Project Materials

ABSTRACT

There is a pressing need to train additional secretaries due to the shortage of qualified secretaries in the current job market. An analysis of the little literature on the topic of the creation of a job enhancement program for secretaries at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is presented in this study. This oil company’s managers and secretaries filled out questionnaires and participated in interviews as part of a case study research strategy. When analysing the data collected from the questionnaires, averages and percentages were employed. It was determined that secretaries play a crucial role in these organisations. (To varied degrees), even though the business was cognisant of the secretaries’ significance and was making good use of their abilities. Many people think that businesses should reward secretaries for their hard work and dedication, and that current initiatives to enhance the careers of secretaries should be expanded upon. It was also discovered that some companies had more qualified secretaries than others. These grades of secretaries. The secretarial work at some of these companies is particularly demanding because of the perks they provide.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

An organization’s secretary performs a crucial function. A secretary is an office worker whose duties include handling correspondence, keeping records, and making appointments and arrangements for other employees, as stated in the 1974 edition of the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of English. Executive assistants or junior partners are described as secretaries by Agrew et al. in their work on secretarial office practice.

They even went so far as to claim that a secretary’s duties extend beyond the simple act of transcribing spoken word. The secretary’s duties also include taking precise phone messages and effortlessly documenting meeting minutes.

While the boss is away, she is to represent him in dealing with the public and business colleagues, as well as write letters, conduct research, and produce reports. Given this definition, it’s clear that secretaries are indispensable to any company.

As a junior partner of the executive or executive assistant, they are entrusted with a great deal of responsibility and trust, allowing them to deal with the myriad of small details that arise in the workplace on a daily basis with minimal oversight from their employer.

The secretary is largely responsible for establishing a pleasant and efficient tone for the office because of the frequent phone and in-person interactions with the public. Secretarial positions can range from highly specialised to highly generalised, based on factors such as company size, industry, number of employees, and individual traits.

A broad range of tasks and obligations are part of the job description. The efficient and functional operation of the office depends on the secretary, who needs certain skills, knowledge, and experience in addition to formal training in secretarial procedures.

A basic secretarial education and certification such as an OND, HND, ND, B.SC, or other well-respected credential is essential for success in this industry, as is the ability to work efficiently and successfully under pressure. On top of that, the secretary needs to learn the ins and outs of the job and how to organise their day effectively.

The enhancement of the secretarial position is another critical component. The word “job” has multiple meanings that necessitate precise definition, according to the military manpower commission (1944).

Nonetheless, more formal definitions of related words are required before we can get a definite definition. In each situation where human effort is required to achieve a defined goal, we say that there is a task.

A job is considered created when enough work is done to warrant paying someone to do it. Job descriptions therefore include all the many things that need doing by a single person. Thus, the quantity of workers hired by the company.

Being a secretary is a demanding profession that she had no choice but to do. Additionally, this job has to be improved for it to be efficient and successful as it is highly profitable. According to the adage, “good enrichment leads to better productivity.”

Therefore, it is imperative that the secretary work in an optimal setting, which includes having access to up-to-date machinery and typewriters, a comfortable and attractive workplace, competitive compensation, and recognition of her value to the company. Because she is the first person people in the organisation (departments) see, the secretary needs to have a unique mindset.

Properly attired, cheerful, and ready to greet the company’s clients with a smile and a kind word. No matter how many credentials a secretary has, she will not be able to do her job successfully without these qualities. Recognising and improving the secretary position is essential for any organization’s smooth operation.

1.1 Statement Of The Problem

Some employers still think that providing employees with necessary materials to do their jobs better isn’t necessary as long as they can be used to make money, even though organisations are increasingly demanding that employers reassess traditional views on human resources, its management, acquisition, and development.

The enrichment of their jobs is, in reality, something they see as a misallocation of resources. Because of this misconception, some companies have chosen not to offer their employees the chance to participate in job enrichment programs, which has led to subpar performance from some employees.

In order to determine if the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has a sufficient work enrichment program or schemes in place for its secretarial staff, this study looked at the development of such a program.

1.2 THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Examining these aspects is what the study is all about:

i. The function of secretaries and how they carry it out in one organisation, N.N.P.C.

ii. Is it possible for a secretary to result in high productivity when performing their work well?

iii. To determine whether one is more effective and forward-thinking by comparing the schemes utilised by these companies.

iv. To enquire about the training level of the secretaries working for this oil corporation.

v. If the company does not currently have any qualified secretaries, to suggest the kind of secretaries that would be a good fit.

vi. Lastly, we want to see if the companies are standardising their secretarial practices.

1.3 significance Of The Study

This study’s results could help organisations like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (N. N. P. C.) and others see the value in creating secretarial job enrichment programs.

Through the identification of opportunity areas and the identification of resources that may be efficiently used to create a more feasible growth and expansion program for secretarial staffs a reality, it should also assist organisations in improving upon existing development and other programs.

1.4.1 Scope of the Study

Specifically, the study’s focus was on how to improve the working conditions of secretaries at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (N.N.P.C.). Without identifying individuals who have profited completely from these programs, the study will not address the costs and advantages of any current development of employment enrichment schemes for secretaries.

1.5 Definition of Terms 

Here the reader will find definitions of words and phrases used in the study so they can comprehend them better.

i. Oil Companies: This category includes businesses whose primary activity is the discovery, production, and sale of oil.

ii. Job: employment, occupation, work, task, undertaking, proceeding. Whatever a person does for a living is considered to be this.

iii) A position that formerly only required operating skills can now also include planning or control responsibilities as part of an enrichment program.

iv. Job evaluation: This provides a methodical and analytical approach to calculating job salaries.

v. Development: the process of making something better, bigger, more extensive, or more advanced. for instance, employment, in order for it to serve its purpose.

vi. Scheme: alludes to a program, project, plan, intention, aim, objective, or scheme in its design. Any program or project, whether completed or still in the planning stages, falls under this category.

vii. Secretary: A person who handles communications, keeps records, arranges and appoints a specific number of staff members, and works in an office.

viii. The term “enrichment” is used to describe the process of making something better or more attractive.