International Secretary's Day or more officially, Administrative Professionals Day began to be celebrated in the United States in 1952, thanks to the efforts of New York publicist Harry F. Klemfuss).
Traditionally, this day takes place as part of Administrative Professionals Week, which has also become traditional in the United States. The holiday is celebrated annually on the Wednesday of the last full week of April.
In 1952, «administrative week» fell in the first week of June and was called National Secretaries Week, and Wednesday of that week was named National Secretaries Day. The new professional holiday was sponsored by the National Secretaries Association with the support of some corporations.
In 1955, National Secretaries Week was moved to the last week of April. In 1981, the name of the Week was changed to Professional Secretaries Week, and in 2000, — to Professional Administrative Workers Week.
Currently, — administrative workers are not only secretaries (Photo: UnaPhoto, licensed by Shutterstock.com)
Now this holiday is celebrated not only by secretaries, but also by all those on whom the work of the office depends — these are assistant directors, office managers, assistants, assistants, speech writers, stenographers, as well as office work specialists who assist presidents and heads of companies and enterprises.
By the way, according to some estimates, this profession is one of the five most in demand in the world. Currently, — administrative workers are not only secretaries whose responsibilities include only receiving phone calls and planning the chief’s work schedule, they are highly qualified and experienced specialists on whom the success of the business largely depends.
Interestingly, Professional Administrative Workers Week (APW) is a registered trademark owned by the International Association of Administrative Professionals.
Some countries celebrate National Secretaries' Days (Photo: Anyka, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
On their own professional holiday, all secretaries and personal assistants receive congratulations, memorable gifts and even bonuses from their managers. In addition, in a number of companies there is a tradition of organizing banquets and buffets in honor of secretaries, and bosses try to burden their subordinates as little as possible on this day.
Some countries celebrate National Secretaries' Days: Australia — on the first Friday of May; Pakistan — on the third Wednesday of April; Zimbabwe — on the first Wednesday of September. In Russia, Secretary's Day is celebrated on the third Friday of September.