Thursday, April 25, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
THEY'RE called executive assistants or assistants to the president these days and no longer fit into the shopworn image of someone simply taking dictation or answering the phone.
And not just the name, but the role of the secretary is changing. He or she -- secretaries 90 years ago were all men -- is more managerial. Secretaries are involved in running offices, putting together presentations and personally handling correspondence, that once was the realm of the executive.
Executive assistants have expanded their duties since time needed for typing letters and other documents has diminished, thanks to computers. He or she is now free to concentrate on more creative tasks.
In an age of high-tech communications, the secretary must be an expert in a variety of equipment, the fax machine, the computer, E-mail, voice mail and a dazzling array of shipping services. Personnel problems, record-keeping and other jobs have fallen into the secretary's lap.
That's why the name executive assistant is often more appropriate.
The expansion of the role parallels the wide variety jobs conducted in the front office. Some secretarial jobs were once confined to protecting bosses from intruders. Today, they may handle the problem themselves and only later inform the executives about it. As the load on the executive assistant increases, many bosses have cut out the middle man and answer their own phones.
Some secretaries are more in tune with the day-to-day operations than their bosses. Imagine the executive's dismay if his executive assistant calls in sick, and no one else can find anything.
Today, Professional Secretaries Day, is a good time for bosses to turn the tables. Tradition dictates a free lunch is in order. Or perhaps a gift. Whatever the honor, those bosses should understand the place wouldn't run without them.
So, they'd better be nice.
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