Format: MS WORD | Chapter: 1-5 | Pages: 65-80
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
For decades now, fast changes have been taking place in all facets of human life including the office environment. This is as a result of technological advancement. Every office in today’s business world, be it government, industry or other human endeavors, require facts and accurate information for quick decision-making. The office worker, including the secretary, expects certain support from the organization into which he/she is employed. This support can be technological (machines and equipment) and human. In offices of past, manager’s dictated memos and letters and secretaries typed them. Most recently, business have developed word processing centers and relied on personal computers and even electronic mail in an effort to lessen the need for secretarial support and make the employee-secretary very productive (Ezoem, 1995; Osuala, 2004). As a result of changes in technology, the role of secretaries in business has changed tremendously from that of typewriting and shorthand dictation, answering of telephone calls and processing of mails. Today’s secretaries are exposed to office technology including the internet that make work much easier and knowledge more accessible (Edwin, 2008). It is now easier to send messages by telex, electronic mails (e-mails), fax and telephones. Other office gadgets available to the secretary are photo-copy machines, duplicating machines, dictating machines, printers, among others. This is the era of computers and information technology which has become an enabler of greater convenience. Three of the most popular types of computer software programs are word processing, which help the user to write and edit memos, letters and reports, data management programs or databases, which help the user/ secretary to use long lists of data and spreadsheet programs, which handle tables and numbers (Dulek and Fielden, 1999).
Secretaries now have many technologically advanced office gadgets to ease their jobs and enhance proficiency and productivity leading to improved access to goods and services globally (Wofersohn, 2001). There are wide range of office machines and equipment which now enable secretaries to improve their performances. Such new machines take the form of electronic typewriters that have replaced the manual ones. Word processors with milt-purpose facilities, computers and other sophisticated office machines and equipment are now provided by employers. Some of the physical equipment used by secretaries includes computer communication equipment and electronic pocket organizers (Lucas, 1997). New technological equipment that has altered the procedures and technique for office functions include the computers, electronic mail/ commerce, voice mail, and the Internet. However, these new developments brought by technological challenges require even more knowledge and skills beyond being a professional secretary. For the secretary to be abreast with the changing times, face the challenges and overcome the old ways of doing things she or he needs training requirements in recent times to help meet organizational objectives. Information technology has affected many professions in recent times. The roles of secretarial professionals have been turned around by technology. It has provided the tools that shift the role of secretaries from that of information recorders to business strategists (Appah and Emeh, 2011). Several other authors are of the view that the secretary has to be well equipped to meet the present challenges of a modern office. The ministry of Education is one of the key ministries for the Government of Ghana. The overall goal of the Ministry is to provide relevant and quality education for all Ghanaians especially the disadvantaged to enable them acquire skills which will make them functionally literate and productive to facilitate poverty alleviation and promote the rapid socio-economic growth of the country. In order to achieve its broad objective, the ministry has employed a significant number of secretaries to perform clerical works. This study seeks to examine the level of productivity of the secretaries in the context of modern office technologies. Some of the certificates recognized in our business organizations and of course our corporation for secretaries are – Royal Society of Arts Certificate, Pitman Certificate, Federal Technical College certificates, national Diploma certificate all in Secretarial field obtained in the Polytechnics, and Colleges of Technology. Bordus Diploma of Mc Cann Erickson Advertising once said, “professional training on a good secretarial course is the basic requirement for the would-be top secretary”. It will help her perform her duties efficiently and effectively. A close look at some selected public corporations like the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) and National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) revealed a lot of problems and prospects of the secretarial profession. For instance, in Nigeria Telecommunications (NITEL), Enugu, the corporation stride towards meeting subscribers’ expectations has always been made impossible by some of those problems inherent in the organization. In an attempt to remedy the problems in the organization, the Federal Government as well as the management of the corporation has introduced a lot of innovations for the effective functioning of the corporation. The former Post and Telecommunication (P & T) and the Nigerian External Telecommunication (NET) were incorporated into one department on January 1, 1985 and by June 1985, the department was split into NITEL and NIPOST (Nigerian Postal Services). The Nigerian Railway Corporation is one of the many corporations owned fully and controlled by the Government of Nigeria. Hence, it is a public corporation, which is meant to provide adequate transportation through the rail system for the growing population of the country, to assist the commercial growth by carrying goods from the interiors to the urban cities. The Nigerian Railway Corporation can be traced back to the early colonial masters who ruled the country. The corporation was set up for profit purposes or social benefits of the population. A study into the Nigerian Railway Corporation shows a lot of irregularities. The organization has put in more efforts to improve its services both to workers and customers. The other training corporation stressed on the impact of modern technology on their secretaries. The services of the secretarial profession are utilized by various organizations. Those in the secretarial profession work directly with the management of these organizations as support staff and they help in realizing effectively the missions and objectives of the organizations. Most of these objectives are geared towards resource management, which shows in the production, distribution and utilization of goods and services. The study also gives in-depth account of the various problems of secretaries with the employer and the effect these problems have on the general output of the secretaries. The underlying objectives of every employee are to engage in a job that will be satisfactory and to perform work effectively. A selected organization is an employer of different organization is an employer of different cadres of workers including sectaries. Fringe benefits and more to secure agreement with the employer on job security. The employer faced with many problems has continued on his programme of cutting down cost by embarking on retrenchment, pay-cut and even the withdrawal of certain benefits. This does work anger well with job performance since the secretaries are dissatisfied with their conditions of service. It is believed if the right atmosphere is provided. This includes good pay pocket, medical treatment, house rent subsidiary, transport allowance, vehicle loan, trans-bonus recreational facilities, Christmas payment, pension, overtime and off touring allowance, a convenient condition of services and job security. The labour unions which could provide some cover for secretaries gradually being fizzled out. This could be advanced from the federal government gazette that approved for only 71 trade unions. Moreover, the attitude of various employer towards their secretaries greatly affects the job performance, the secretaries could be better if their condition of work is improved.