THIRTY-FIVE employees in the Ministry of Health on Tuesday received prizes as the institution celebrated Administrative Professionals Week 2008, under the theme ‘Forward Moving’.

The ceremony to honour the administrative professionals, in the ministry boardroom, was in recognition of their efforts in various departments with the daily grind of paper work.

 ‘FLOWERS OF APPRECIATION’: The Ministry of Health Administrative Professionals after receiving their prizes at the appreciation ceremony on Tuesday. (Photo by Carl Croker)

Ministry Permanent Secretary, Mr. Hydar Ally, delivering the feature address, exhorted the secretaries to use the occasion for self introspection and further enhance their skills.

He encouraged them to reflect on their roles in the ministry and make maximum use of the resources available to project its image.

Ally also pointed to the need for induction programmes to help develop staff efficiency.

Director of Standards, Ms. Yvette Irving, in her remarks, said the function has become one of the largest workplace observances.

“The event is celebrated worldwide, bringing together millions of people for community events, social gatherings and individual corporate activities, recognising support staff with gifts of appreciation,” she stated.

According to Irving, there has been an evolution of duties which the administrative professionals are expected to perform.

“They hold a broader range of responsibilities today than ever before. While the administrative assistant has always coordinated information and communication in the office, today’s assistant often serves at a much higher level,” she asserted.

Irving contended that technological transformation has empowered administrative professionals with time-saving systems and tools to process information and create a wide range of both electronic and print communications.

In addition, she acknowledged the role of administrative professionals in the effective running of any organisation and emphasised that executives appreciate their management skills, as they are required to do more than just file, answer telephones, take messages and, sometimes, make coffee.

“Administrative Professionals are, sometimes, the only persons or the first persons with whom the public may deal. They are an important part of the corporate image. They are thus expected to portray an image of quality and professionalism, ensuring that the public is well served and satisfied with the service given,” Irving explained.

Administrative Professionals Week has been observed from April 20 to 26, since 1952, through the work of Harry F. Klemfuss of the company Young & Rubicam, in conjunction with the National Secretaries Association, now known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

The goal of Klemfuss was to encourage more people to consider careers in the secretarial/administrative support field.

Using his skill and experience in public relations, he promoted the values and importance of the job of administrative assistants.

The official period of appreciation/celebration was first proclaimed by United States Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer as ‘National Secretaries Week’, June 1 to 7, 1952, with Wednesday, June 4, 1952, designated National Secretaries Day.

The first Secretaries’ Day was marked that year by the National Secretaries Association (now the IAAP), with the support of an association of corporate groups.

In 1955, the observance date of National Secretaries Week was moved to the last full week of April and the name change, to Professional Secretaries Week, was done in 1981 and became Administrative Professionals Week in 2000, to encompass the expanding responsibilities and wide-ranging job titles of administrative support staff.