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Personnel assistants or secretaries are unsung heroes in most organisations because they are the face of the organisation and can either make or break it

One of the most invaluable attributes or qualities of public relations in the corporate world is the nurturing of corporate ownership.

Corporate or organisational ownership is central to sprucing up or nurturing image and reputation of every organisation.

Corporate ownership appreciates the importance of every employee at an organisation and requires every worker to feel important and honoured to contribute to the success of an entity’s image and reputation.

While PR cuts across every facet of the organisation and influences it internally and externally for the good of organisational relations, the practice is aided by the presence of critical players in the organisation like front office bearers.

These front office bearers include personal assistants (PAs), receptionists and all those manning front office spaces in the corporate world.

PAs are unsung heroes in most organisation because they are available year in and year out. They are the face of the organisation because they are the person most visitors frequently see. As such they interact with the important stakeholders of the organization.

The more creative and business minded the PA is the more dynamic and profitable the organisation becomes.

PAs therefore set the tone of business and wield extensive power. It is in this regard that PAs should be afforded opportunities to network with their peers, publics and stakeholders of the organisation.

That way there is appreciation of these professionals who are always available when supervisors are out of offices.

Organisations should embrace such opportunities like Secretary’s Day which, for a change, afford interaction, networking and exchange of notes and experiences. Most of all they need time to also refresh, go out and enjoy.

Personal assistants are the heart of the organisation. They have in-depth knowledge of what takes place both internally and externally and hence can be a source of valuable advice for their bosses.

Their network capital can be amazing, helping their bosses to navigate a maze of challenges and even to survive threats to their career.

They are the principal marketers, image and reputation builders of the organisation by simply being pleasant and being well connected.

Small businesses have achieved quantum leaps of success by leveraging on the skills of their PAs.

It is in this vein that the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Relations (ZIPR) and other stakeholders in the communication field have become perturbed by the laying of PA amongst other professionals since July 17, 2015.

In some organisations the number of PAs was reduced drastically, with the few who remained becoming office administrators with a wider scope of activities falling under their purview.

As companies and organisations cut costs some PAs became team secretaries, serving two or three Strategic Business Units, instead of one.

There is another category of businesses (small scale) where the secretary was sent home and the manager took over both secretarial and management tasks; it was dramatic as the boss became practically aware of the indispensable role of the secretary.

Bosses are seen making mistakes and failing to provide the requisite business service as they juggle the twin roles.

The efficiency and ambiance deficit was clearly visible, giving customers an impression that indeed “things have fallen apart”.

The business dislocation will not be without its costs. So can such business dispense of the secretary and avoid disastrous consequences?

Young executives who have just made it in the world of business will refer literary anyone who wants access to them to their secretary “as a status symbol”. This is because having a PA has prestige value.

The question we ask is ‘Are businesses getting rid of the post or the person? Since more than 90 percent of PAs in Zimbabwe are females, are businesses prepared to dispense of feminine power? And at what cost?

The situation obtaining in some of these businesses in the aftermath of July 17, 2015 is untenable.

The question that begs an answer is: “Was the retrenchment of PAs an emotional or a business decision?’’.

When the corporate world reduces the number of front office bearers through retrenchments or other disparities of rank or post, what it means is that the image and reputation of an organisation suffers further.

It is high time organisations protect and harness their images and reputation through handling with care all PR attributes, channels, strings and elements that are ably represented by PR practitioners and their front office foot soldiers like Personal Assistants, receptionists and all those who are responsible for front office spaces within a corporate entity.

 This article has been inserted by the Zimbabwe Institute of Public Relations. For feedback, comments and inquiries on the work of ZIPR, please email [email protected]