Happy Secretary's Day!!!

I have been at the same company for almost four years now.... My positions have varied. I have never been an administrative assistant while employed here. However, every year all female employees receive flowers for Secretary's Day, regardless of their position.

Yesterday I was welcomed to my desk by the floral arrangement you see to the left. It is in some type of metallic pot. Somehow this surprises me every year.

The ironic thing is the only true "secretary" or "administrative professional" that works with me was the one in charge of ordering and distributing all of the floral arrangements. She did not get to celebrate her "holiday." She was not able to bask in appreciation for all her hard work.

I don't mean to sound like an angry feminist because it is truly amusing to me. After the initial shock, I was actually excited to be able to blog about this.

Here is a short history of this lovely holiday:
Administrative Professionals (Secretary's) Day
National Professional Secretaries Week and National Secretary's Day was created in 1952 through the work of Harry F. Klemfuss of Young and Rubicam. Klemfuss recognized the importance and value of the position to a company or business. His goal was to encourage more women to become secretaries. Using his skill and experience in public relations, Klemfuss, promoted the values and importance of the job of secretaries. In doing so, he also created the holiday in recognition of the importance of secretaries.
Today, the title is changing and evolving. But, the recognition is equally important. There are two new terms in use today. They are "Administrative Professionals" and "Executive Admins". The two names sometimes mean different roles and responsibilities to different companies. Both are broader terms, that encompass more positions than the original "Secretary" role.
The name change recognizes and acknowledges that the role has changed significantly since 1952, and for the better at that. And in Harry Klemfuss' day, these postions were the realm of women. Today, you find some males in these positions.
From www.holidayinsights.com