6 Ways to Honor Your Administrator

Administrative Professionals' Week is April 25-29, 2022. Administrative Professionals' Day is April 27, 2022

Administrative Professionals’ Day is quickly approaching and although it might not be on your radar, rest assured your Administrative Professional is aware. What do you do?

Administrative Professionals often take on more tasks than almost anyone else in the firm. They wear many different hats and have multiple responsibilities to keep the firm moving ahead. Administrative staff, while often viewed overhead, function as income multipliers by keeping billing staff on tasks that generate more revenue.

When viewed in that light and reflecting on all your Administrative Staff does to keep the firm on track, I’m sure you are motivated to recognize your staff!

Administrative Professionals’ Day is a day to honor the staff that is typically under-appreciated and over worked. Here are some great ways to honor your administrator:

1)    Show them you recognize them as much a professional as your just as you do your Architects / Engineers with an SDA membership. Gifting a membership to SDA shows that you recognize their position and how important it is to have a network of professionals supporting them as well as allowing them the opportunity to grow professionally and an opportunity to become a Certified Design Firm Administrator (CDFA).

2)    Reward their hard work with a bonus, I mean who doesn’t like a bonus? This would be a great time to tell them that you recognize their contributions to the team and that they should share in the accomplishments of the work.

3)    The recent pandemic has made it more difficult to execute the standard appreciation lunch, but this can still be done using social distancing protocols or even by sending the administrative professional’s lunch to their house and hosting a virtual lunch that everyone attends together.

4)    This is also a great opportunity for the team or the firm to each take a moment to thank / praise your administrative staff for all that they have done to make each day a success or to point out moments where the administrative staff went above and beyond to help meet team deadlines, goals or expectations. This can be done with a nice greeting card that everyone signs (this can be done electronically now). The team might decide to take contributions to include a gift card to a local restaurant or for something relaxing.

5)    Maybe the firm is too large or just doesn’t acknowledge days like this, but that doesn’t mean the team or individuals can’t take on the task themselves.

6)    Do all these items feel like too much work? I bet your administrator would also feel honored by flowers from the store, a bag of their favorite candy / chocolate, a donut from the donut shop next door, or even a word/words of affirmation on a post-it note stuck to their computer screen. Virtual ideas: a quick email that says “I appreciate You, Thank You for all You Do” or an instant message that says “You are The Best” …. Any of these would bring a smile to my face and make me feel appreciated.

What are some other ways that would make you feel honored on Administrative Professionals Day? Share them in the comment box below.

Yesterday we completed Day #5 of EDConnect21 and there were plenty of nuggets of learning from our presenters!

Jack Smith  spent time talking about "Cybersecurity and the Role You Play." We learned some new terms including 'doomscrolling/doomsurfing' and 'Zoom laryngitis.' We could certainly all relate! He talked to us about how remote work is inherently more dangerous and provided some tips to consider when working outside the office.

In the afternoon session, Brad Wilson presented "Business Improvement Strategies for Success Transitions." Among his tips and insights were that we need to be future ready, that people/soft skills are critical for transition success and that we should understand that it takes about 10 years for transition, so we should be planning accordingly.

What did you get from Day #5? Share in the comment box below what you found useful and/or what you plan to implement in your office.

Week #2 of EDConnect21 is underway. We had two powerful presentations today. First we hear from Ryan Jolley with "Everyone Hates Your Bonus Program: Here's How to Fix It!" We closed the day hearing from Diane Mika and Julie Stanton as they shared "The Go/No-Go Process: Promoting Effective Marketing and Risk Management." Both sessions were packed with insights and tips that can be immediately put to use in the office. 

Two of our favorite quotes from Ryan's session:  "Profits are what give us the ability to do the extra and fun things that our employees all want." Also, "What gets measured gets done, what gets measured AND feedback gets done well, what gets rewarded get repeated."

During our afternoon program, Diane and Julie gave us lots to consider while walking us through two case studies to see how a Go/No-Go scoring system can work. PLUS, they addressed the importance of understanding the costs associated with the preparation of a proposal.

Share in the comment box below some of your biggest takeaways.