Effect of Good Filing System on Productivity of a Secretary (a Case Study of Staff Personnel in Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri)
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to survey the filing systems and classification in use in the senior staff personnel Department of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
The study will specifically attempt to:
- Identify the type of filing classification adopted by senior staff personnel Department of the Federal polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
- Identify the personnel involved in handling office filing in the department.
- Identify the filing equipment used in the department.
- Determine the extent to which the effect of good filing system and classification has enhanced the productivity level of staff of the department.
- To determine the efficiency and effectiveness of the system and classification in use.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains the review of literature related to the study. The review was done under the following headings.
- General Principles of filing and indexing
- Determining good filing system
- Benefits derivable from a good filing system
- Filing classifications
- Types of index
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF GOOD FILING SYSTEM
There however, must be a proper understanding of the principles surrounding achieving an efficient filing system and classification. Besides, the classification systems adopted in any office must suit the requirements of every record in every office. Some records are filed and reserved longer than others. To ensure that they are not destroyed earlier than required, they should be kept together under a known system. There is no ideal survey that will meet the requirements of every record in every office.
According to Ahukannah (2002), filing is the process of systematically classifying and arranging records or documents for safe keeping and prompt retrieval whenever such documents are needed. Another name for this is classification of information, ie. Dividing it into different groups or classes.
There are various ways in which one can do this, depending on the kind or type of documents one stores. Besides, within one organization, different filing system and classification that operates. Filing should be properly planned for convenience and smooth operation. Filing is the basis of records keeping. The good effect of filing arises from the fact that a large number of papers and documents can not be reserved and handled without proper arrangement. It is pointed out that certain records must be kept to meet legal requirements. Some however, must be kept to facilitate future decisions by management. Others must be kept for reference purpose. The objectives of filing include:
- To ensure that records are properly managed.
- To ensure that records are properly sorted; and
- To ensure that records are easily available when needed.
Clerical and Secretarial Staff of today appear either ill-equipped to achieve these objectives or are simply not ready to do their jobs. Whether we agree or not, business offices exist to receive letters, reports, circulars and other documented information from both within and outside the business organization.
Effect of good filing constitutes the memory of a business. Now and again, the modern office is designed by various documents in the form of letters, accounting forms, sales bulletins, orders, way bills, delivery notes, cheques, remittance advises statement of account, wage records reports, statistics, data, shipping records etc. unless a good filing system is adopted, retrieval of desired information may prove problematic.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In any research work whether scientific or educational, there has to be a systematic and acceptable approach in order to achieve an authentic, meaningful and objective result.
However, in view of this, this chapter focuses on the methodology used for the study which include research design, area of the study, population, sample, instrument for data collection, method of data collection and method of data analysis.
RESEARCH DESIGN
This shows sequentially the methods and procedures used by the researcher to enable her achieve the objectives of the study.
A survey design was used to get a fair representation of opinion in the population to avoid sampling bias.
AREA OF THE STUDY
The area of the study is the Personnel Department of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri – Imo State.
POPULATION
The population was 20 staff members of the personnel department. This was made up of administrative officers, clerical officers secretaries and typist.
The Polytechnic was chosen because Owerri is very close to the researcher.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
This chapter is concerned with data presentation and analysis based on the questionnaire collected from senior staff personnel department. In doing this, various items in the questionnaire were grouped together to make for a more meaningful analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDING, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Based on the data collected through questionnaires and the analysis of the data, it was revealed that:
* The effect of good filing system on productivity of a secretary adopted by the Personnel Department of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri is the subject of numerical filing classification with which reference is easy when the subject with numbers is known. It is also very easy to add additional m topics with numbers and sub-division.
* The secretary is seen as the Personnel involved in handling office filing in the Personnel department and it is the secretary who books appointment and arrange meeting for the executive. The secretary handles office filing very often in the department.
* The efficiency and effectiveness of the good filing system and classification in use is very high and access can be made directly to any file in retrieving it hence the name or location is known.
CONCLUSION
The following are the conclusion drawn from the survey of filing systems and classification in use in the Personnel department of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.
They include;
The filing classification system adopted by the senior staff Personnel Department of Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri has tremendously enhanced the productivity level of staff in the department. The filing classification system in use is the subject- numerical which is quick and makes easy reference for retrieving document.
However, secretaries are the Personnel involved in handling office filing in the department for they are the ones that makes travel arrangements for their executives, write letters answers telephone calls etc.
The filing equipments commonly used in the department is the four-drawer steel cabinets and there is high efficiency and effectiveness of the systems and classification in use in the department.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the conclusion, the following recommendations were made:
- The senior staff personnel department of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri should continuously make use of the subject – numerical filing classification system since it makes for easy retrieval of files.
- There should be a trained filing clerks who should be the only personnel involved in handling office filing in the department.
- The department should buy fire – proof filing cabinets to file their documents since they make use of the four- drawer steel cabinets to protect and prevent fire from destroying filed documents.
- Files should be allocated at their different and separate places and not filed together i.e. Alphabetical and geographical etc in order to enhance the productivity level of staff of the department which will lead to excellent and fast retrieval of documents.
- The department should file accurately by putting a specific number of documents in each file jack at most pages in each file in order to increase the level of efficiency and effectiveness of the systems and classification in use.
REFERENCES
- Ahukannah, L.T. (2002): Office Practice today Lagos Polytechnic Publishers Ltd.
- Ahukanna, L. I. (2006) Applied Secretarial Procedures and
- Crayforth C. (1997): Administrative Procedures for Advance Secretarial Studies. London McDonald and Evans Ltd.
- Elendu, O.E. (2001): The Perfect Secretary: An Exposition of the Secretarial Duties of the Professional Secretary. Owerri: Lemmy Graphic Press.
- Elendu, O.E. (1985): Office Practice for colleges Owerri. New African Publishing Co.Ltd.
- Njoku C.U., Ohiri, A.B, Nwosu,A.N. Iwuoha C.C (2000): Prospective and Practicing Secretaries I. Owerri: Opus Business Concern