Duties of Private Secretary

Normally a private secretary is a middle management level. The duties of private secretary depend on the person for who he worked. Some major duties of private secretary and the importance of a private secretary are discussed below:

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Importance of Private Secretary

A private secretary is a person who performs personal as well as official activities on behalf of his employer. He takes dictation and transcribes, makes an appointment for the executives and reminds him of this appointment, interviews people, answers phone calls, deals with correspondence, convenes the meeting, and supervises clerical work.

A private secretary is considered to be the secret agent and deals with confidential issues of his employer. He is known as a spokesman for his ‘Boss’ as he maintains public relations.

He works as a facilitator for his employer and manages social and familial” ceremonies. He acts as a conductor for his employer and keeps books of accounts and also executes financial transactions.

The job of a private secretary is highly important. He is appointed to reduce the burden of his employer who is a very busy person. He acts as an extension of his ‘Boss’ and executes assigned responsibilities.

If he is efficient, his ‘Boss’ finds all tasks simple. Therefore the importance of a private secretary is agreed upon and well-reputed in all society.

Functions / Responsibilities and Duties of Private Secretary

The duties of a private secretary depend upon the functions or nature of the activity of the respective employer. Overall his duties can be described by the following points:

1. Routine functions

Every private secretary has to perform certain routine duties like writing & receiving letters, filing & indexing papers, maintaining records & accounts, organizing meetings, and conducting different programs for the employer.

2. Taking dictation

Taking dictation from the ‘Boss’ and therefore typing the letter and dispatching it to the receiver is known to be the common function of a private secretary.

3. Public relations

A private secretary maintains public relations on behalf of the employer. He communicates through phone, fax, or e-mail and prepares the list of persons seeking interviews with the employer.

4. Meeting-related functions

The private secretary prepares the agenda, issues notice convening the meeting, arranges for the meeting place, and entertains the participants.

5. Maintaining accounts

In many situations, a private secretary maintains records and accounts of the employer. Moreover, the files income tax-return and makes banking activity on behalf of his employer.

6. Household activity

The private secretary sometimes deals with the household activity of his employers such as payment of utility bills, tuition fees, and wages towards relevant parties of the house.

7. Social activity

The personal secretary receives and sends various social letters like congratulation letters, sympathy letters, thank-you letters, appreciation arid invitation letters, etc. He also attends social and religious functions with the employer.

8. Report preparation

A private secretary prepares various needful reports for his employer. He also takes note of necessary adjustments to the report.

There may be more duties of a private secretary but we mention here the most common thing.

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