2nd chapter office personnel

Office Personnel

Long Answer Questions
a. What do you understand by office personnel? Explain different types of office personnel in brief.
Ans: Office personnel refer to all the persons who work in an organization. They are the human resource
of an organization. They include all the people working on the top level, middle level and the lower level
positions. The following is the main definition of office personnel
"The office personnel refers to all the employees of the office comprising the chief, sectional chiefs and
assistants who jointly work for the attainment of the organizational goals." In an organization an office
requires different types of office personnel having different skills, qualifications, knowledge to perform
various activities. Therefore, they can be classified into follows:
Office Chief: The office chief is the executive head of an organization. He is the boss and leader of the
organization. An office chief is also called as Chief Executive, General Manager, Managing Director and
Executive director. It is the responsibility of the office chief to set plans and policies, organizational goals
and to maintain stability in the organization. An office chief divides the work among the people working
in an organization. He evaluates the performance with the standards and makes the necessary amends in
the organization. One of the major functions of the office chief is to make reports to the board of directors
and the public.

Sectional Chief: An organization is divided in several sections or departments on the basis of their
functions. These departments are production, finance, personnel, marketing, accounting and public
relation departments. Each department or section has its own head or leader called sectional chief. He is
the middle level officer in an organization. He makes plans and policies for achieving departmental goals.
a section officer mobilizes human resources and other resources in an efficient manner for carrying out the
departmental activities smoothly. Sectional chief is the bridge between top and low level chiefs. One of
the most important functions of a sectional chief is to report the performance, problems and achievements
of the department to the office chief.
Office Assistant: They are those personnel who work at lower level in an organization. Office assistants
are hired to aid the office chief and sectional chief in their daily official works. They perform the daily
routine works in office. There are mainly three types of office assistants. They are:
 Personal Assistant: A personal assistant is the private secretary who is appointed to perform all the

clerical functions on behalf of the chief. He is the person who usually maintains confidential records,
handles telephone and reminds the chief of the daily schedule.
 Receptionist: A receptionist is a subordinate lady staff appointed for reception or inquiry section to
handle telephone, visitors and customers. A receptionist is a major source to increase the goodwill of
the organization as she is first person a customer meets and her behavior will create the first
impression.
 Sectional Clerk: A sectional clerk is junior office staffs who are assigned a particular work in a
particular section to assist the sectional chief in carrying out the sectional activities.

b. Explain the qualifications required to be a competent office assistant.
Ans: The personnel who work at lower level in an organization are called office assistant. They are hired
to aid the office chief and sectional chief in their daily official works. The qualifications required to be a
competent office assistant are:
 Academic qualification: An office assistant must have minimum education required by his job.

Academic qualification is the formal education degree which is awarded by schools or the boards or
universities. For e.g., a peon must be literate, Nayab Subba must pass I.A. or equal.
 Training: It is the formal process of preparing a person for a job. It builds the necessary skill,
knowledge, confidence for a job to be performed efficiently. Hence a person should undergo training
in computer, language, accounting, and correspondence to be competent office assistant.
 Experience: It is the process of gaining additional knowledge, skill and ability by observing and doing
a particular job. It is an essential qualification of an office assistant which is highly important
especially in handling technical jobs.

 Knowledge of accounting. One of the important function of and office assistant is to keep systematic
records of the important financial transactions. To keep systematic records, he requires fundamental
knowledge of principles and practice of accounting.

 Knowledge of administration and management: An office assistant is considered as an assistant
manager as well as manager. He has to create the plans and implement those plans to achieve better
results. He should also be able to lead and motivate those working under him. Hence, he requires
administration and management knowledge.

 Knowledge of rules and regulations: The office assistant should have a proper and accurate knowledge
on financial rules and regulations to perform and record financial transactions. Similarly he should be
familiar with the administrative procedures to carry out the daily administrative activities.

 Knowledge of foreign language: An office assistant should have sound knowledge of foreign
languages, English being a compulsion. Knowledge of foreign language helps to establish good
relationship between foreign customers and visitors. Such quality also helps to handle telephone and
correspondence independently.

 Knowledge of handling computer: Computer is a modern device that makes the administrative and
clerical functions of an office easier to complete.

c. Explain the functions and duties of an office assistant in brief.
Ans: The personnel who work at lower level in an organization are called office assistant. They are hired
to aid the office chief and sectional chief in their daily official works. The functions and duties of an office
assistant are:
 Preparing plans for daily works: An office assistant has to plan his daily work. Planning helps him to

perform the daily official world conveniently and effectively. He has to plan by prioritizing the
important and urgent works.
 Drafting and typing letters: All the letters and documents in an office should be drafted by and office
assistant. Appropriate words and sentences are essential to avoid future confusions. He has to draft
letter as per the requirement of his superior.
 Filing letters and documents. Filing is the process of collecting and preserving important documents
and letters in a systematic manner for future reference. It s important to file properly for safe and quick
retrieval.
 Handling mails: Many mails are received and sent every day. All the incoming mails and outgoing
mails should be handled by the office assistant. He should be able to respond accordingly. "Registry
Book" and "Dispatch Book" is essential for handling mails.
 Handling telephone: An office assistant should handle telephone calls from various individuals and
organizations. He has to receive the calls and answer accordingly and provide them with the necessary
information.
 Handling visitors: Handling visitors mean receiving, welcoming, greeting, inquiring and providing
information about goods and services. An office assistant has to talk politely and has to try to kill their
boredom while they wait for others.
 Handling financial records: One of the most important duties of an office assistant is to maintain
systematic records of all the financial transactions. For this he needs to have the fundamental
knowledge of accounting principles and practices.
 Reminding the chief: The office is a busy person who has to plan for the entire organization. In this
process he is likely to forget appointments, meetings or seminars. An office assistant has to help the
office chief by reminding what he has forgotten.
 Note taking and transcribing: Note taking and transcribing is the process of noting down the important
points dictated by the chief on particular matter and converting it into a readable and understandable
form. An office assistant should be able to note down on a moment's notice.
 Preparing reports: The office assistant has to make necessary reports on the daily activities of the
office. He has to make and submit reports on expenses, performance and problems to the office chief.
 Using machine: An office should have many kinds of necessary machines. An office assistant should
be able to use those machines effectively and efficiently.

d. What qualities should an office assistant possess? Explain
Ans: To perform the assigned job efficiently, an office assistant should possess the following traits:
 Personal appearance: Personal appearance refers to the outlook of the assistant. An office assistant

should be looking to give a deep impression to the visitors and customers. An office assistant should
be neat and tidy and fit.
 Cleanliness: An office assistant should have a good hygiene. He should have a clean and healthy body.
It helps to make the personal appearance attractive and impressive.
 Dress: The assistant should have a attractive and fitting dress. It should fit the body exactly and should
be according to the situation. It should be simple and related to the climatic conditions.
 Make-up: Make-up is important for an assistant. Lipstick, powder, cream, tika are some essentials. It
helps to increase the impression of the assistant to the customers. However overdoing the make-up will
make a bad impression and the assistant will look an eye sore.
 Speech: An office assistant should be able to talk and communicate in a proper manner. The
appearance of the assistant makes the first impression but his power of speech preserves the
impression.
 Health: A successful assistant is the one who maintains his health and keeps calm and is always alert
and active. A physically sound assistant is the one who can think behave, and perform the assigned job
well.
 Helpfulness: An office assistant should be helpful and cooperative in carrying out the works efficiently
for achieving the organizational goals efficiently. He should be helpful to his juniors, seniors and
equals.
 Politeness: The office assistant should be polite. He should speak with others very politely. He should
use polite words when speaking to anyone. It earns him trust and respect from the organization.
 Interest and attitude: The office assistant should have keen interest in work. He should have positive
attitude towards the organization. The assistant should perform the assigned task and duties with
interest. The efficiency and effectiveness of his skill and talent depends on his interest.
 Regularity: The office assistant should be regular and punctual in attending the office duties. His
regularity determines his interest and dedication toward his work and the organization.
 Learning habit: The office assistant should have an insatiable hunger for knowledge and learning new
things related directly related towards his work. The learning habit develops his skill and efficiency.
 Tactfulness: The office assistant should be tactful in handling people and jobs. Tact is the skill of
solving problems, handling people in a proper manner even in difficult situations and new
environment. The assistant should be tactful in using skills and experience.

2. Short Answer Questions

a) State the function of the office chief.
Ans: The functions of office chief are:
 Setting the objectives of the organization.
 Preparing long term and short term plans and policies if the organization.
 Managing the necessary human and other resources.
 Dividing the work among the people working in the organization.
 Maintaining good public relations.
 Maintaining good accounting system in the organization.
 Evaluating the performance of the staffs and departments.

` b) State the function of section chief.
Ans: The functions of section chief are:

 Setting the departmental objectives in conformity with the organizational objectives.
 Dividing the work among the staff working in the department.
 Preparing the departmental plans and policies for achieving the departmental objectives.
 Reporting the performance, problems and achievements to the department to the office chief.
 Mobilizing the human and other resources in an efficient manner for carrying out the departmental

goals.

c) Explain briefly the types of office assistant.
Ans: There are mainly three types of office assistants. They are:
 Personal Assistant: A personal assistant is the private secretary who is appointed to perform all the
clerical functions on behalf of the chief. He is the person who usually maintains confidential records,
handles telephone and reminds the chief of the daily schedule.
 Receptionist: A receptionist is a subordinate lady staff appointed for reception or inquiry section to
handle telephone, visitors and customers. A receptionist is a major source to increase the goodwill of
the organization as she is first person a customer meets and her behavior will create the first
impression.
 Sectional Clerk: A sectional clerk is junior office staffs who are assigned a particular work in a
particular section to assist the sectional chief in carrying out the sectional activities.

d) "An organization cannot be operated without office chief." Justify your answer.
Ans: The office chief is the executive head of an organization. He is the boss and leader of the
organization. An office chief is also called as Chief Executive, General Manager, Managing Director
and Executive director. It is the responsibility of the office chief to set plans and policies,
organizational goals and to maintain stability in the organization. An office chief divides the work
among the people working in an organization. He evaluates the performance with the standards and
makes the necessary amends in the organization. One of the major functions of the office chief is to
make reports to the board of directors and the public. The office chief looks after all the major
activities in the organization. Therefore an organization cannot be operated without office chief.

3. Short Answers

a) Academic Qualification: Academic qualification is the formal education degree which is awarded
by schools or the boards or universities. An academic qualification is required by and person to get
jobs. Academic qualification may differ from level. Some people may have a higher qualification
accessing them higher jobs while some may have lower academic qualification accessing them to only
the lower level of works.

b) Maintaining financial records: Financial records are very important records of an organization. It
shows the organizations profit, loss and expenses. Maintaining such records is vital duty for any office
in an organization. Records can be maintained in a good manner for a long time through filing, digital
saving and saving them in pen drives CDs, etc.