A massive 86.8% of Australian employees believe there should be more male secretaries in the workplace, according to a survey by PKL, leading recruitment firm specialising in office support employment. With the increase in female bosses, it seems having a male secretary is the new 'in-thing'.
The survey revealed that most Australians (59.3%) have encountered a male secretary in their current or previous workplace. In the banking and finance sector, 27.8% of respondents revealed they have male secretaries, executive and personal assistants in their ranks. The media, advertising and entertainment industry is next with 17.8%, closely followed by the IT and HR sectors. However, the automotive and trades services sectors prefer female assistants to hold the fort and balance the ratio in their workplace.
Roxanne Calder, Director of PKL, said, "Male secretaries, executive and personal assistants are becoming more commonplace. The role of a secretary has changed dramatically in the last five years. They no longer make tea, pick up the dry cleaning and take phone messages. The role nowadays entails sophisticated research, advanced people handling and communication skills, as well as being extremely well-versed in technology."
Of the survey respondents, 96% said that they believe males and females are absolutely equal to and capable of doing the job.
"Secretaries are the backbone of the business and in many cases provide valuable insights and advice to their boss. Before World War II, most secretaries were males. The secretarial role needs people, male or female, who are highly organised, are able to deal with stress and deadlines," concluded Calder.
About PKL
PKL, a privately owned Australian company, is a leading recruitment firm with a differentiated marketing strategy, specialising in office support recruitment with a personalised, tailored approach. PKL originated in Sydney supplying temporary and permanent office support recruitment since June 1995 and expanded its operations to Melbourne in 2004 and Brisbane in 2007.