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.

What comes to mind when you think about SDA? For me, it's education programs, conferences, networking, and people.  Mostly people.  Do you know how many people I have met through SDA?  More than I ever thought when I joined.  I figured I’d go to my first chapter program, sit in the back, hide and take notes (if it was worth it).  I laugh now at how naïve I was back then, thinking that I could be invisible in this organization.  First program ever, and everyone in the room came over and introduced themselves to me.  Really, the nicest group of people I’d ever met.  Never in my dealings with SDA have I felt awkward, or invisible.  Each of you, whether you were in my chapter or a member that I met during my membership have made an impact on my career.  I’ve been invited to other meetings, through work, and also through my personal life, and have never gotten the same reaction.  I love it.  As for my first program, it was so enticing and informative, that I never once questioned going to another one.   Oh, don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’ve wondered whether a program or convention really applied to me and my career, but I went even with that little nagging doubt that I could be wasting my time, and my firm’s money.  However, that little nagging doubt has ALWAYS been wrong.  I’ve very fortunately been able to bring something back to my firm, no matter the subject.  LOL, which is great, because it means that my boss keeps sending me! 

I’m grateful to SDA for providing me with the tools to stay current in my profession, and the individuals I can call up and ask for help when I’m stumped.  (Which has happened more than I’d like to admit at times!!)  The most wonderful thing though – everyone that I have ever called or emailed, has made themselves available to me and if for any reason they haven’t been able to answer my question, they just pointed me to someone who could.  What a great gift.  So really, what does SDA mean to me?  Our members.  Because really, there’s no way any other organization has members as awesome as ours!!!  (I mean, I guess they can, but I doubt it!)  Thanks to everyone for making this an organization that I truly feel that I belong to, and for allowing me to express my thoughts on it. 

Sooooo…….how about yall?? What does SDA mean to you??  I’d love to know!  Plus, your input would be a great way to help start conversations with non-members!  Lol, yes, I’m always needing topics to start, so help a member out and let me know what SDA means to you in the comment box below!

Susan Lankey, CDFA, is the Office Manager for DJG, Inc. in Williamsburg, Virginia.

 She currently serves as the SDA National President-Elect for the 2017-2018 term.