ABSTRACT
This
research work was carried out to appraise Job stress and performance of secretaries
in an organization. One of the organizational outcomes that are affected
by
occupational stress is performance. Secretaries’ performance can be viewed as
an
activity in which an individual is able to accomplish the task assigned to his/
her successfully, subject to the normal constraints of reasonable utilization
of the available resources.
The
focus of this study is to appraise the cause of stress, the effect on
secretaries performance, how secretaries identify those stress factors and
react to the factors.
The
data of study was collected through the use of Primary and Secondary sources by
administering questionnaires, personal interviews and information was extracted
from relevant journals and statistical bulletins.
The
descriptive method was used to analyze the data with aid of frequency and percentage
for the research objectives.
From
the findings it was discovered that work overload, career development and
work/family conflict are considered to likely cause a disruptive effect on performance
of secretaries. The study reveals that workers performance were affected by the
following factors; tiredness, worry, unhappiness, weakness, headache, and
anger. Based on the findings of this study, the study concluded that job stress
has significant effect on secretaries’ performance.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF STUDY
The
secretary works in a dynamic environment pack full with conflicting situations
and instruments – so much that no two working days are exactly the same.
These conflicting decisions and instructions crop up all the time and they
demand prompt attention and decisions, but the role of it is that the time to
perform these function does not increase rather, it seems to diminish and with
this apparent shortage of time comes “stress”.
The
roles and functions of the secretary are basic to the organizational roles and
so cannot be confined within the purview of a job description. They range
from covering of meetings, taking care of office duties, keeping schedules in
both hers and her boss’s desk diaries for complete and effective job
performance up-to-date and supervising subordinates as well as keeping order
generally in the office. All these to be done without a pause to enable
the smooth flow of work. Thus, she is also important to the organization
because of her ability to remain calm under extraordinary condition of work
pressures and human demands.
The
secretary’s obligations to the boss can sometimes be strenuous and conflicting
with her other obligations to herself and to the company. This view of
secretary’s function is an archaic one in view of the changes that have taken
place in her training and job, but some employers still cling to it and cause
her stress on the job when she finds difficulty in obeying these instructions.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM:
The
medium organization operates in the dynamic and ever changing
environment. Because the modern organization exists in rapidly changing
environment, the secretary is faced with a lot of physical and mental hazards
on the job which may cause her stress – noise, lack of preparations for certain
jobs or duties, attitude of the public to the job she does and the societal and
organizational structures and their effects on her job are some of these
factors that may affect her performance on the job. As well, the sitting
arrangements, dangerous chemicals and substances used in the course of her work
and lack of proper qualifications for the job may cause her stress.
Added
to these stressors is the fact that technology may eventually make her learned
skills unwanted in the work place. Though not manifest in quantifiable
terms, these threats cause stress that may eventually spell doom to the
secretary mentally as well as physically.
Fache
(1981) said “for every successful businessman, executive or organization, there
is always an efficient and hardworking secretary”. In view of the adverse
effects of stress on the performance of the secretary on her job, which may in
turn cause her boss or even her organizational performance not to be up to what
it would have been or not to realize its goals, it becomes of urgent need to
take a very keen look at the job the secretary does and find out what does
cause her stress. If this is done, then plans on how to eliminate in control
than can be successfully made and executed.
1.2
PURPOSE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:
The
purpose of this research is to find out the environmental factors associated
with the secretary’s job stress, and their effects on her job
performance. The study, in looking at this problem, attempts to find out:
1. What
specific factors in the job situations cause the secretary stress.
2. Who
is to blame for her stress – the boss, management or secretary herself.
3. What
could be done to reduce or eliminate stress from the job environment.
Further
significance of the study, the researcher based on the importance of the study,
which will be of great importance to the society at large and primarily be
useful to the following:
1.
The management (secretary’s boss).
Ignorance
of how well to treat a secretary in order to get her best performance may be
one of the reasons why the secretary is subjected to stressful conditions at
the place of work. It is hoped that after reading this work the boss will
be better informed as how to handle a secretary to get maximum performance from
her.
2. The
professional secretary:
It
is hoped that as a result of careful perusal of this work, the secretary will
be in a better position to recognize stressors, avoid them whenever possible
and control their effects on her performance. This should lead to a
better job performance on her part.
3. Trainers:
Sometimes,
people who train the secretary for the job are hopelessly out of contact with
what is required of her at the place of work so that training programmes are
not up to what they should be. It is hoped that this will help trainers
identify vital training areas on which to lay emphasis and from time to time
improve on facilities to meet with modern office procedures.
4.
Academicians:
This
work may later prove useful to academicians who may find all or it as useful
points for further research work on the secretary’s job.
1.3 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY:
This
research was on the study of the effects of stress on the secretary’s job
performance. The researcher covered some selected organization in Enugu
metropolis only. The findings, after analysis would be used as
generalization upon the organizations under review.
The
organizations are as follows:
- Anammco
Manufacturing Company (ANAMMCO) Enugu. - Emenite
Aluminium Company, Enugu.
1.5 DEFINITION
OF TERMS:
The
following terms are defined in the specific sense in which they were used in
this research study. They are as follows:
1.
Stress
2.
Stressor
3. Secretary
4. Job
5. Performance
(a)
Stress: This is the state of the secretary’s disposition
when she had been affected by a stressor.
(b) Stressor:
This is any factor in the environment of work that affects the secretary’s job
performance adversely – Sharp and Lewis (1977) in “Thrives on Stress”.
(c)
Secretary: The is a person employed in an office, usually
working for another person, dealing with letters, typing, keeping records,
preparing itineraries, making appointments, and arrangements.
(d) Job:
This is referred to as a particular piece of work or task being carried out by
a secretary.
(e)
Performance: This is the ability a secretary has to operate
efficiently or react quickly.