Walk the dog, Miss Jones

Published on Tuesday 3 November 2009 21:09

SECRETARIES are bullied, undervalued and asked by their bosses to perform inappropriate tasks such as sewing trouser seams, walking dogs or helping with children's homework, according to new research.

A survey of 1,000 secretaries and PAs found that more than a third had been asked by their boss to do something that went "beyond the call of duty".

One secretary had to bathe her boss's elderly mother, another was asked to make curtains and one said she had to hold her boss's hand on a car journey.

The report concluded a new qualification was needed to improve the status of secretaries.

Researchers said the job of a secretary had changed dramatically over the years. Few did audio typing or used shorthand, while more than a third managed financial budgets or other staff, and a quarter deputised for their manager.