INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Any organization that wishes to succeed in achieving its aims

objective has to maintain a good working condition so as to achieve

its goals.

The organization should ensure that the right person is in the right

place at the right time. (Marubeni 2007) believes that the most

important asset in a company is people. Therefore the demands for

office professionals become most important to every organization

nationwide. This is because the intrinsic and extrinsic factor. The

intrinsic factors is the incentives attached to one’s job or duties. That

is what influence the office professionals within the job and this

include achievement recognition of the work itself responsibility

promotion and possibility for personal growth while the extrinsic are

the environmental condition attached to one’s work element that

contribute of motivated the office professional e.g. interpersonal

relationship with colleagues and sub-ordinates.

Carol (2009) states that an office professionals is responsible for all

correspondence in the office and for them to be effective in they workplace the

management it should realized that there are certain fundamental

needs that must be satisfied if office professionals are to function at

their best.

The word office professionals which was commonly referred to as

secretary before now is probably the most misunderstood term in

term the entice office professionals field. Anyone working in an office

refers to him/herself as a secretary and almost all employers speak of

“my secretary” when describing a clerk. To this effect Akinwande

(2006) views that many people have different perceptions about

secretaries while some people believe that a secretary is an officer

who does nothing other than typing manuscripts and transcribing

shorthand dictations other hold that a secretary is a mere servant

doing only what he/she is asked to do. These ideas he says came

about as a result of the roles which were performed by early

secretaries.

However the situation has changed as today’s secretaries are now

faced with the challenges of modern technology in the business

world. Secretaries have been misunderstood as stated above and in

an attempt to differentiate themselves form the clerical officers no

longer wished to be called secretaries. They rather prefer to be

addressed as office professionals.

There is no organization that can function effectively without the

existence of these professionals in that organization.

There is no organization that can function effectively without the

existence of these professionals in that organization. They are the

life wire of any organization the lubricant that keeps the organization

moving. This can also be achieved from worker when working under

a very good condition of service and conducive environment. An

officer professionals who is devoted to his or her work must

absolutely be taking care off by the organization which can be by

promotion or other incentives. An office professional who have to

stayed-back in the office with his or her boss in order to achieve the

organizational objective after the normal working hours. This is a

sign of devotion to duty.

Office professionals are also known as one who keeps secret they

can simply be called keeper of secrets.

They are also known as an “over-grown” “elevated” or “high caliber”.

He or she is a person who can handle almost all type of office

equipment in the organization. Ideally and office professionals or

personal assistant should be able to carry out the following duties

when working in a good working conditions. According to Rolan A.

Brown (2009) an office professionals must know and understand the

basic functions that the job entails.

● To help the chief executive with the administrative details of his

work

● Attend to visitors in such a way that they will be satisfied and

may not need to see the chief executive after all.

● Manage the time of the chief executive schedule appointments

in such a way that they do not clash

● Manage the boss’s social engagement

● Organize top management meetings arrange meeting venue

and cover such meetings.

● Write letters memo and other documents for the chief

executive.

This is why Brown is of the opinion that an office professional is a

person who is capable of making decision and composing routine

correspondence independently supervising other clerical workers

and keeping their personal records.

Looking at the above definition the job of an office professional does

not end with typing taking dictation and transcribing alone but

covers a wider range of activities. This makes it possible for him/her

to fit into any business environment.

Office professional is therefore an important tool of operation due to

his/her unique and dynamic attributes which make the profession

distinct among others.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

This research work is focused on the effects of poor working

conditions on workers productivities. The working condition of any

organization plays an important role on the workers because the

productivity of an organization depends largely on them lack of good

working condition in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic factors leads to a

great decline in productivity. It is observed that many organizations

are yet to realize the benefit of good working conditions.

The office professional performance goes a long way in building the

management of any organization. Despite their position as the link

between the organization and the outside world they still find it

difficult to perform effectively. The office professionals are not given

due recognitions by their employers they are not given awards

rewards promotions as at when due. Lack of appropriate training

when required has led to their inability to update their knowledge with

the new innovations and technology. These factors have resulted

into ineffective performance on the parts of the office professionals.

This is greatly affecting their employees particularly the office

professionals. This often leads to lack of job satisfaction. It is the

realization of this fact that prompted the researchers to go into a

study of this nature effect of poor working condition in the

performance of an office professionals and professional suggestions.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study is to ascertain the effects of poor

working condition on the productivity of office professionals in an

organization.

However the specific objectives are:

i. To find out the reasons behind poor working condition on the

organizations

ii. To determine the consequences of poor working conditions on

organization productivity.

iii. Determine how to improve on poor working condition on the

productivity of an office professional.

1.4 Research Questions

The following questions were framed in order to give solutions to the

problems under study.

a. What are the reasons behind poor working conditions in an

organization?

b. How does poor working condition affect productivity?

c. How should organizations good working conditions for their

office professionals.

1.5 Significance of the Study

At the end of the study the following categories of people are to

benefit.

i. Employer’s of Labour

This study is hope to be importance to employers as it would

enable them have an insight of an ideal working condition

necessary for higher productivity of their staff (office

professionals).

ii. Office Professionals

This study would be of benefit to practicing office professionals

as it would revealed to them the essence of good working

condition thereby making them perform at their best.

iii. As Students

This study is going to serve as a reference point for further

research work.

iv. Future Researchers

It is hoped that future researchers would use the findings as

data for future project work.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study would be carried out in three selected organization within

Kaduna metropolis UNESCO Nigeria TVE Project North West Zonal

Centre FRCN Kaduna Zonal station and Kaduna Polytechnic

Kaduna. In carrying out a study of this nature it is expected to cover

many areas in professional field but for the purpose of this study

emphasis would only be placed on the following:

i. An office professionals

ii. Role played by an office professional in an organization

iii. The important of an office professionals

iv. The meaning of working condition

v. Organization’s role in the improvement of working condition

vi. Factors that enhance productivity of an office professionals

vii. Effects of poor working condition on the productivity of an office

professional.

1.7 Limitation

The following problems were encountered in the course of carrying

out this research work.

i. Financial constraints faced by the researchers in the course of

this project report retarded the researchers intention to go

further than they had.

ii. Time was also another limitation the researchers had to

combine class academic work and field work in the process of

investigating the problem under study are all militating factors.

iii. Some respondents refused to collect and fill the questionnaire

because of time factor and office schedules.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Productivity: This is being able to produce or fertile.

Adequate: Satisfactory or sufficient requirement

Condition: The thing that must occur if something is to exist

Extrinsic: The environmental condition attached to one’s work

Haphazardly: Without order or plan

Performance: To do work or to achieve

Office Professionals: Assistant to an executive employed to help

ideal with correspondence and routine office work and other

miscellaneous duties that generally enhance the efficiency of his or

her boss.

Validity: State of being legal

Worker: Members of the working class

Promotion: Act of been given a higher position or rank.

Executive: Person or group in a business or commercial

organization with administrative or managerial power.

Data: Facts things certainly known and from which conclusions may

be drawn

Automation: Anything that is self moving or self acting.

Office Equipment: Machines that are used in the offices to facilitate

mostly information processing.

Machines: All basic tasks in our office (writing calculating filling

sorting and analyzing) can be performed by a machine usually more

quickly than they can be performed manually.

Digital: Anything based on discretely coded signal rather than

continues variables.

Professionals: Belonging to a profession

Office: Room used as a place of business.