The first 'Secretary's Day' was held in 1952, created by
the president of Dictaphone to show appreciation for secretaries
nationwide. There was a shortage of
office assistants at the time and this was a way of getting the word out to
housewives and young ladies that their work was needed and appreciated.
The name has changed over the years, but its main
objective, per the IAAP (International Association of Administrative
Professionals) is to recognize "the secretary, upon whose skills, loyalty,
and efficiency the functions of business and government offices depend,"
Since 1952, assistants were given a day of recognition ,
but as of 2000, administrative assistants were given an entire week of
recognition, the last full week in April.
The spin on it was that the admins were so awesome they deserved an
entire week of celebration. Our take on
it is that bosses, left to their own devices, could not figure out how to do something
like order flowers for their assistants.
So to help these bosses save face, they were given an entire week to get
this one simple task done. . . (Bosses
would never admit to this but you gotta admit, it makes sense!)
