Interpersonal / Human Relations Skills Secretaries Require For Effective Job Performance In Industries

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Human Relations refers to a management tool that is concerned with the integration of people into a work face. It is the study and application of knowledge about human in an industry as it relates to other systems.

Human relations come about at the early stages of industrial Revolution on the 18th century when land, labor, capital and entrepreneur were the focus of industries as a means of serving community interest. The objectives and goals of industries/organizations later transformed to relationship and finally to human relations concept.
A group of researches organized by Elthen Mayo (1927 – 1932), established human relations in industries to motivate workers, ensuring cooperation and maximum production for their survival in a dynamic business world, thus escaping the dehydrated or depersonalized atmosphere of the work place or industry. The neoclassic therefore, rate human relations as the fifth important factors of production. The secretary helps in the achievement of the above goal as she is well equipped by her training to carryout functions that ensure harmony amongst people and create good organizational image. Experience shows that some employers who have acquired the necessary technical skills in respective occupational fields have failed in their job because of their poor attitudes and lack of their interpersonal/human relations skills.

Secretaries are therefore, someone who carryout official duties with a good sense of relatively and a realization that things, have order of importance and the skills in discovering what this order is, by keeping abreast with colleagues, the boss and the customers thereby maintaining a cordial relationship amongst members of the organization, enhancing its efficiency and boosting the image of the organizations to the public.

A secretary and indeed every employee should develop human relations skills as it will make for human relations skills as it will make for harmonious existence among the workers of an industry, thereby increasing productivity and makes the secretary to last and progress on the job.

Since the human specie inhabited the earth centuries ago, their behavior has been a subject of public discourse and compared to the applied science, the study of human behavior is relatively new

Industries exist to achieve a set objectives or goals. In accomplishing the broad objectives of the industry, the individuals involved also attained objectives that are of great importance to them.

In order to understand people, we need to consider the whole person. The human being is total person influenced by input received from external factors. For example, family, schools, trade associations, political associations etc, the secretary in dealing with people must consider the impacts of these forces on the workforce.

It thus, becomes imperative to recognize that individuals are much more than a productive factor, they are citizens members of a social system in any industry and they vitally influence demand and supply.

In recognition of this, it is then believed that there is no average person people are unique in their own ways, they play different roles, they have different needs, different ambitions, attitude, different levels of knowledge and skills and different potentials, it then becomes imperative for the secretary to recognize these unique differences in human behaviors.

Hence good human relations/interpersonal skills of secretaries ensure good quality in both human and material resources in industries. Interpersonal skills breed harmonious co-existence which ensures organizational and industries efficiency that leads to organizational success. Society that lack human relations oriented secretaries would find it difficult to attain her desired objectives hence this study.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The secretary can be looked upon as a vital link in an organization, an image makers, more that than that, she is expected to carry out nearly a thousand different activities in assisting the executives (Wikdall 1958). The inability of some secretaries to meet up with these expectations has brought frustration to their bosses. This has equally raised quarrels between the secretary and her boss, other employees, customers and the public of which the reason might be lack of interpersonal/human relation’s skills. This might results from the defectiveness of the academic curriculum and the secretary being the nerve center of the organization requires interpersonal/human relations skills to function effectively. More often than not, these interpersonal/human relations are not found in the secretaries. These among others necessitate the need for this research work.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this research is to find out the interpersonal/human relations skills secretaries required for effective job performance in industries in Enugu urban specially the study sought:

To assess the Information and Communication Technology skills for interpersonal human relations needs of secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban.

To assess the human relations skills for interpersonal Human Relations needs of secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban.

To assess the Administrative/managerial skills for interpersonal Human Relations needs of secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban.

To assess the reprographic technology skills for interpersonal Human Relations needs of secretaries in Industries in Enugu Urban.

To assess the micrographic technology skills for interpersonal Human Relations needs of secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions have been formulated to guide the study:

What are the Information and Communication Technology skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of the secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban?

What are the human relations skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of the secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban?

What are the administrative/managerial skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of the secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban?

What are the reprographic technology skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of the secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban?

What are the micrographic technology skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of the secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban?

1.5 Hypotheses

The following hypotheses have been formulated for this study and were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

H01: There is no significant difference (p<0.05) between the mean responses of Chief Secretaries and Deputy Chief Secretaries on Information and Communication Technology skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban.

H02: There is no significant difference (p<0.05) in the mean responses of Chief Secretaries and Deputy Chief Secretaries on human relations skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban.

H03: There is no significant difference (p<0.05) between the responses of Chief Secretaries and Deputy Chief Secretaries on administrative/managerial skills needed for interpersonal Human Relations skills of secretaries in industries in Enugu Urban.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Secretaries play vital roles as to the promotion of production efficiency and attainment of the organization’ objectives. This research work will then be significant to the management and staff of industries in Enugu urban and also to other organizations in Nigeria. They will be able to harmonize their interpersonal/human relations as this would help to avoid conflict in the organization.

Practicing secretaries would as well benefit since they would be acquainted with the interpersonal/human relations skills they require for effective job performance.

Additionally, it will provide guidelines on how to deal with problems arising from secretary-boss relationship. As it will encourage the boss to perceive the secretary in a positive light and evolves policies that could integrate secretaries into management team hence facilitate job satisfactions and improve the performance amongst secretaries.

The result of this study would be useful to the secretary, colleagues as it will advise on the ways relationships between these people can be enhanced for achievement of the organizational goals.

The customers to the organization would also benefit from the study as they become aware of the significant of good interpersonal/human relations and why secretaries respond the way they do at times.

1.7 Delimitation of the Study

This study is limited to industries in Enugu urban. The study is limited based on the fact that there is no time and material resources to see to the whole industries in Enugu state.