Yesterday was a national office holiday, though I didn't find out until the day was over. I felt sorry that the 57th annual Administrative Professionals Day wasn't on my calendar, until I realized that it's actually a week long celebration! The tradition started in 1952 as National Secretaries Week, though I'm not sure when secretaries started being referred to as administrative professionals. Whenever it was, I'm glad they made the switch.
If you spend your weekdays as an administrative professional, have you been acknowledged yet? I'm not one for guilt-tripping bosses, but if you have the type of relationship with your boss that allows you to be a little fresh, you may just get a free lunch out of it.
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I received a small vase of flowers and a card --- but only because the executive assistant remembered! The thought was appreciate though.
1I'm getting free lunch!
2Crap, I've been out sick all week & forgot about this. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel better & bring my secretary some flowers.
3My boss forgot & sent me a text last night saying sorry & that she would take me out to lunch today.
4I knew my boss wouldn't do anything, he just doesn't think like that.
5yes, I was taken to lunch yesterday to one of my most favorite restaurants.
6My boss rocks.
All the admins in the office got a lunch out and we
got $25 Fandango gift certificates. The accountants in the office got all of us flowers too. Sometimes I forget how awesome this place is.
7nope. i'm a clerk in my department so i don't get anything. it kinda sucks considering i basically do all the admin work with all the other admins, but my title excludes me from the holiday.
8i got flowers last year and also taken out to dinner. but also it was my birthday. this year my boss' father passed away, so it's been a hectic week.
92 ppl in the office gave me flowers and today I'm being taken to a fancy lunch
10I work in an office and yesterday we cooked all the support staff breakfast and served them, then they played some wii and today they got taken out to lunch by one of our clients. They do such an amazing job. They definitely deserve it.
11I work in a really small office so the CEO makes it "all staff appreciation week" instead of just admin professionals. It's a lot of fun and we've already got several gift cards, snacks, luncheons, cake, etc. It's been fun so far! Oh and we get off at noon tomorrow!
12I always wonder who qualifies as an "administrative professional".
13I run our HR department, so I am not an assistant but I am an administrator. My first year my office did something, but the holiday has been ignored by the owners for the past 4 or 5 years.
The only person that acknowledged it in our office was another assistant. . . how ironic!
14We have a Staff Appreciation Week. On Monday, we had a special breakfast, then on Tuesday we had lunches out and an ice cream social, on Wednesday, we got Bluetooth headsets, today we get massages and manicures, and tomorrow we have a TGIF after-work get together. I guess it makes up for all the over-time we put in the rest of the year!
15Um, my boss hasn't done anything yet, but we're really busy with a cases which he is testifying for, and on our company calendar it says that it's next Wednesday...
16My law firm is doing something every day this week for all non-lawyers basically. On Monday we had breakfast served at our desks. On Tuesday we each got Sees Candy. On Wednesday they had this ice cream cart come out and serve us ice cream or frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. Today we all got picnic backpacks (with a wine holder!). Tomorrow we get donuts and bagels in the fancy attorney dinning room. Working for a big wealthy company pays off sometimes.
17It sucks that some people who are not considered "admin" get excluded from this.
18ehadams: It seems like your Staff Appreciation Week has been similar to mine! It's pretty exciting to have one week devoted to us. Sadly, after Law School, I won't have that at all...at least I'll be making money!
19Wow, you gals are lucky. My bosses are oblivious to the concept! I don't really mind though. It seems like a silly hallmark holiday to me. I'd rather they let me know they appreciate my hard work with bonuses!
20The admins had lunch and cake together Tuesday and got gifts on Wednesday, but I have to admit that I would definitely prefer STAFF appreciation week. I always feel a little bad that my fellow peons get shafted because they drive a forklift instead of do spreadsheets.
21My office planned a lunch, and the attorneys all kicked in to pay for the attorneys & staff to enjoy it. I got my assistant flowers and a card thanking her for working so much for me... and I really wondered who all counts as an "administrative professional" - and since my new office manager is one of the hardest working people in the office (moved up from legal assistant this year), I was worried no one would do anything for her, and so another attorney and I got her flowers and a card that say "Thanks to someone who 'manages' to 'assist' us all" to acknowledge she's management, but she's not our boss so we wanted to recognize her.
I think it is important to have a time to stop and acknowledge how important the support staff is - I appreciate mine every day, but I know it needs to be said.
22i'm a "tweener" aka inbetween assistant and boss, so therefore i get nothing..
23Our coorporate office sent an e-mail to all the admins (including myself) "gifting" us with an e-subscription to "The Effective Admin" newsletter!! I would have prefered nothing to be honest. The other admin and I decided that we're going to put together an "Effective Managers" newsletter for Boss' Day. It'll include how to better manage their time, advise them that we should have more days off (just because) and how to fix a jam in the copy machine on their own.
It was such a kick in the face which is weird because this company is a pretty good one to work for.
24Our coorporate offices sent out a e-mail "gifting" the admins (including myself) a e-subscription to "The Effective Admin" newsletter! Talk about a kick in the face.
The other admin in the office and I have decided that we're going to put together an "Effective Managers" newsletter for Boss' Day (which is every payday if you ask me). In it there will be a section about better time management skills, suggestions on how to have us work a 4 day work week (just because) and a section on how to fix a paper jam in the copy machine on their own.
It's really weird, this company is so great to work for, but that "gift" brought out the "WTF!!!" in me
25Our coorporate offices sent out a e-mail "gifting" the admins (including myself) a e-subscription to "The Effective Admin" newsletter! Talk about a kick in the face.
The other admin in the office and I have decided that we're going to put together an "Effective Managers" newsletter for Boss' Day (which is every payday if you ask me). In it there will be a section about better time management skills, suggestions on how to have us work a 4 day work week (just because) and a section on how to fix a paper jam in the copy machine on their own.
It's really weird, this company is so great to work for, but that "gift" brought out the "WTF!!!" in me
26What the heck?! Why isn't my awesome comment posting?
27phatE, i love when people use the sorta-word "tweener." classic!
i like the idea of staff appreciation week. admin professionals certainly deserve the love, but so do the rest of us tweeners!
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