Let Administrative Professionals’ Day Become Habit

By Andrew Bundy

Administrative Professionals’ Day was April 21, and no matter what kind of business you’re in, there is probably an administrative professional who needs recognition. 

The worst part of a good administrative professional is that what they do is often only noticed when they aren’t there. That kind of help needs thanks far more often than once a year, but they sometimes get lost in the busy schedule that they keep running smoothly.

When a group has a day, week, or month dedicated to them, that is usually a signal that they need recognition more frequently than they get it.

Holidays are designed to make us stop and reflect, set aside time in our busy schedule for looking back, looking forward, or looking inward. That kind of reflection should lead to thankfulness. That’s why April 21 reminds us that we should periodically thank the people who help us keep our business running. 

Recognition with flowers, lunch, or gift cards is appropriate on the specifically designated day; however, it’s important to keep that awareness throughout the year, and this can be accomplished in less expensive ways.

Greater Good Magazine published an article on how research shows that gratitude can change an office culture for the better, and occasional, random recognition for routine jobs is an easy and inexpensive way to keep an office running smoothly.

Express Gratitude

 American Greetings allows you “personalize” pre-written messages for your administrative professional, but there are many other options that may not feel quite so robotic. Verbally saying thank you is one easy way to show your appreciation. 

Often overlooked, the quick thank you reminds your employees that you know that they make a difference and are doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. The more routine something becomes, the less we thank people for doing it. This can create a sense of tedium or lead people to feel less appreciated at work.

An employee who feels that they work a thankless job might have less motivation to keep doing it. Often, those thankless jobs are the ones that keep the business running smoothly so someone can get the thank you. A busy mental health practice connects a person with a therapist who can provide a much-needed service. 

The psychologist or psychiatrist might get all the thanks from the clients, but if the administrative professional hadn’t scheduled the appointment, checked the virtual meeting links, sent the text reminders, and hammered out the insurance, that meeting might not have happened in the first place.

Get Creative

Another idea is to create a quick tribute video for your staff members. 30 seconds of just saying how much you appreciate them, much like you’re doing a job reference that focuses on specific aspects of the person’s job, can make everyone feel special.

And if it’s posted online somewhere, expect them to share it with their family and friends. Because they’re quick, they can be spread out over the year, each employee getting their turn. It might even be fun to see who gets their next video. Because of the shareability, and the chance to re-watch it when feeling down, this might matter more than an employee of the month parking spot. 

If you have a virtual assistant, there may not be a parking spot to give, so a video tribute could help encourage them to keep logging on during difficult days. 

Be Intentional

Another option is to pay attention to birthdays and get the whole staff to sign a card adding specific praise for the birthday girl or boy. Letting the staff know this plan ahead of time and asking them to keep track of their birthday wish throughout the year can also help your people be more grateful because they’re looking for positive interactions. It’s almost like you’re teaching giving them a quiz at some random point in the school year. Knowing there will be a “test” can encourage them to avoid taking each other for granted.

Be Specific

A key to making this year-round recognition work is to avoid being too general. Each one should have one specific aspect to it. “Thank you for doing the thing in the place with the people” isn’t going to have the same impact as “Thank you for figuring out Mrs. Kim’s insurance problem before she got charged twice.”

Be selective

Another consideration is to avoid doing it too often. When something big happens, make sure that the praise is quick, but if it’s just reminding the person and the office that every job matters, space it out and make it random. Expecting you to have “Good Job Tuesday” isn’t going to keep morale up for long. But after a while, if you realize that no one has pointed out that Kathryn makes out-of-this-world coffee every morning, take a moment to do it.

Be encouraging

The internet has many ways of saying thank you to the people who help keep things running smoothly, but you know the people you work with. They’re an important part of the team, and something about them makes the office a good place to be. You know what would work best for your group. But a little praise can go a long way.

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