Project Materials

A SURVEY OF PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVITY OF THE SECRETARIES IN SOME BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study

In order to keep up with the ever-changing, complex, and fiercely competitive business landscape of today, every company that wants to survive and thrive must master the science of scientific management.

This means that company heads need to be able to see the whole picture and devise strategies to reach their financial goals with the help of all the resources at their disposal.

It is a challenging undertaking for managers to attain these objectives. Hiring a secretary is a necessary evil for the management since she will assist him in carrying out this monumental undertaking.

Elendu, O. (2001) states that for a secretary to be an effective assistant to an executive, she must be well-versed in office procedures, self-motivated, able to think on her feet, and make decisions within her purview.

This definition was adopted by the National Secretaries Association in Missouri, USA. A secretary is someone who helps the chairman run the meeting, says Okolo (2009). All meeting secretarial duties are the responsibility of the secretary, who is also in command of the secretariat.

A secretary’s job, according to White Head (1979), is to play the role of the chief executive’s doppelganger. A competent and efficient secretary will be able to provide the services requested by the chief executive and will also help the chief executive achieve the organization’s goals. Any office or establishment would be incomplete without a secretary.

This necessitates a high level of maturity, poise, and competence on the part of the secretary in order for them to carry out their vital responsibilities. In order for a secretary to do a good job, it is necessary to establish a comfortable and supportive work environment. For the simple reason that they put secretaries at ease.

Just because an office is in the right place doesn’t mean physical working conditions are ideal, as Elendu O. (2000: 1.8) put it. In addition, it is crucial to make sure that the physical conditions are good and will be kept that way. Obasi Oko (1994: 950) listed a few of these conditions, including proper building orientation and clean office furniture and fittings.

The elements present in an office and the physical demands of the job itself that enable employees to stay focused and avoid fatigue for extended periods of time.

It is crucial to ensure that the offices provide sufficient, pleasant, and supportive physical working circumstances. The manager is responsible for creating a pleasant and inviting workplace.

It is the physical working conditions that have a more significant impact on the secretaries’ performance. The morale, efficiency, and effectiveness of secretaries are all negatively impacted by an uncomfortable or unproductive work environment. On the other hand, a pleasant workplace motivates the secretary, which in turn boosts efficiency and output.

Lighting, ventilation, computers, and other working circumstances should be utilised to their full potential in any business. You may save money on lighting, heating, and air conditioning while improving your health, saving your eyesight, and making better use of your windows, doors, rents, and skylights.

On this basis, it is absolutely necessary to ensure that the secretary has enough physical working conditions in the office in order to guarantee her productivity.

Determining the degree to which the secretary’s performance and productivity have been impacted by the presence or absence of certain physical working circumstances is the primary objective of this study.