Tamil Nadu HSE First Year Office Management and Secretaryship flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Office

A place where clerical and administrative work is carried out, involving the receiving, recording, arranging, analysing and communicating of information needed to run a business.

Office as information hub

The office collects data from departments, customers and suppliers, converts it into usable information, stores it, and supplies it to managers for planning, decision-making and control.

Office management

The planning, organising, staffing, directing, coordinating and controlling of office work and office personnel so that information is produced and distributed efficiently at minimum cost.

Span of control

The number of subordinates who report directly to one superior; a narrow span creates a tall structure with many levels, while a wide span produces a flat structure.

Line organisation

The oldest and simplest structure, in which authority flows vertically in a direct chain from top to bottom and each subordinate has only one boss, giving quick decisions and clear responsibility.

Delegation of authority

The process by which a superior assigns duties, grants the necessary authority and creates accountability in a subordinate; authority can be delegated but responsibility for results stays with the superior.

Open office layout

A large hall where many employees work together without dividing walls; it allows easy supervision and communication and saves space, but it increases noise and reduces privacy.

Private office

A separate enclosed room allotted to one employee or a small group; it gives privacy, confidentiality and freedom from distraction, but it costs more and makes supervision difficult.

Noise control in offices

Reducing unwanted sound by carpeting, acoustic ceilings, soft furnishings, partitions and sound-absorbing panels, and by placing noisy machines such as copiers in separate rooms.

Ergonomics

The study of fitting the workplace, furniture and equipment to the physical abilities of the worker so as to reduce fatigue, strain and injury while increasing comfort and productivity.

Standard desk height

The height of the working surface, usually about 70 to 75 cm above the floor, chosen so that a seated worker's forearms rest roughly horizontal with elbows bent at about a right angle.

Selection of office equipment

Choosing machines and furniture by weighing volume of work, speed, quality, cost, durability, availability of spares and service, staff skill and the risk of early obsolescence.

Filing

The systematic arrangement and preservation of records and papers in a definite order so that they can be located quickly and easily whenever they are needed.

Numerical filing

A method in which each file is given a number and files are arranged in number order; it is compact and easy to expand but needs a separate index linking numbers to names.

Indexing

The process of preparing a guide that shows where a particular record or file is kept, using cards, strips, registers or computer databases so that it can be located quickly.

Out guide

A card or slip placed in the place of a file that has been removed, recording the file number, the borrower's name and the date, so the file can be traced and replaced correctly.

Inward mail register

A register in which every letter received is entered with date, serial number, sender, subject and the department it is sent to, serving as proof of receipt and for follow-up.

Outward mail register

A record of all letters dispatched, showing date, serial number, addressee, subject, mode of dispatch and postage, used to prove dispatch and to control postal charges.

Remittance book

A register recording money received or sent by post, such as cheques, drafts and money orders, with date, amount, sender, purpose and acknowledgement, kept under dual custody.

Xerography

The dry photocopying process used in ordinary office copiers, in which light reflected from the original forms an electrostatic image that attracts toner powder, later fused onto paper.

Franking machine

A machine that prints postage, the date and a company slogan directly on envelopes, saving the labour of affixing stamps and keeping an account of postal charges used.

EPABX

An electronic private automatic branch exchange; an office telephone system that connects internal extensions with one another and switches outgoing and incoming calls to the public network.

Record life cycle

The stages through which a record passes: creation, distribution and use, maintenance and storage, retrieval, and final disposal by destruction or transfer to an archive.

Retention period

The length of time a record must be kept before it may be destroyed, fixed by statutory requirements, fiscal needs, administrative usefulness or historical and research value.

Forms control

A centralised programme that registers every form used, approves new forms, reviews existing ones periodically, eliminates duplicates and standardises design to cut printing and clerical costs.

Minimum stock level

The quantity of stationery below which stock must not fall, fixed to cover the lead time of supply and normal consumption so that routine office work is never held up.

Grapevine

The informal channel of communication that spreads information by word of mouth among employees; it is fast and satisfies social needs but often carries rumour and distortion.

Communication barrier

Any physical, semantic, psychological or organisational factor, such as noise, jargon, distrust or a long chain of command, that distorts or blocks the meaning of a message.

Active listening

Concentrating fully on a speaker, noting both words and feelings, avoiding interruption, asking questions and restating the message to confirm understanding before replying.

Secretary

An assistant to an executive who handles correspondence, records, appointments, meetings and confidential information, and relieves the executive of routine administrative detail.

Company secretary

A statutory officer of a company responsible for compliance with the Companies Act and other laws, board and general meeting procedure, statutory registers and returns to the Registrar.

Minutes of a meeting

The official written record of the proceedings and decisions of a meeting, prepared by the secretary, confirmed at the next meeting and entered in the minutes book as legal evidence.