Thoughts on Professional this Administrative Professionals Week

by Kelly Loughran

I like to think I am a proud administrative professional. That being said, I have a visceral reaction to administrative professionals day. There is no tangible evidence for this feeling. Who doesn’t love a good celebration?!

Who started this nonsense and why…

“In 1942, the National Secretaries Association was formed in order to recognize the contributions of administrative personnel to the economy, support their development, and attract workers to the field. During their first year as an association, they created National Administrative Professionals Day. Admin Professionals Day has been celebrated since 1952, when Secretary's Day was part of National Secretaries Week, promoted by the National Secretaries Association that was founded in 1942. Since 2000, the celebration has been called Administrative Professionals Day, and is part of Administrative Professionals Week the last full week of every April.”

How did we evolve from here?

We can certainly tie the evolution to the social mores and politics of women and minorities being valued in the workplace to the 1960’s and 70’s. In the 1970’s women's liberation groups fought for equal rights. “This related to increased numbers of women demanding that secretaries be respected in the workplace. Encouragingly, the National Secretaries Association at the time reported that half of its members aspired to work toward management positions, and more training courses covered advanced topics. As computers became commonplace in the workplace, secretaries' roles evolved even more, moving from beyond taking notes with shorthand writing to including much more diverse duties.”

The goal of an administrator, at any level, is to keep the business moving forward. Administrators wear many titles, every day. On the whimsical side, “Queen Schlepp” comes to mind. We are problem solvers, educators, communicators, translators and Administrative PROFESSIONALS.

This my friends may be where my visceral reaction lies. Are we considered PROFESSIONALS, working in an industry surrounded by technical professionals? In the AEC industry, the non-technical staff is considered support (we keep the business moving forward but don’t necessarily bring in clients, revenue). These departments include marketing, accounting, office services and administration. Is one any more professional than the other? I don’t know of a marketer’s or accountant’s day, though there is a pencil a day-go figure.  Accountants can become licensed, which makes them professional, marketers have certifications, as do administrators. Are marketers and accountants considered more professional than administrators, or more specifically administrative assistants or is it all simply my interpretation?

Does Administrative Professional Day/Week/month bring our profession forward or single us out for the wrong reason? We strive to be acknowledged for our worth, skills and for being integral parts of a company along with their projects. Does Administrative Professional day celebrations do that or appease us for another year?

I do not have the answer, yet. Though I’d be willing to explore options with a series of blog posts. I do know that we have come a long way as a profession and we will continue to evolve.

As for how I feel about Administrative Professional Day/Week/month/year after writing this blog, I’m a work in progress.  I will say that this April 27^th, I will try to embrace whatever is planned, not overthink it and relish in the praise. Care to join me?