An officer instruction route should establish whether an assistant is coordinating a request or communicating an authorised decision. Access to an officer’s calendar or inbox does not by itself explain the scope of an instruction. Verify the route before changing company records or supplying restricted documents.

Hands signing a document at an office desk
Illustrative photograph by Pavel Danilyuk.

Identify the requested act

Record the company, officer, assistant and exact task. Arranging a meeting, collecting a signature and authorising a change are different activities. Keep the original message and attachments so the secretary can see what was actually requested.

Use established contact details to clarify an unexpected request. Do not rely solely on a new telephone number supplied in the same message that asks for an urgent change.

Confirm capacity and limits

Ask the responsible officer or authorised company contact to confirm the assistant’s role for this task. Record any limits, such as permission to receive a pack without permission to approve its contents.

Keep administrative coordination separate from the formal approval evidence the action requires. A statement that the officer is busy should not become a substitute for an approval that has not been received.

Example: a signature pack is requested

An assistant asks for a resolution to be sent to a new personal email address. Verify the delivery destination through the established route and confirm who will sign. The assistant’s receipt of the pack does not establish that the officer approved it.

If the officer remains unavailable, ask the secretary how the matter should be escalated. Do not invent a delegation or copy a signature from another document.

Close the communication trail

Retain the verified contact route, capacity confirmation and completed response. Mark anything still awaiting the officer separately. This makes later review possible without exposing personal contact or identity information in a widely shared task list.

Related practical guidance

For the surrounding records and responsibilities, see maintaining statutory records, the company secretary role, company recordkeeping.

Official guidance: ACRA company guidance.

Help with your company records

For corporate secretarial and company administration support, contact Raffles Corporate Services at [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. Tell us which records or process need attention so we can discuss the relevant next steps.