If the arduous task of preparing a handover for your successor is at the bottom of a long list of to-dos, you are not alone.

A survey by the secretarial recruitment company Office Angels suggests that only 31 per cent of office workers dedicate enough time to handover notes, and that 70 per cent of employers claim that this lack of communication has caused major problems.

The responsible thing to do is to equip your successor with all your skills and knowledge so that he or she can “hit the ground running”. Ideally, your handover should include an up-to-date, detailed description of your day-to-day duties, a briefing on ongoing issues and activities, passwords and codes for e-mail accounts and a concise list of contacts and resources.

As a PA at board level for the PR firm The Red Consultancy, Louise Keen says that handovers should not be taken lightly. “When I started my job I was fortunate enough to be guided by informative handover documents,” she says. “It’s only courteous to help your successor as much as possible so that things don’t fall apart once you’re out of the picture. It may be boring but it’s correct office practice.”

Not all PAs are so gracious. According to Bill Brace, the operations director for Reed Employment, the necessary goodwill from the outgoing PA is not always there.

“Important aspects of the new PA’s role can be left out, and the only person to gain may be the incumbent who continues to look more efficient,” he says.

An intentionally poor handover is frustrating and humiliating for the new position-holder. Susie Campbell, a contract PA, says: “I've been on the receiving end of many feeble handovers, from arriving to a bunch of scribbled Postit Notes wishing me luck to one bitter ex-employee bizarrely locking all her computer documents and switching off her mobile.

“I often find myself up against a ‘Why should I?’ attitude, which means that I have to start from scratch and bluff my way through the job as best I can.”

Here is how to plan the perfect handover:

Write down basic things such as passwords, internal and external contacts, documents and guides for in-house computer systems.

Put yourself in the position of your successor and think: what would you want or need to know?

Tailor your handover accordingly, clarifying what is definite about your position and what is your own interpretation.

Realise that the more work you put into your handover, the easier it is to leave your job without being plagued by queries.

Try not to be precious. Accept that your successor may decide to do things in a different way.

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