Project Materials

CAUSES AND REMEDIES TO JOB DISSATISFACTION AMONG SECRETARIES

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate secretaries’ discontent with their jobs in a variety of public and private organisations in Imo state, as well as to identify the factors contributing to this problem and potential solutions. The study included one hundred (100) secretaries as its sample. The five-question questionnaire served as the primary means of data gathering. A clear job description and definition could help secretaries deal with job unhappiness, which the study found to stem from their work relationships and environments. Decisions were made after considering the results of the investigation, and suggestions were given in light of those findings.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Background of the Study 

Every business uses a wide variety of employees to carry out its daily operations and reach its goals. Therefore, in order to get the most out of each employee, companies should presume that everyone has a specific role to play.

According to Ohadinma and Nkwam (2000), people work for a variety of reasons, including: to get respect from coworkers, to pay the bills, to advance in one’s chosen field, to meet new people, to establish dominance, and to socialise. There are so many factors, but culture is the most important.

One telltale sign of a healthy organisation is its staff: happy, engaged employees make all the difference, whereas sick organisations suffer from low morale and discontent.

The capacity of the organisation to identify, maintain, and fulfil the requirements of its workers is crucial to employee happiness, according to Howel and Dipboye (1982).

The degree to which workers are satisfied also has a significant impact on productivity. Therefore, it is impossible to minimise the significance of employee motivation on output and contentment on the job.

The function of certain secretaries is unclear in certain organisations. Secretaries are more likely to suffer from mental illness, be dissatisfied with their jobs, and have limited career opportunities if their roles are not clearly defined.

The international association of administrative professionals in the United States (1981) defined a secretary as an executive assistant who is proficient in office procedures, can work independently with minimal oversight, and is able to make decisions within her area of responsibility (Njoku, Ohiri, Nwosu, Iwuoha, Njoku, Ohakwe, 2000).

The secretary has expertise in management and organisational techniques in addition to typing and shorthand, which some bosses are unaware of. What this means is that secretaries are responsible for more than just typing documents and taking notes in shorthand.

According to Okereke (2003), many modern bosses wrongly assume that they can get by without secretarial assistance, despite the fact that such services are crucial to their success. Some secretaries may feel anxious and dissatisfied as a result of this, and they may even consider leaving the profession altogether.

As a result, a secretary is meant to work in an environment that promotes and stimulates utmost satisfaction and efficiency. The majority of secretaries will be relieved to have their roles and duties specified.

Unnecessary disputes, tension, and discontentment reduce productivity in any organisation when roles and duties overlap due to a lack of clear definitions.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

An organization’s secretary is its public face. Since they are at the core of any organisation, secretaries should have access to a high-quality working environment that promotes both efficiency and job satisfaction.

However, due to the cutthroat nature of the secretarial profession, many secretaries end up working for companies with outdated systems that fail to meet their needs. The secretaries in most companies are taken advantage of by their supervisors, who assign them low-level tasks that they aren’t qualified for. On top of that, they’re made to stay on one low grade forever, which is incredibly frustrating.

Additionally, secretaries get irritated when members of the executive team put pressure on them despite knowing that the necessary resources are unavailable. A lot of secretaries don’t do their best work since they don’t know enough languages. These issues are what this project is aiming to fix.

1.3 The Purpose Of The Study

This study aims at Finding out why secretaries in some public and commercial organisations in Imo state aren’t happy in their jobs is the driving force behind this research.

This study will seek to:

1. determine the notion of discontent.

2. Identify those facilities secretaries need in the company.

3. Determine the uncomfortable surroundings where secretaries are maintained in various organizations.

4. List the many low-level tasks that secretaries are forced to do by their superiors.

5. Figure out which languages secretaries need to succeed in the workplace but aren’t fluent in.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following set of research questions were developed to accomplish the goals of this project study:

How does one define discontent?

If a company doesn’t have those contemporary workplace amenities, what are they missing?

When secretaries work in hostile work situations, what kind of impact does that have on employees?

What exactly are those low-level tasks that secretaries are made to do by their boss?

To what extent are secretaries unable to do their work effectively due to a lack of proficiency in certain languages?

1.5 The Significance of the Study

The secretaries will be better able to identify the issues impacting their profession in corporate settings as a result of this project’s work. In order to put a stop to the situation, it is necessary to identify the root causes of these problems. Also, it will show managers how to get the most out of their secretaries so that they can get their jobs done quickly and easily.

Many companies can use it as a reference for how to inspire their secretaries to do their best work by equipping them with the cutting-edge tools they need.

Employers will also benefit from this information since they would have a better idea of the type of work environment that secretaries would thrive in.

1.6 The Scope of the Study

The purpose of this research is to identify the factors contributing to secretaries’ discontent with their jobs and to propose solutions in a sample of public and private sector organisations in the state of Imo.