If you are an employer there is one date that you really cannot and should not forget… Wednesday April 23rd 2014. Why? Well, the clue is in the title, it’s Administrative Professionals’ Day! The one day of the year where you can really show your support staff that you appreciate their efforts. Of course this doesn’t just stretch to Secretaries and PA’s, some employers prefer to treat the whole office to after work drinks or a lazy lunch. So break out the Sharpie and ring the date on the calendar and set the Google reminder on your phone – here’s how to keep your staff happy on Administrative Professionals’ Day!
The day was formerly known as National Secretary’s Day, but in keeping with the ever changing job titles of modern business it took its new mantle in 2000. It had a very strong purpose back in its humble beginnings as Secretary’s Day, founded in 1952 by Mary Barrett and C. King Woodbridge, who served on a council addressing the shortage of skilled workers in the post war era.
Nowadays, it is used as a day for appreciating secretaries and PA’s in your office by acknowledging the work that they do and showing this with a token gesture of some flowers, lunch out or a small gift. These are the people who really run your office and keep the day to day stuff ticking over; they are the ones who do all the day to day running while you secure the contracts. They are also the professional face of your office as they are the ones who have to be nice to everyone and are the first smiling face clients meet – trust me, sometimes this can be the hardest job of all! Impressions last and that’s why your client visits.
So what do you buy your Secretary or PA? Now this is where you should do a bit of detective work – if you want to show them exactly how much you appreciate them! Find out their favourite flowers.
A boring bouquet means you may as well not bother at all! Find out their favourite flowers and have them made into a beautiful arrangement. Or a pot with a favoured plant in it so it can decorate their office or desk is a nice touch. Of course don’t forget the card. You can sum everything up in a card and tell them exactly how much you appreciate their efforts – a gift is meaningless without a message to explain why you think they deserve it. There are quite a variety of cards cropping up these days – just make sure you buy the right card for the right person!
A gift, of course, is appreciated but it shouldn’t just be for one day. A small gesture of thanks given throughout the year will be appreciated by your staff rather than you being told to do so –think of it like Valentine’s Day– if you gave your partner attention and gifts on just one day of the year then this doesn’t look good!
However you celebrate Administrative Professionals Day, whether it is with a bouquet of flowers that have been specially made for the day, a gift card or lunch out – there are some things that will never change on the day…
‘As soon as you sit down to a hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold’
– Author Unknown
