IF the country's senior secretaries went on strike, 60 per cent of bosses would not be able to cope, according to a survey.

Recruitment specialists Kelly Services, based in Bolton, asked 250 senior secretaries how well they thought their bosses would fare in their job.

Their comments ranged from: "He couldn't - he's just asked me his own postcode" to "he wouldn't have a clue - it's very complex and there's much too much nitty gritty involved".

Slightly better were: "Brilliant - he's multi-skilled" to "quite well - but there would be no staff left at the end of the week!"

The key factor that differentiated the copers from the no-hopers was computer literacy.

Of the 60pc who expressed little confidence in their boss holding the fort in their absence, most attributed their scepticism to computer illiteracy and bad organisational skills.

A lack of common sense and the ability to be flexible were also cited as key problem areas.

All is not doom and gloom however.

Three in 10 respondents had bosses they felt could take over their jobs reasonably well because they were well organised and possessed office technology skills.

These findings are endorsed by the Industrial Society, which urges senior managers to set a personal example in the workplace.

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