Administrative Professionals Day Canada, also called Admin Day or secretary day is a day observed yearly in Canada and usually falls on the Wednesday of the last full week of April.
Administrative Professional Day recognizes the work of secretaries, admin assistants, executive assistants, personal assistants, receptionists, customer service representatives, and other administrative support professionals in Canada.
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History of Administrative Professionals Day
During the WWII, there was shortage of skilled administrative personnel in the U.S. due to Depression-era-birth-rate decline and booming post-war business.
In 1942, the National Secretaries Association was formed to recognize the contributions of administrative workers to the economy, support their personal development, and to help attract workers to the admin field.
The main people that created secretary day were Mary Barrett, C. King Woodbridge, Harry F. Klemfuss, and Daren Ball.
In 1981, the name of the National Secretaries Association was changed to Professional Secretaries International and in 1998, changed to the International Association of Administrative Professionals.
The official time of celebration was first proclaimed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Charles W. Sawyer as The National Secretaries Week which was held on June 1-7 in 1952 with Wednesday, June 4 assigned as National Secretaries’ Day.
The National Secretaries Association with the support of corporate groups sponsored the first Secretary day and in1955, the observance date of National Secretaries Week was moved to the last full week of April, with Wednesday now chosen as Administrative Professional Day.
In 1981, Administrative Professional Day was changed to Professional Sectaries Week and in 2000, was changed to Administrative Professional Week to encompass the expanding responsibilities and wide-ranging job titles of administrative support staff in the modern economy.
Tips to Make Administrative Professionals Day Special
According to the latest Canadian census, there are over 1.8 million office and administrative professionals working in Canada. They have diverse roles and can go beyond their regular duties.
These administrative professionals provide real benefits to the people they support and the organization at large. Given the role most administrative staff are playing in supporting their teams in today’s challenging business environment, they deserve to be appreciated.
If you have team members that you would like to honor? Or have employees that work remotely that you’d like to appreciate? Know that there are different ways to celebrate them and different gift to give them to celebrate this day.
If you want to honor your admin staff, you can go through the traditional way of gifting like sending an electronic card or better still, use unique ways like:
1. Write and send a thank you email
Let your secretary or admin staff that you know how their work has helped you or the department. Share praises from happy clients, celebrate achievements, and recognize your staff publicly by acknowledging their contributions with peers.
These verbal commendations followed by a thank you note will go a long way and will remind them of how much they are appreciated.
2. Give them time to rest and relax
Admin professionals work hard and at times can be difficult to find time to relax. So, give them some flexibility to log off early to rest and if extra time isn’t feasible, consider a gift card so they can treat themselves to something they enjoy.
3. Offer them new opportunities
Show your admin team members that you are invested in their future by offering new professional challenges and opportunities. And if they are interested, ask them to oversee a project or encourage them to try and consider joining a mentorship program.
An act like this will show that you value their contributions and career growth and have confidence in their skills and abilities.
4. Offer professional development
Offer reimbursement for professional conferences, company memberships, or courses. Admin workers are eager to learn and expand their skills, and they need to stay abreast of the best practices and latest technologies.
When you encourage administrative staff to grow in their careers, the result benefits the entire team.
5. Get unique gifts for them
Administrative professionals will be happy to accept your electric card but don’t you think buying a unique gift will make them even happier? Of course, it will. Getting gifts like a pen holder, a notebook, photo frame, gift basket, etc will make them feel loved and appreciated.
So, where can you find these gifts?
There are so many gift stores in Canada to get gift items for your secretary or members of your administrative team. But I’ll recommend online gift stores as you can easily sit in your office or home and buy and send gifts to your admin staff.
Online Gift Sites to Get Administrative Professionals Day Gifts in Canada
1. My Baskets Canada
My Baskets Canada offers unique gift baskets for any event or occasion in Canada. Getting gift baskets for your admin professionals is a perfect idea and MyBaskets.ca has a great selection of gifts to choose from.
With their beautiful aesthetic appeal and a treasure trove of gourmet delicacies, like chocolates, candies, and sweets, savory treats, and others to choose from, you are sure to find the right gift set to please any taste.
A gift basket is a lovely surprise for one person, not to talk of a larger, generous gift basket which is the best way to spread the sense of true appreciation among your admin staff.
Showing your appreciation with the right gift basket on Administrative Professionals Day is a way of giving back and ensuring hardworking employees feel appreciated.
The following are some of the best-selling Administrative Professional Day gift baskets on MyBaskets.ca.
1. Gourmet Heavenly Sweet Basket
2. Sweet Side
3. Healthy Favorites Gift Basket
5. Godiva Chocolate Basket Large
2. Etsy Canada
Etsy Canada is one of the largest online stores to get unique secretary day gifts in Canada. They are known for their custom made, handcrafted, and unique products and with a wide selection available, you are sure to find the perfect admin gift.
Here are some of the highly-rated Administrative Professional Day gifts on Etsy Canada.
1. Customized Administrative Professional Gift
2. Secretary Gift – Printable Quote
3. Administrative Assistant Coffee Mug
4. Stainless Steel Charm Keychain for Secretary
5. Printable THANK YOU Candy Bar Wrappers
3. Amazon Canada
Find the right Administrative Professional Day gift on Amazon Canada. This large eCommerce store has all that you are looking for from books, mugs, water bottles, and much more.
Here are some of the highly-rated Administrative Professional Day Gifts on Amazon Canada.
2. Admin Life – A Snarky Coloring Book for Adults
3. Water Bottle
5. 2020-2024 Five Year Planner- 5 Year Monthly Planner For To-Do List Journal Notebook
4. Hazelton’s
Celebrate Secretary’s Day with Hazelton’s wide range collection of Secretary Day gift baskets, which are sure to make your administrative professionals feel valued and appreciated.
For over 30 years, Hazelton’s and its designers have been designing and delivering unique gift baskets in Canada, and today, they are one of the best sites to get luxury gift baskets in Canada.
Here are some of the Administrative Professional Gift Baskets on Hazelton’s
1. Wine and Baked Treats Gift Basket
2. The Perfect Present Gift Set
3. Gourmet Grandeur Gift Basket
4. TeaTime with Treats Gift Basket
5. Classy Snacking Gift Basket
5. Gift Blooms
Gift Blooms is a gift site with unique gifts for any occasion including Administrative Professional day gifts. Find corporate gifts like flowers, chocolates, balloons, cakes, gift baskets, and much more on this site.
Some of the Administrative Professional Day gifts on gift blooms are:
1. Grand Assortment Gift Basket
5. Cream of the Crop Fruit Gift Basket
Conclusion
Celebrate Administrative Professionals Day Canada and show administrative assistants, secretaries, executive secretaries, receptionists, and customer service representatives respect they deserve.
This special corporate holiday, allows companies, bosses and coworkers to send gifts to their administrative staff.
Recognize the hard work your admin staff put in your company daily all year long and say Thanks to administrative professionals in your office by giving them unique gifts, sending them a Thank you Message, give them free time to relax, and offer them opportunities to grow.
