• By Gina Columbo
• In Professional Development,Team Building
• Posted April 9, 2018

Celebrating Administrative Professionals Day

Administrative Professionals Day on April 25, 2018, is an important time for businesses to appreciate and recognize the hard work of their office support and administrative professionals.

Contrary to popular belief, Administrative Professionals Day was not invented by Hallmark but was created in 1952 to recognize the importance administrative personnel played and continues to play in the economy. During World War II, the workforce saw an increase for administrative professionals and from that, the National Secretaries Association, now International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), was formed.

So as Administrative Professionals Day and Week (April 23 – 27) draws near, are you struggling to come up with creative ideas to reward your amazing administrative professionals? Below are five ideas to use or help inspire you for Administrative Professionals Week.

1. Team building activities
Team building is a great idea if you’re rewarding a larger group of administrative professionals. From city-wide scavenger hunts to a Game Show Feud, there are many engaging and fun activities for your employees to participate in.

In addition to rewarding your employees with a fun activity outside of the office, team building activities can also help build confidence in employees and can help boost overall performance. And on a larger level, these types of activities can grow a strong organizational culture as employees develop deeper relationships and learn to work better with each other.

2. Time off
Your admins work hard, so why not reward them with a day off? You can even bring it up a notch and reward them with an afternoon at the movies, spa or mall. Most people enjoy a paid break to rest and reset, especially the incoming workforce, as it can help decrease stress levels.

You can even extend the time off and offer a couple of paid vacation days that they can use to take a small trip somewhere with friends or family.

3. Personalized gift
Another excellent way to properly award your admins is to give them a personalized gift. Before Administrative Professionals Day rolls around, learn what your employee likes and dislikes or talk with their co-workers to have a better understanding. You should also take the time to get to know your admin better if you’re not exactly sure what they like.

In return, your admin won’t just appreciate the personalized gift, but be more motivated in their work, knowing that upper management values them and their skills.

4. Professional development
Not every admin will want a gift or time off. Some may actually want and would benefit from a professional training course or seminar. Have an informal one-on-one with your admins to draw out what skills they are looking to develop to help them become more effective at their job or to help further their career. Then, once you have an idea of what they would like to develop, look for programs, seminars or workshops that they could attend.

In addition, at BEST, we offer many corporate training and professional development workshops. From time management to conflict resolution workshops, we can help your employees develop the necessary core competencies needed in today’s business environment.

5. Cater lunch
Lastly, consider rewarding admins with a catered lunch or treat them to lunch outside of the office. Talk with employees to learn what type of food they enjoy so you can offer the perfect catered lunch. Or if you would rather take your admins out, do so at a place that shows your gratitude for their hard work. Plus, employees will notice if you go the extra mile to make their Administrative Professionals Day special.

All in all, Administrative Professionals Day/Week is an important one for businesses to celebrate and it’s vital that your admins be properly recognized and rewarded for their daily hard work and contribution.