NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY
National Administrative Professionals Day, also known as Secretaries Day or Admin Day, is observed on the Wednesday of the last full week in April of each year. It is a special day to recognize the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists and other administrative support professionals.
Due to a shortage of skilled office workers, Mary Barrett, president of the National Secretaries Association (now called IAAP -International Association of Administrative Professionals), along with C. King Woodbrige, president of Dictaphone Corporation had the idea for a National Secretaries Week.
Proclaimed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer, the official first “National Secretaries Week” was held June 1-7, 1952. June 4, 1952 was designated National Secretaries Day.
Due to the expanding responsibilities and wide-ranging job titles of administrative support staff, in 2000 the name was changed to Administrative Professionals Week. The IAAP had two objectives in mind: to recognize “the secretary, upon whose skills, loyalty, and efficiency the functions of business and government offices depend,” and to call attention “through favorable publicity, to the tremendous potential of the secretarial career.”
National Administrative Professionals Day is often celebrated with gifts to one’s assistant such as flowers, gift certificates, gift baskets, candy, lunch or etc.
Happy National Administrative Professionals Day!
NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY is an “unofficial” National holiday.