Minority Career Network

Minority Career News
July - September 1998

Where Have All the Secretaries Gone?
By R. Jordan

Today’s workplace is filled with managers, aided by technology, who perform many of the tasks traditionally performed by secretaries. This trend may cause one to question the need for secretaries. This, perhaps, is not the right question. The right question is probably more in the realm of: what are the evolving roles of administrative and support staff, and how do they affect the company? Managers who recognize the shifts in skills required for this arena have a basis for creating career ladders and opportunities in a field that many perceive as “dead end.” The manner in which an office task is accomplished provides a basis for recognition and reward as well as career advancement.

Secretaries who continue to update their technical and professional skills, and enhance their interpersonal skills have the potential of becoming key players in the business process. For example, the process of gathering and researching materials for business presentations or speeches often involve the operation and coordination of multi-media equipment, and the complexities of coordinating multiple schedules. Employees who perform these tasks successfully have numerous opportunities to see the “big picture” of the company, and interact with upper management as well. This leads to experience in recognizing and prioritizing pertinent information from a variety of sources, and presenting it in a focused manner. This is invaluable!

Therefore, innovative managers can devise plans that use titles reflective of skill levels as a means of recognition and reward as well as career advancement. For instance, the title technical assistant could be used to identify entry level skills whereas administrative or executive technical assistant would identify higher skill levels. Employees, who are knowledgeable of recent technology advancements, know how to operate it, integrate it, and trouble-shoot glitches, have many opportunities to demonstrate levels of skill. This is a potential management tool for recognition and retention of productive employees. It is not a tool for adding layers to the business process.

And, if you are inclined to favor the electronic dazzle of the virtual assistant, consider the human factor of the business process. The human factor continues to be a conduit for the flow of informal information (knowledge from eyes and ears of people), and successful managers recognize the power of this knowledge, including former secretaries.

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