Study Of The Effects Of Stress On Secretary’s Job Performance

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
A secretary works in a dynamic environment pack full with conflicting situation and instructions so much that no two days are exactly the same. These conflicting decisions and instructions crop-up all the time that they demand prompt attention and decisions, but the rude of it is that the time to perform these functions 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 with the prevail of a job covering of meeting, taking care of office duties for complete and effective job performance, upto date and supervision subordinates as well as making sure that the office procedures are generally observed 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 pressures from her work. The secretary’s obligations to the boss can sometimes be strenuous and conflicting with her official jobs.
In financial institutions, secretaries face a lot of challenges, which cause them a lot of stress. A situation whereby a secretary is deployed to the area outside her scope of study or work, this makes her work very tedious without a course or training on that particular area. Secondly, high difference in pay package. This is one of the major stresses in financial institutions. The pay package of a core banker (operations and marketers) and secretarial staff is quite difference and this causes secretaries to feel inferior as if their services are not appreciated, inspite of their call professional duties, they are not trained a long with other core bankers.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Modern organizations operate in a dynamic and ever changing environment. Because modern organizations exist in rapid changing automated environments, the secretary is faced with a lot of physical and mental challenges on the job which might cause her stress.
Noise, lack of experience to use certain machines due to ever changing automated equipments or activities of her colleagues and public to the job she does. Noise which are generated through improper use of machine and equipment within and outside the premises also causes stress to secretary. The societal and organizational structures and their effects on her job are some of the factors that might affect her performance on the job very adversely. As well, the sitting arrangements, preservations of dangerous chemicals and substances used in the course of her work and lack proper qualifications for the job may cause her stress. Added to these stresses is the fact that new technology may eventually make her learn 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.
For every successful businessman, executives or organization, there is always an effective and hardworking secretary. In view of the adverse effects of stress on the performances of the secretary on her job, which may in turn cause her boss or even her organizational performance not be upto what it would have been or not to realize its goals, it becomes of urgent need to take a very keen look at the secretary’s job and find out what causes her stress.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of objectives of this research work is to find out the environmental factors that are associated with the secretary’s job, stress and their effects on her job stress and their effects on her job performance. The study, in looking at these problems attempts to find out the following:
a. Whether new technologies and work environment causes her stress.
b. To find out how to treat/reduce challenges facing secretaries in the work place physically and mentally.
c. To find out whether the relationship between the secretary, boss and colleagues cause her stress.
d. To find out how to solve family, emotional problems that conflict with her job performance.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This is the importance and benefits of the study. In other words, this research will be of great importance to the society at large, but primarily it will be useful to the following:
(a) The professional secretaries
(b) The management (Financial institutions)
(c) Trainers
(d) Academicians
The Professional Secretaries
It is hoped that as a result of careful perusal of this work, the secretary will be in a better position to recognize stress avoid them wherever possible and control their effects on her performance. This should lead to a better job performance on her part.
The Management
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 to how best to handle a secretary to get maximum performance from her.
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 upto what they, should be. Therefore, 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.
The Academicians
This work may later prove usefully to academicians who may and all or some of it as useful point further research work on the secretary’s job.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
To act as a guide to a thorough investigation of this area of interest, the following research questions were drawn.
(a) To what extent does new office automation cause stress to secretaries?
(b) In what ways can physical and mental stress be eliminated?
(c) What are the ways of eliminating stress that exist amongst secretary, boss and colleagues?
(d) To what extent can conflict existing between secretary’s official duties and her other obligations be eliminated?

DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The researcher has narrowed the scope of this study in some selected financial institutions in Enugu metropolis. They are as follows:
Intercontinental Bank Plc
Regional Office
Plot 7 Ebeano Estate
Garden Avenue Enugu
Afri Bank Plc
Okpara Avenue Branch
Enugu
-Zenith International Bank Plc
Okpara Avenue Branch Enugu

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
No research work no matter hours devoted and hard working the researcher is, can claim to be hundred percent accurate. Every researcher encounters one problem or the other which limits the finding of the study being carried out.
In the course of this project work, the researcher encountered the following obstacles:
Financial constraints
Time and distance factors and
Attitude of respondents
Financial Constraints
Normally, studies of this nature involves huge financial outlay but due to the limited economic situation in the country, the study could not cover so many towns as would have been expected.
Time and distance factors
The time limit given for this study though enough but the fact that the researcher had similar study to carryout in other courses took some of her time.
Attitude of Respondents
Notwithstanding the fact that most of the people involved are educated, most of time, the researcher had to convince them on the importance of the study before they could co-operate. Some of them said that they had other more important things to do.