Your most valuable employee, your secretary

Can your business ever run smoothly without your hard working, know it all secretary? I don’t know when is secretary’s week, but I am sure I will take my secretary to lunch on that week to show her/him how much I appreciate what they do.

Our company’s secretary is out sick today, hope her the best, and we can not find certain files and certain phone numbers. Since I joined my current company and was giving the job to re-organize the company, I have stressed over and over the need for good back up plan in case of an emergency.

Here are few steps you can take to minimize productivity loss while your secretary is out of the office:

1- Have a reliable filing system; this system must guide you to the location of all company’s file. The guide should be easy to understand and follow.
2- A complete phone list of all company’s employees, clients, vendors, etc.
3- A reliable phone and answering system that you can switch to in case there is no one to answer the phones.
4- If you are a small business, make sure all your employees know how the filing system works, how to use the phone system and how to access the phone list.

Some of the above step my sound elementary and you may think every business would already have such plans, but believe me I have seen many many businesses that have no filing system of any type.

Your secretary will always be one of the most valuable employees, if only for the warm and friendly greeting your clients hear over the phone, but while he/she is out, have a plan to keep the office run smoothly.