Celebrate Administrative Professionals Day with swag

Administrative Professionals Day is coming up. And maybe it’s cliche to say, but we love our office admin. Without our secretary, Jan, the whole office would probably burst into flames. So National Administrative Professionals Day is the perfect time to celebrate all that Jan does to hold our office together.

For example, a few months ago our printer spontaneously broke and we weren’t able to print any of the important documents that we needed in order to do our jobs. Well, Jan of course had a plan. Which is why we always call her Jan with a plan. Jan singlehandedly whipped out her IT skills and got the printer up and running in just a few minutes – after hours of our IT guy trying to fix it with no luck. 

So, of course, we want to do something special for Jan on this holiday. Now you might be wondering, what is Administrative Professionals Day? Not to be confused with secretary appreciation day, National Administrative Professionals Day is a chance for everyone to show appreciation to the administrators that are so crucial to keeping our organizations up and running smoothly. 

Administrators and secretaries like Jan deserve some acknowledgment and appreciation for all of the hard work that they do. Here’s what we did for Jan on Administrative Professionals Day and a few more ideas to inspire you on how to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day…

Whether you’re getting ready for Administrative Professionals Day 2023, or you’re planning ahead for Administrative Professionals Day 2024, we’ve got you covered on administrative professionals day ideas that’ll wow your office admin.

In our office, we really wanted to go above and above for our beloved admin. Obviously, we were going to splurge on a nice gift for Jan to show our appreciation on the holiday, but with all that she’s done for us, we knew that she deserved more than just a gift. 

So we began brainstorming and decided that a surprise party was the perfect way to show our appreciation. We set up a Google spreadsheet just for the staff to put together ideas for the party. We had to get creative since she’s the one that usually plans these parties. 

One problem. She found out. Yes, Jan found out about the surprise. Of course, she did. She’s smart, astute, and always on top of things. Also - which is something we never thought about - she has Super Admin access in Google. So she could see every document in the suite. Including ‘Jan’s Amazing Awesome Admin Appreciation Day Xtravaganza Plans!’ (We weren’t subtle with the title.) 

But Jan did a very cool, clever, almost Machiavellian thing. When she did find out, whenever that was, she didn’t out us right away, or come to one or two of us to reveal that she knew. 

Before we get on with the story, let’s tackle some FAQs about Admin Professionals Day?

Why do we celebrate Administrative Professionals Day? Administrative Professionals Day is an opportunity to show company-wide appreciation for the administration team crucial to an organization's everyday operation. 

When is Administrative Professionals Day? Administrative Professionals Day takes place on the Wednesday of the last full week of April each year. 

Administrative Professionals Day gifts are a great way to show appreciation for administrators on this holiday – because Christmas gifts for administrative assistants just aren’t enough to compensate for all of the hard work that they do. 

From last minute administrative professionals day gifts to personalized gifts for administrative professionals day, we have tons of ideas for some of the best administrative gifts. And we probably should’ve just stuck to gifts for Administrative Professionals Day, because Jan happened to have a little trick up her sleeve for the surprise party…

She decided to insert an idea into the birthday doc as if one of us had put it there. Of course, we were oblivious to her knowledge, so we just assumed the suggestion was put there by somebody. Turns out, it seemed like a great idea to all of us, so we ran with it. Jan knew what the end result would be, however, and was probably reveling in anticipation. The idea for the surprise party? A group song…

If you’re looking for practical gifts for admin, such as personal assistant tools, we have a few ideas. Tools for executive assistants make a great bonus gift because they’ll make their job easier and help your organization run smoother. 

If you’re looking for the best planner for executive assistants consider getting a customized planner for the admin at your office. You could also invest in an app that’ll help your admin do their job better. Some of the best apps for personal assistants include apps that make scheduling easier or apps that allow admin to organize and administer daily tasks.

Other ideas for administrative gifts include customized:

• Apparel
• Bags
• Travel mugs 
• Blankets
• Headphones
• Technology
• Other customizable items are available through swagmagic.com.

Back to the story of how our admin surprise went for Jan… After the planning was all set, it was now time for the waiting game. Jan was waiting too, for the time when her long prank would come to fruition and she could enjoy the fruits of her gag labors. 

Despite Jan’s conniving trick, her personal assistant skills are unmatched. If you’re wondering how can an executive assistant add value to your office – just take a page out of Jan’s book. Literally. She actually wrote a book on how to be a good executive assistant. Every day she fills out an executive assistant daily checklist with all of her daily tasks. She also has long-term executive assistant goals that help her thrive in her position.

It’s administrators like Jan that are the reason why Administrative Professionals Day is celebrated. She deserves only the best, which is why her surprise party performance was less than ideal…

After the so-called performance, silence came. The only thing that had any harmony to it whatsoever. What followed was a slow, knowing clap from Jan, followed by a giant, solo laugh from her. She didn’t have to say anything. That’s when we all realized, she got us. She knew this would be an utter disaster and we didn’t disappoint. She then explained to us her super admin access (more than a few slaps to the forehead after hearing that) and her seeing the document as soon as we made it. She didn’t mean to, she admitted. She simply got a notification while browsing for party ideas for Administrative Professionals Day. Jan’s so on top of things that she had actually begun planning her own party…