manufacturing Company (ANAMMCO) Enugu.

·         Emenite Aluminium Company, Enugu.

1.5       DEFINITION OF TERMS:

The following terms are defined in the specific sense in which they were used in this research study.  They are as follows:

1.                  Stress

2.                  Stressor

3.                  Secretary

4.                  Job

5.                  Performance

(a)                Stress:  This is the state of the secretary’s disposition when she had been affected by a stressor.

(b)               Stressor:   This is any factor in the environment of work that affects the secretary’s job performance adversely – Sharp and Lewis (1977) in “Thrives on Stress”.

(c)                Secretary:  The is a person employed in an office, usually working for another person, dealing with letters, typing, keeping records, preparing itineraries, making appointments, and arrangements.

(d)               Job:   This is referred to as a particular piece of work or task being carried out by a secretary.

(e)                Performance:  This is the ability a secretary has to operate efficiently or react quickly.