EXECUTIVE SUPPORT

Executive Support Person

Executive Support Person

When we talk of a business, to keep the people at the senior positions well organized is very important thing, and a crucial aspect in determining the performance of these people. (Huang 2002, pp. 61) An organization usually has some administrative people to assist the management in different things. In a number of cases, the top-level executives of an organization usually have assistants as well, which are called executives support person. (Huber, Shipan and Pfahler 2001, pp. 330)The responsibilities of an executive support person may vary according to the responsibilities of a particular position, but overall most of the responsibilities of an executive support person are more or less the same. (Horn 1995, Pp. 12) The main responsibilities of an executive support person include:

The role of a supervisor

Executive support person often have to play the role of a supervisor of handling the secretarial and the clerical positions within the organization. Besides handling and monitoring these people, the executive support person could be made accountable for providing proper training to these people. (Hood, Scott, James and Travers 1999, Pp. 58) In most cases, whenever a company installs new software in its systems or a new policy is made or an existing policy is amended. More often than not, the executive support person has the responsibility to coach all the support and the clerical staff about the changes that have been implemented in the organization. (Nelson 2000, Pp. 102).

Duty as a liaison

A number of organizations usually provide their executive support persons the duties of liaison. (Levy & Fisher 1994, Pp. 80) For instance, a person in the role of an executive support could be given the responsible managing the communication between the executive board of the organization and the Human Resources Department, the IT Department and the finance department, and the Staff of the Mail Room and the other departments, etc. (Campbell and Peters 1988, pp. 79)

Management of documents

Executive support persons usually have to handle a superfluity of papers e.g. timecards for the support-staff, sick days remaining, payroll paperwork, personal time off hours remaining, benefits and insurance paperwork and passwords of different computers in the company, etc. (Campbell 1988, pp. 243)

Personal messages and assistants

Executives in an organization also use their executive support persons for some tasks, which could be personal in their nature as well. An example of such personal duties could be preparing a schedule for appointments, which are personal, delivering personal mail and paying utility bills. (Bulmer and Burch 1998, pp. 601)

Travel Agent and Event Coordinator

Executive support persons could be given the responsibility to assemble the arrangements for travelling for the different executives and employees of the company. Executive support persons have earned the title of travel agent over time, because usually they arrange for travel arrangements, which also include rental cars, flights, and reservations for different hotel. (Borre and Viegas 1995, Pp. 58-98)

Best practices in managing a meeting

One of the major responsibilities of an executive support person is the management of the different meetings, ...