THE SECRETARY AND THE EFFECTIVES OF NEW OFFICE TECHNOLOGIES ON RECORD KEEPING MANAGEMENT

THE SECRETARY AND THE EFFECTIVES OF NEW OFFICE TECHNOLOGIES ON RECORD KEEPING MANAGEMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Thanks to innovative office technology and new forms of communication, record keeping has undergone a sea change as a result of technological progress. As a living embodiment of change, every man goes through a series of metamorphoses during his life cycle, the culmination of which is entering maturity and becoming a secretarial professional—as well as an indispensable associate of management. One who is hired to manage routine and specific work for a superior, as well as someone who is entrusted with secrets or confidence by a superior, is known as a secretary.

From the above definitions, it is clear that the secretary is a crucial officer in any establishment and that their contributions and effectiveness boost an organization’s efficiency. According to Orisananya (1991), a secretary is a trained and specialised employee of an establishment or part of it who is responsible for certain organisational functions within the unit, such as handling persons’ correspondence and other business matters. This further emphasises the need of the secretary receiving adequate training to perform her duties.

Appropriate training for a secretary should include not only typing and shorthand but also other managerial abilities. Maintaining a polite and respectful demeanour is just as important as having these abilities. According to Evans (1980), the secretary’s current responsibilities will still revolve around providing support, but they will also need to have technical expertise in areas such as data administration and information management.

This will enable them to analyse intricate situations and provide practical recommendations. People are taught new skills to operate these new machines as they are introduced.

As a result, it is important to remember that accurate record keeping facilitates the easy retrieval of useful information. Naturally, this had a dampening effect on a secretary’s workload.

The question now is, how can the secretary make better use of the new office technologies for record keeping, despite the fact that many charges have started in the tech area?

It goes without saying that these new office technologies could be a boon for such a purpose. Because of this, having them on hand and making good use of them is crucial.