Duties and Responsibilities of a Secretary

As the reliance on technology continues to expand in offices, the role of the office professional
has greatly evolved. Office automation and organizations restructuring have allowed secretaries
and administrative assistants to assume responsibilities once reserved for managerial and
professional staff (Merriam ,1!"#. $nspite of these changes, however, the core responsibilities
for secretaries and administrative assistants have remained basically the same. %hat is
performing, coordinating an office, administrative activities, storing, retrieving and integrating
information for dissemination to staff and clients.
&ecretaries perform a variety of administrative and clerical duties necessary to run an
organization efficiently. %hey serve as information and communication managers for an office,
plan and schedule meetings and appointments, organize and maintain paper and electronic files,
manage pro'ects, conduct research and disseminate information by using telephone, mail
services, websites and electronic mail. %hey also handle travel and guest arrangements (African
(ournal, )**#
According to Merriam (1!"# in the past secretaries have sometimes been critized for displaying
a lac+ of initiative in see+ing out and accepting additional responsibilities. ,owever, she argues
that secretaries have been placed in positions of responsibilities without being delegated enough
authority to carry out the responsibility. %he current global outreach of business and resultant
pressures affecting managers have caused them to rethin+ the secretarial function and to delegate
more responsibility and implementary authority to the secretaries.
Many secretaries nowadays provide training and orientation for new staff, conduct research on
the internet, and operate and troubleshoot new office technologies. &pecific duties vary with
experience and titles. -xecutive secretaries provide a high level administrative support in an
office and for top executive of an organization. .enerally they perform few clerical tas+s than do
the secretaries. %his is made possible by use $/% tools, li+e internet, e.mail, miscrosoft office
products.
$n addition to arranging conference halls and supervising other clerical staff, they handle more
complex responsibilities such as reviewing incoming memos, submission reports to determine
their significance and to plan their distribution. %hey also prepare agenda and ma+e
arrangements for meetings and committees and executive board.
According to O0 1et online 2created for 3.& department of 4abour, secretaries duties and
responsibilities include5 providing high6level administrative support by conducting research,
preparing statistical reports, handling information re7uests, and performing clerical functions
such as preparing correspondence, receiving visitors, arranging conference calls, and scheduling
meetings. May also train and supervise lower6level clerical staff. %hey perform the following
tas+s5
8repare invoices, reports, memos, letters, financial statements and other documents, using
word processing, spreadsheet, database, or presentation software.
Answer phone calls and direct calls to appropriate parties or ta+e messages.
/onduct research, compile data, and prepare papers for consideration and presentation by
executives, committees and boards of directors.
Attend meetings to record minutes.
.reet visitors and determine whether they should be given access to specific individuals.
9ead and analyze incoming memos, submissions, and reports to determine their
significance and plan their distribution.
8erform general office duties, such as ordering supplies, maintaining records
management database systems, and performing basic boo++eeping wor+.
:ile and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports.
Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including faxes and email.
Ma+e travel arrangements for executives.