Gorgeous Gratitude by George Thomas Florist

One of the most curious things about holidays is their tendency to evolve and change throughout the years. One of the most recent examples is Administrative Professionals’ Week which will take place this year from April 23-27.

The origin of this annual public holiday can be traced back to World War II, when a shortage of skilled administrative personnel in the United States led to the founding of the National Secretaries Association in 1942 to recognize the contributions of administrative personnel and to help attract workers to the administrative field.

In 1981, the National Secretaries Association changed their name to Professional Secretaries International, and then in 1989 to the International Association of Administrative Professionals. As the organization’s name evolved, so did the name of the holiday, which was changed from National Secretaries Week to Professional Secretaries Week in 1981, and then renamed Administrative Professional’s week in 2000 to encompass the wide-ranging job titles and responsibilities of administrative support staff in the modern era.

Today, the holiday services to honor all support staff that keep offices and workplaces running. While many of the intended honorees work “behind the scenes” to contribute to the success of their particular business or organization, the parameters of what qualifies as an “administrative professional” are largely undefined.

Although the roles and titles of administrative assistants can vary quite a bit depending on the industry, they’re typically the employees who wear many hats in order to keep the business up and running. This could be everything from maintenance staff to general laborers to office managers and executive assistants. Their roles are often not as externally visible to customers and shareholders, but it takes diligent work, meticulous organization and careful planning to keep the office environment running smoothly, so these administrative assistants are often the under-looked heroes who play an essential role in the overall success of their organization.

Does it last all week? Is it just one day?? What’s going on???

One of the more unique aspects of Administrative Professionals’ Week is that it actually lasts an entire week instead of just one day. There is, in fact, a single day that is dedicated to the holiday – in the United States and Canada, it is celebrated on the Wednesday of the last full week of April every year.

So how did this one-day holiday morph into a week-long celebration? One of the more popular ways of acknowledging the contributions of Administrative Professionals is to take them out for lunch one day during the week. Therefore, the decision to extend the observance to a full week was made in order to space out the bookings at restaurants and eateries.

Buying lunch for administrative professionals is a terrific way of saying “thank you” to those employees who make your job easier and make you look better, but we know of another outstanding gift idea that is much more beautiful than a free lunch – and will certainly last longer!

Of course, we’re talking about flowers! Flowers make a perfect gift for Administrative Professionals Week and here at George Thomas Florist, we have you covered with a special collection that we have assembled especially for this exciting occasion.

Click here to check out our selection and pick out that special gift for the employees who go above and beyond to keep the workplace running smoothly. If you don’t see exactly what you’d like, please give us a call and we can help you find the perfect gift.

Don’t miss this opportunity to say thanks to the people who work so hard to make your business a success!