CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Contemporary dictionary defines environment as all the surrounding condition, which influence growth and development. Environment can also be defined as the external and internal surrounding of an office as it affects a secretary. According to Rwuaan (2010), an office is a building where clerical work is done, where information is received, conveyed, recorded processed and safeguard. An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it (see office, office holder, official), the latter is an fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one’s duty.
An office is an architectural and design phenomenon and a social phenomenon, whether it is a small office such as a bench in the corner of a “mom and pop shop†of extremely small size (see small office home office) through entire floors of buildings up to and including massive building dedicated entirely to one company. In modern terms an office usually refers to the location where white-collar workers are employed.
Productivity has been generally defined as a ration of a measure of output to a measure of some or all of the resources used to produces these output. In this way, one or a number of input measures can be taken and compared with one or a number of output measure. When attempt is made to include all inputs and all output in a system, the measure is called a Total Productivity Measure (TPM) Palik (2006) explains in his what that the input used in a process can be hour of labour, unit of capital and qualities of raw materials compared with the consequent output.
History has it that the background of office professional dates back to the days when ancient office professionals who were then called secretaries worked under the primitive circle of office surroundings. Despite the fact that the importance of the early office professionals was realized when the need for keeping, retrieving and safeguarding confidential matters were needed. At that time, the duties and responsibilities of office professionals was of much importance in terms of job satisfaction the office profession. The duties and responsibilities of office professional involves providing services relating to processing, documenting and disseminating information, (Smith, 2008).
Today, the duties and responsibilities of office professional in organization are very important that no organization can survive without this class of workers. They are so important that the ill conceived idea of the federal Government to right size and down size these class of worker caused great set back in the discharge of office function which made it imperative for all affected office professional to be recalled back to their duties (BPSR, 2008).
The function of office professionals in organizations have formed part of the cardinal roles stated in available literatures. In consonance with the views expressed above. Omotosho (1990) states that no business activity succeeds without an efficient office professional. The office professional copes with all demands and stresses of the office in the way that he enjoys leadership control of crisis that might emanate from managing records, people communication, information and other resources that are instinctively involved in making an office.
In most office today, two types of office professionals are recognized and these are the personal or private and confidential. For the purpose of updating the duties and responsibilities of office professionals, MTU in Madelyn and Urwin (1980( defined office professionals as one in charge of typesetting, recording and keeping vital or confidential document of an organization that some executives may not be allowed access to; while the private office professional is one who employed to assist a member of staff at top level by undertaking some of his routine work and ensuring the smooth running of the office.