One-third of Brit secretaries being asked to sew trouser seams, walk dogs! - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

More than one third of British secretaries are being asked by their bosses to do chores that go "beyond the call of duty", according to new research. The survey of 1,000 secretaries and PAs found that a large number of them 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. One secretary had to even bathe her boss' elderly mother, another was asked to make curtains and one said she had to hold her boss' hand on a car journey, reports The Scotsman. The study concluded that a new qualification was needed to improve the status of secretaries. Researchers said that the job of a secretary had changed dramatically over the years. Only a few PAs did audio typing or used shorthand, while more than a third managed financial budgets or other staff, and a quarter deputised for their manager.