Administrative Professionals Day
(also known as Secretaries Day or Admin Day) is a day observed yearly in a
small number of countries. It is not a public holiday in any of them. In some
countries, it falls within Administrative Professionals Week (the last full
week of April in the United States).
The day recognizes the work of
secretaries, administrative assistants, executive assistants, personal
assistants, receptionists, client services representatives, and other
administrative support professionals. Typically administrative professionals
are given cards, flowers, chocolates, and lunches.
History
During World War II, there was a
shortage of skilled administrative personnel in the United States due to
Depression-era birth-rate decline and booming post-war business. The National
Secretaries Association, founded in 1942, was formed to recognize the
contributions of administrative personnel to the economy, support their
personal development, and to help attract workers to the administrative field.
The National Secretaries
Association's name was changed to Professional Secretaries International in
1981 and to the International Association of Administrative Professionals
(IAAP) in 1998. Administrative Professionals Day is a registered trademark with
registration number 2475334 (serial number 75/898930). The registrant is IAAP.
The official period of celebration
was first proclaimed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce as "National
Secretaries Week", which was held in 1952 with Wednesday, June 4
designated as National Secretaries' Day. The first Secretaries' Day was
sponsored by the National Secretaries Association with the support of corporate
groups.
In 1955, the observance date of National Secretaries Week was moved to the last full week of April, with Wednesday now designated as Administrative Professionals Day. The name was changed to Professional Secretaries Week in 1981 and became Administrative Professionals Week in 2000 to encompass the expanding responsibilities and wide-ranging job titles of administrative support staff in the modern economy. The week-long observance was created in order to space out the bookings at restaurants, country clubs, and other places where administrative professionals would be taken out to lunch.