Useful Tips to Cope With the Challenges of Corporate Secretaries
Company Secretaries are of great significance in any organization and help the business run smoothly. They fulfil management board requirements and also that of the staff and customers. However, the role of the secretary has evolved a lot in recent times. Today, the challenges of corporate secretaries are many, and they need to overcome them to function effectively. As a company secretary, you need to develop certain skill sets that will make you more productive for your organization.
These tips will serve as a guidepost and help you overcome the challenges faced by secretaries.
The Tasks Performed by a Modern Corporate Secretary
A secretary performs the following essential functions:
- Handling important functions like scheduling and convening board meetings and preparing the agenda and minutes
- Preparing documents like agreements and contracts
- Maintaining records systematically
- Preparing databases, spreadsheets, and presentations
- Developing and maintaining good relations between investors and the management
- Taking care of regulatory and compliance requirements
- Handling office administration
Knowing the Company You Work for Well
Some useful tips:
- The first step as a secretary is to understand well the business of the firm in which you work. You need to know the company’s objectives well rather than focus on techniques or software
- Provide valuable advice to the management regarding finance, governance, or operations whenever required
- Working with the management and communicating with them will help to know all about the business
Being Flexible and Adapt to Changes
Companies are fast evolving in today’s times and unwillingness to adapt, increased competition, and inability to take quick action negatively impacts several companies. Today top executives and board members require quality information quickly to be on par with the competition.
As a secretary, you can take these steps to adapt to the changing situations:
- Be eager to learn and keep yourself updated with the latest developments. Enroll for a course not connected with your field to expand your thinking and develop a broader mindset
- Network with colleagues at least once in a week, share your insights, learn from their experiences, and if needed, give them advice regarding the challenges faced
Learning to Deal with Different Personalities
- Secretaries are the first people whom vendors, customers, employees, or supplies are likely to contact. Sometimes, you need to deal with difficult people who may vent their pent-up emotions on you. You should use tact, convince them to calm down, and assure them that their issues will be resolved soon
- You need to learn to manage different types of people and situations
Learning to Deal with Being Blamed
- When things go wrong, it is often the secretary who receives the blame though he does not take the key decisions. You are responsible for finding solutions to issues that crop up frequently
- You can avoid blame by recording your working day details and documenting your schedule from the start to the end of day
Managing Time
- Secretaries have to handle many tasks at a time, such as coordinating meetings, fixing appointments, organizing activities, to name a few. You should be adept at managing your work schedule properly
- Plan ahead to ensure meeting legal requirements and compliances on time, and convening meetings at the scheduled date
- Be ready for last-minute changes and rearrange schedules of executives with conflicting priorities
- Learn to judge what duties are more important or urgent and make appropriate decisions. Try to strike a work-life balance since secretaries are always assumed to be available round the clock
Efficient secretaries are among the main contributors to a company’s success. By identifying the issues, seriously considering the above useful tips, and devising effective solutions, challenges of corporate secretaries in India can be overcome. 3E Accounting, with its professional secretarial services, helps companies tackle their regulatory and compliance issues effectively. Their talented and experienced team of secretaries and other professionals provide high-quality corporate secretary services to help companies run their administrative functions efficiently and be compliant.
3E Accounting India
3E Accounting India is a corporate service provider and accounting firm assisting clients with company formation and incorporation. We offer company secretary and business-related services in India.
