Administrative Professionals Are Getting More Respect

Administrative professionals are gaining new influence in the workplace, according to a survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

The survey — of both senior managers and support staff – found that support staff are more valued now by their companies than they were ten years ago.

This isn’t surprising, since today’s offices run “lean” and support staff can be the people that hold the whole operation together.

Managers and support staff disagreed on the most important skill for success in the administrative profession.

While “time management” was the leading choice for managers, “organizational abilities” were more highly valued by administrative professionals.

However, both groups agreed that “flexibility” is the most valuable attribute to have on the job. This ranked more highly than “a positive attitude”, “initiative” and “diplomacy.”

Having good support staff has always been a necessary component of organizational success, but for many years administrative professionals received less recognition than professionals in other disciplines, like marketing or engineering.

This seems to be changing. Will this renewed respect attract more talented people to the field?