OCCUPATIONAL MOBILITY AND THE EFFECTS ON SECRETARIES OCCUPATIONAL PROSPECTS

Every business organization need efficient management and administration and therefore requires the services of secretary Segun (1989). A secretary is one who besides possession of typewriting and shorthand skills is knowledgeable in management and organizational techniques. The secretary relies on her sill in dealing with people. Such skills are tact, discretion, courtesy, common sense, pleasant speaking ability and having a good memory, to mention but a few. It is a well know fact that every occupation carries some elements of risks usually referred to as occupational hazard. Secretaries are to be found in almost all business organizations worth that name. As is well known, the secretarial profession has come of a age in Nigeria. Secretarial courses are now being offered in all polytechnic in the country and in some reputable universities. The number of students offering the course seems to be growing from day-to-day for those working, the take home pay is relatively attractive. Everything seems to be going for the secretary, yet many secretaries express dissatisfactions with their lot in their work places and some I know have abandoned the profession for greener pastures. This study therefore is being carried out to find out the problems facing secretaries in their work paces and those impediments on their way to achieving full job satisfactions identification of those constraints will be a first step in seeking for solutions to the problems and this is the objective of the research.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

In every well organized business, the service of the secretarial personnel are highly needed. It is usually asserted that the success or failure of any organization largely depends on the role of the secretary plays in achieving the objectives of the organization. In this modern times, the secretarial profession has become very lucrative and attractive. This has led to an unprecedented influx into the profession. Despite this enviable position the secretarial profession appears to be bedeviled by some unidentified obstacles which may lead the secretary to resort to negative attitude towards their work and even leave their job for entirely different professions. It is the aim of this paper to find out those impediments, obstacles and pitfalls, which make many secretaries wish to leave this profession despite the attractive salaries usually offered to them. We will also seek to find possible solutions and proper recommendations that may stop these problems.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study are

i. To find out the problems encountered by secretaries working in some selected establishments in Enugu metropolis

ii. To find out the likely effects of those problems on the secretary’s performance on the job

iii. To make suggestions and recommendations for improve of the lot of secretaries.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. Do secretaries in some selected establishment in Enugu metropolis encounter problems in their working place

2. Do these problems detract them from their official performance

3. What are these problems

4. What are the likely solutions to these problems

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is envisaged that this study when completed will be immense benefit the secretaries working in some establishment to the management and the organization as a whole. Firstly, this study intends to identify the problems encountered by secretaries, which can inject negative attitude in them so that their employers will have cleaver pictures of these problems and devise ways of motivating their secretaries as to enhance productivity. The study will also be beneficial to managers in those organizations so that they will reveal what could be done to enhance the prospects of these secretaries. On the other hand, the study will be beneficial to the secretaries themselves in that, if the recommendations advanced in this study are adhered to, they will be better placed in the organization and their status enhanced. It will also serve as an inspiration to Nigeria secretaries to embrace the profession fully having known the already existing problems. Finally, the research will provide up-to-date information on the secretarial profession.

1.6 DELIMITATION

This research is delimited to secretaries in some selected establishment in Enugu metropolis. These establishments are First Bank of Nigeria PLC Enugu
Union Bank of Nigeria PLC Enugu Afribank of Nigeria PLC Enugu  United Bank for Africa (UBA) PLC Enugu.