Question

Mention any four features of secretary?

Answer 1

The features of a secretary are explained as follows:
(1) Individual: Only individuals can be appointed as secretary of the organization. An individual is always a living person. A firm or a body corporate like a company or any other institution cannot work as secretary. He has to be an individual as per the provisions of the Company Law. The skills required to fulfill the duties and responsibilities towards the employers.
(2) Qualification: In order to perform the assigned duties more effectively, every secretary needs to possess sound educational qualifications and certain qualities. However, a person to be appointed as a secretary in any institution needs to possess some prescribed qualification according to the provisions made in the Act applicable to that institution.
(3) Appointment: As per the provisions of law, the appointment of a secretary may be compulsory or optional. He may work on a full time or a part-time basis. He may be appointed by busy individuals, a company, a co-operative society, a government, a public organisation, etc. He may be appointed as personal secretary or institutional secretary.
(4) Paid employee: The secretary is a paid employee of an organization or a person. He is either paid salary or given honorarium (professional fees). He is a senior executive official. He occupies a key position in the organization. He carries out work according to the direction of his employer.
(5) Duties: A secretary performs routine and administrative duties such as conducting correspondence, maintaining accounts and records of business operations, assisting the chairman while conducting meetings, writing the minutes of the meetings, complying with the statutory requirements, if any. He has to fulfill routine duties related towards employer or organisation like fixing appointments. Giving reminders, replying queries of employees, etc.
(6) Confidential officer: The secretary is a trusted servant of his employer or organisation. He is a custodian of secret, confidential and important information of his employer or organisation. As he is closely associated with the top management and also involved in execution of policy decision, he has to maintain utmost secrecy and is not expected to divulge secret information to others.
(7) Representative: A secretary represents his employer or organisation. He acts as a representative of the organisation. There are two types of secretaries, viz.
(i) a personal secretary and
(ii) an institutional secretary.
A person who is employed by a busy person is called a personal secretary. An individual appointed as a secretary by an institution is called an institutional secretary.
(8) Qualities: Every secretary must possess certain qualities of head and heart such as accuracy, tact, leadership, courtesy, good health, winsome personality, strong common sense, ability to judge people, etc, so as to perform numerous functions and duties more efficiently and effectively.