Today is a day that we honor and take the time to thank those administrative professionals who keep the offices running, who keep workflows moving, and who perform tasks vital to any enterprise. Administrative Professionals Day is perhaps one of the most important occasions that small businesses and offices around the country need to be aware of and, consequently, need to be sure and commemorate.
The occasion itself came into being beginning in the 1950s. In 1955, Administrative Professionals Day was moved to the last week of April. And then it was designated as the Wednesday of that final week of the month. This year, it is celebrated on April 27.
Some things that you should know about administrative professionals around the United States:
- In this country, there are over 20 million administrative professionals currently working.
- Just over 80% of administrative professionals are women. In comparison, less than 20% are men.
- There are currently hundreds of thousands of job openings for qualified administrative assistants.
- Among the top skills of an administrative professional are organization, time management, and communication skills.
Administrative Professionals Day is a chance for small business owners to show their appreciation for the work these professionals do and recognize what they do exactly in the course of a given day. Take the time to see how they work, what they contribute, and what value they bring to the table. That is to say, take the time to understand the importance of these professionals to your workforce.
How to Celebrate Administrative Professionals Day
1) Give your administrative assistants a gift. This could take the form of flowers, gift cards, treats, and candy, a small bonus; get creative here. You might even treat them to a spa day. Who doesn’t love being pampered! The important thing is that you do recognize that today is special.
2) Say thank you. In person, via card, or email, saying thank you to the people who work so hard to keep the office flowing smoothly is incredibly important on Administrative Professionals Day.
3) Boast about them on social media. Who doesn’t love a flattering social media post? Shout out to your followers about how outstanding your administrative professionals are. Post pictures. Use relevant hashtags. And demonstrate how proud you are of the work they do.
4) Offer professional development opportunities. Not solely on Administrative Professionals Day, but this can apply to any day of the year. Giving your assistants the chance to grow and learn more within their job and beyond can be so rewarding for everybody.
5) Treat them to a meal. Perhaps you can take your administrative professionals out to lunch today. Or maybe even splurge for dinner. The key is to make this day all about them while emphasizing their importance to the company.
Understanding What Administrative Professionals Do
Most people know what an administrative professional will do on a given day. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that they truly understand the nuances of the job involved.
What are some critical tasks that administrative professionals take care of:
- Answering phone calls and maintaining communications via email and other channels
- Taking inventory of the supplies within the office and ordering more when needed
- Keeping calendars and schedules for supervisors and leaders
- Generating bills and invoicing clients
- Organizing all essential documents within the office and having access to those documents when required
This scratches the surface. Administrative professionals perform all sorts of crucial tasks that keep operations moving along. Without them, where would you be? Recognizing how critical they are to your business. This is what today is all about.
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