Happy Secretary day!

You have earned it!

Dear Administrative Professional, Secretary, Travel Booker. Flowers may be coming your way. Or a box of chocolates, a nice pen or just a postcard that says ‘Thanks!’ Why, you ask. The answer: the world celebrates Administrative Professionals’ Day, also known – in some countries – as Secretary Day or Admin Day. Brace yourself for the annual present or hug from your boss. You have earned it!

Administrative Professionals' Day is an unofficial holiday observed in several countries to recognize the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals. Its history goes back as far as 1951. In that year, the first Certified Professional Secretary examination was administered in the US. There were 281 candidates at 15 examination centers. Since the start, the tradition of celebrating Administrative Professionals' Day has spread all over the world.

In most countries, Administrative Professionals' Day is the day to honour the work of the busy bee of the office, the secretary that keeps everything going, including the arranging of business trips for her co-workers and boss. She (male secretaries are rare) may hope to find flowers, chocolates and other tokens of appreciation on her desk.

In some countries, like the US, one day of appreciation is not enough. The National Secretaries Week (now Administrative Professionals Week) was created with 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 favourable publicity, to the tremendous potential of the secretarial career."

So what can you expect on a day like this? Webstores offer a variety of gifts that supposedly would make a secretary happy. In the ‘Fun motivational gifts’ section we spotted games, puzzles, ceramic mugs with happy and funny texts, pens and pen cups, paperweights with inspiring prints covering topics like ‘excellence’, gift books (popular topics: inspiration, respect, achievement), gift clocks, key chains and note cubes.

The items we loved most on our quest for a great gift for our department secretary was a squeezable stress reliever with the text ‘your rock’ printed on it, a talking pen that says ‘thank you’ and the ‘kinetic sculpture’ with the text ‘Determination’.

But think about it. Receiving a small gift on a day like this surely brings across a message similar to ‘thanks for all the good work’. But why not try to show appreciation for your colleague’s work every week?

When is Administrative Professionals’ Day?

• In New Zealand – the third Wednesday of April (April 15 in 2015).
• In France, The Netherlands and other European countries – the third Thursday in April (April 16 in 2015).
• In North America and other parts of the world – the Wednesday of the last full week of April (April 22 in 2015).
• In Australia – the first Friday in May (May 1 in 2015).
• In South Africa – the first Wednesday of September (September 2 in 2015).