In order to clearly define the duties of the secretary, you need to know who it is. After all, this position can be viewed from several angles. For example, the assistant secretary is known as an office employee, the Secretary-General as the head (head) of a certain organization, the Secretary of State as a civil servant, the secretary as a diplomatic person, the secretary of a leader as an employee and other options. Most often, referring to this position, they mean an employee who performs tasks (instructions) both of the director of the enterprise and of individual heads of its structural divisions. It turns out that the official duties of the secretary in this case are reduced to the execution of one-time assignments to solve organizational and technical issues.
What a secretary must know and should do
Every day, the secretary must perform the following functions:
- To accept information from subordinates for transmission to its leader.
- Organize a telephone communication manager. In his absence, accept information, and then bring it to the attention of the director.
- Receive and keep records of telephone messages.
- To create conditions for the normal work of the head: monitor the need for stationery and office equipment.
- To assist in organizing production meetings and meetings. Bring to the participants the date, place and time of the event. Gather the necessary materials, ensure the presence of those present and keep the minutes of the meeting.
- Conduct office work at the enterprise. For this, the secretary must receive, systematize incoming correspondence and transfer it to the management for consideration. Then, on the basis of a visa, transfer the documents to the executors against signature. The duties of the secretary also include control over the progress, timing and results of their implementation.
- Perform work on printing and duplication of documents.
- Organize the reception of visitors to the head of the company and, if possible, create conditions for the speedy resolution of issues.
In order to fulfill these seemingly simple job duties of a secretary, an employee must know:
- the entire composition of the management of the enterprise and its structural divisions;
- the charter, staff and structure of the enterprise, its profile, development prospects and specialization;
- regulatory documents for proper record keeping;
- rules for using office equipment and communications;
- rules for technical and technical education, public safety, fire safety and industrial sanitation;
- rules for organizing workplace labor;
- normative and legal acts, orders, decrees, orders for planning, accounting and quality management of work performed.
Clerk specifics
If we are talking about a more specific, narrow specialization, then the situation is somewhat different. Take, for example, the duties of the secretary-clerk. The job title itself clearly defines the aspect of the work being done. Usually at each enterprise there is already a job description, which outlines the areas of activity of a specialist in office management. If there is no such instruction, then it is better to create it. To do this, use the qualification guide, which contains approximate samples. After this, the standard option must be finalized for a specific organization, taking into account the specifics and internal features. In general, the responsibilities of the secretary-clerk should clearly be traceable to 3 main areas:
- Work with correspondence. Reception, processing it in modern ways and timely dispatch.
- Proper maintenance of internal documentation.
- Registration, strict accounting and transfer of documents to the archive for storage.
Features of the referent
At some enterprises, a position is introduced that includes a wide range of responsibilities: from the “information desk” to the “assistant director”. Such a specialist should have versatile knowledge and a good command of the environment. The duties of the assistant secretary are slightly expanded due to an increase in authority. In general, this is the usual work of the secretary, but the word “referent” makes some additions to the standard list. In particular, the assistant secretary can independently receive visitors on some issues. Possessing certain information, he is able to make decisions independently. In addition, the referent carries out responsible instructions of the head regarding the economic activities of the organization (enterprise). Sometimes the assistant secretary is charged with maintaining personnel records management. This is done only when the total amount of work allows you to perform additional duties.