The Changing Face of Admin

Tomorrow is Administrative Professionals Day. A day to celebrate admins of all types, from front office managers to assistants, data entry professionals to payroll pros, to bookkeepers and more.

And what better way to celebrate than to see how far we’ve come?

Secretaries No Longer

Think back to 40 or so years ago. Admin professionals weren’t really a thing. Instead, people in this position were known as secretaries. Although they worked hard, long hours, there was a certain notion that these individuals were lower in status than others. The position wasn’t seen as something with any career trajectory.

The term “secretary” still carries connotations of pencil skirts, sharp reading glasses, and a certain word-per-minute typing ability, but today’s admin brings so much more to the table. There are many businesses that can’t function without their admin. Admins keep the lights on (literally, when they come in the morning, and figuratively in all other ways), make coffee (nobody else knows how the machine works), greet clients, set meetings, coordinate between departments, and generally keep the world spinning.

Varied Responsibilities

The admin professionals of today are empowered partners. As technology has improved, so too have the number and variety of possible admin tasks. They fight logistical fires, act as caring diplomats, have budget responsibilities, and serve as meeting planners—a little bit of everything. Admin is a true career option, with positions and titles all the way from admin assistant to senior admin and executive admin.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t also do traditional admin tasks. Executive admins still draft correspondence and handle bookkeeping. Because that’s important work that needs to be done.

Combined Jobs

An admin at one business or department might have a completely different job description than that of another. One might focus heavily on social media, while another may be in charge of special projects. Basically, admins now handle so much more than “admin.” They are true renaissance men and women, focusing on multiple elements of the business. In fact, they are frequently the person who knows the company and clients better than anybody else.

And with that, we salute our admins. They’re more than gatekeepers, more than our soldiers on the front lines. They are our partners, our colleagues, our battle-scarred compatriots. And for that we say thank you.

To celebrate Administrative Professionals Day, Express has made our Faces of Change video available. If you’re an admin, and even if you’re not, learn how to successfully work with the various generations currently in the workplace with this informative video.

Are you an admin? Why do you love it? Let us know in the comments section below.