Meaningful Gifts For Administrative Professionals Day

How to Find the Perfect Gifts for Administrative Professionals

Office admins are the foundation of office life. These and other administrative support professionals make sure everything in an organization is running smoothly, and that everyone has what they need. Admin professionals are hard workers that conduct work that is integral to the long-term feasibility of an organization's operations and should be rewarded for their steadfast efforts with gifts to remind them that they are an important part of every business. Luckily, finding gifts for administrative professionals is easy when you shop at Successories!

Administrative Professionals Day

The perfect opportunity to show appreciation to your administrative team is coming soon - Administrative Professionals Day! It is celebrated every year in the United States on the Wednesday of the last full week of April - this year, it's on April 22. This day recognizes anyone that can be considered an administrative professional; a secretary, office assistant, receptionist and personal aide would all be considered members of this group. The holiday celebrates their crucial role in modern business and recognizes the hard work they do every day to keep a company on track.

According to TIME Magazine, the holiday originated during World War II due to the large number of citizens who were involved in the war in Europe and the Pacific. Administrative professionals rose to fill the vacancies in the economy, keeping U.S. commerce on track during and after the war. Soon enough, the importance of administrative professionals had been solidified in the public consciousness and Administrative Professionals Day was established as a holiday to celebrate their contributions.

What do administrative professionals do?

An administrative professional is any employee that supports the activities of their office and organization through various types of people-focused work. This would include employees like receptionists, personal assistants, and others - those who help coworkers and customers through processes that they are unfamiliar or need additional help with. In addition, administrative professionals often do lower-level organizational work, like building schedules for superiors, organizing events, reporting on visitor metrics and other activities.

By taking on lower-level work that is nevertheless essential to the functioning of a business, administrative professionals make a company a well-oiled machine. They allow other workers to focus on their areas of expertise without being bogged down by menial work. Admin professionals keep things running while bosses are out meeting clients, conduct reports for salespeople and greet customers themselves so others don't have to pause what they are doing to welcome visitors. Without administrative workers, employees would be held back with numerous other tasks that don't relate to their main areas of responsibility or experience, and the business would suffer for it as a result.

Showing your appreciation

Administrative professionals are hard workers, and without them, many businesses would not last long. Thus, not only is it smart to show your appreciation to your administrative workers, but it's also the right thing to do. Finding the perfect gift is not always easy, however. While they all have the commonality of the same job, administrative professionals, like all people, have diverse tastes and preferences. But, there are steps you can take to figure out just what gifts will be a hit!

The first thing you should do when thinking up some gift ideas for an administrative professional is to consider the present context. Is there a service milestone that they recently met, or is one coming soon? If so, you could get them a gift that celebrates their many years at the company. Items like plaques or trophies can send a message that you appreciate their hard work and their loyalty to your company. These are also appropriate gifts for rewarding going above and beyond the call of duty. Perhaps they helped their coworker get through a massive workload, or brought in a new client through their own personal networking.

However, sometimes a different gift would be more fitting. Trophies are pretty to look at and prestigious, but they don't have that personal touch that some bosses would prefer. Instead, you can get a gift based on their hobbies and interests. Any good boss gets to know their employees, as it helps build a more cohesive and cooperative workplace. But, in the event you don't have any information to make an informed decision on a gift, you can just ask them! Honest communication is a refreshing practice in the workplace, and this lets your employees know that they are appreciated even before a gift is handed out.

Finding the right gift for the administrative professional in your life requires a multi-pronged approach. Something personal can work well as a gift for Administrative Professionals Day, while items like trophies can be good rewards to mark a milestone in their career or major achievement. All that matters is that it's a thoughtful gift that shows your admin employees just how much they are cherished. After all, 81% of employees feel appreciated when receiving office gifts from their company, according to a study done by online database company.

No matter your choice of gift, Successories has you covered. Is your administrative professional an avid writer, frequently taking notes or jotting down little stories at their desk? Some personalized, congratulatory notepads and >high-quality gift pens can be a welcome gift to receive. If they are committed to fitness, a handy water bottle can make their gym time more enjoyable! Whatever the case, Successories can help you decide.

Shop Administrative Assistant Day Gifts

Besides making your administrative team feel valued with thoughtful gifts, employee recognition plays an important role in creating engagement throughout your entire organization. Other employees will see that leadership acknowledges the work of the team. Peers of admin professionals will increase their appreciation for the work being done. Other employees may be motivated to increase their level of productivity in hopes of being recognized, as well.

When you give Administrative Assistant Day gifts and offer tokens of appreciation year-round, it's beneficial for both those who receive the gifts and for your business. It's easy to display your gratitude with Successories, since we're constantly updating our extensive selection of gifts with new innovative ways to show you care. Browse a wide variety of administrative gifts here.

Administrative Assistant Day Gift Ideas

Secretaries, administrative assistants, and other office professionals are often some of the hardest-working employees who take care of the details that ensure business operations run smoothly. Showing recognition of administrative support staff throughout the year is a meaningful way to keep staff motivated and encourage retention for your business.

For Administrative Professionals Day, Administrative Professionals Week, and throughout the entire year, here are some ways to enhance the careers and satisfaction of administrative professionals at your organization.

• Create a special event specifically for administrative staff. Pair a presentation by an educational speaker with group recognition from the chief executive. Close the event by presenting each administrator with an appreciation gift. A picture frame, pen holder, or other desktop accessory featuring a motivational message is a way to show you care.
• Provide registration for a professional development seminar to help administrative team members to learn new business, technical, or communication skills. To generate excitement around the program and reinforce your commitment to ongoing education, give each registrant a padfolio to use at the seminar.
• Establish an on-site library stocked with relevant self-study materials. Include publications targeted specifically toward administrative professionals.
• Support membership in appropriate professional associations. Look for organizations that offer educational workshops addressing topics such as office technology trends, career development planning, effective communication, and more.
• Encourage continuing education with the ultimate goal of professional certification. Provide tuition reimbursement or discounts if possible.
• Let your support staff's strengths shine by delegating responsibilities based on their interests and skill sets. Use instant recognition items like lapel pins and medallions to offer on-the-spot appreciation of contributions.
• Make sure the gifts you select have both professional and personal meaning. Office accessories such as engraved desk clocks, desktop nameplates, and personalized business cards reinforce your support of their professional development and let them know you appreciate their unique talents and contributions.

Your administrative personnel likely have amazing talents that can help elevate your organization to new heights when they are recognized and utilized. Use appreciation gifts to instill confidence in your team and increase their dedication to the success of your business.

About Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day

What quietly began as National Secretaries Week® in 1952 has transformed over the years into the more inclusive Administrative Professionals Week® to become one of the largest workplace observances around the world spanning nearly every industry. There are over 4 million people who work in secretarial or administrative assistant positions in the United States.

The president of The National Secretaries Association, which is now The IAAP, was Many Barrett. She and C. King Woodbridge, who was president of The Dictaphone Corporation, were on a council that was tasked with finding a solution to not having the necessary skilled office workers available.

They came up with a solution with the help of a third person named Harry Klemfuss and that was a campaign for a national secretaries week.

The first National Secretaries Week occurred in 1952 from June 1 to June 7 and was proclaimed so by Charles Sawyer who was The U.S. Secretary of Commerce back then. Tuesday, June 4 was chosen as the designated day for National Secretaries Day.

The National Secretaries Association, supported by other corporate groups, decided to make a change to the observation date of National Secretaries Week and they changed it to April. National Secretaries Day was to be observed on Wednesday of the last week of the month.

The changing nature of the workforce was the reason the National Secretaries Association became Professional Secretaries International or PSI back in 1981. This also was the reason National Secretaries Day was changed to Professional Secretaries Week.

PSI decided to change their name in 1998 to the International Association of Administrative Professionals as this was a reflection of expanding roles of office staff. The IAAP announced Professional Secretaries Day was being changed to Administrative Professionals Day in 2000. This was needed to address the structure of administrative staff and responsibilities of office staff in an organization.

When is Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day?

While Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day is no longer just National Secretary's day, it is similarly celebrated the Wednesday of the last full week of April. The last full week of April is known as Administrative Professionals Week.

When is Administrative Professionals Appreciation Week?

Administrative Professionals Week is always held annually during the last full week in April. Administrative Professionals Day is always held on the Wednesday of that week.

Administrative Professionals Week was founded 1952 as "National Secretaries Week" by the then National Secretaries Association. The goal of Administrative Professionals Day was to recognize secretaries for their contributions in the workplace. The idea began with Mary Barrett, president of the National Secretaries Association, now called the International Association of Administrative Professionals, and C. King Woodbridge, president of Dictaphone Corporation. Serving on a council addressing a national shortage of skilled office workers, together with Harry Klemfuss, public relations account executive at Young & Rubicam, believed that a National Secretaries Week would attract individuals to careers in the administrative field while recognizing "the secretary, upon whose skills, loyalty, and efficiency the functions of business and government offices depend."

Administrative Professionals Week is always held annually during the last full week in April. Administrative Professionals Day is always held on the Wednesday of that week. The week that was designated as Administrative Professionals Week was once called National Secretaries Week by The IAAP or The International Association of Administrative Professionals. There were also a variety of office product manufactures that were involved in the initial organization back In 1952.

National Secretaries Week®, Administrative Professionals Week® and Administrative Professionals Day® are registered trademarks of the International Association of Administrative Professionals.