ADMINISTRATIVE Assistants play a critical role in ensuring the efficient functioning of every organisation. While the number of employees performing this vital function has been reduced in some organisations, the support provided by Administrative Assistants is still essential, and it would be difficult to replace all Administrative Assistants, since they are value-added assets to every organisation.
The term Administrative Assistant can sometimes be used interchangeably with other terms that represent the same function, such as Confidential Secretary, Executive Assistant, or Personal Assistant to the Manager. It should be noted, however, that the position of an Administrator is different from that of an Administrative Assistant, as the Administrator is similar to that of a Manager or Leader.
The position of Administrative Assistant is not gender-biased. However, for many years, there has been a greater number of female employees occupying this position. Whether a male or female is occupying this position, the most important thing is that they are expected to perform the role effectively.

Administrative Assistant’s Responsibilities
When organisations employ Administrative Assistants, they provide them with a job description. Most of the responsibilities of Administrative Assistants are included in this section.
Administrative Assistants are expected to be good planners. They will have to plan their work so that they are able to meet and surpass the timelines that are allocated to them.
Leaders may be extremely busy and have many meetings to attend. On many occasions, Administrative Assistants will have to coordinate internal and external meetings for their leaders. They will have to attend the meetings and take notes that will be included as part of the minutes. Once the minutes are completed and approved by the leaders, the Administrative Assistant will generate an action sheet. Both the minutes and the action sheet will be submitted to those who are eligible to receive them. A mailing list is often maintained by Administrative Assistants who are responsible for sharing the minutes and action sheets.
Answering the telephone may be second nature for some Administrative Assistants. Many of them are very polite and helpful to the person on the other end of the line.
Not everyone likes to file documents. However, this is something that Administrative Assistants perform on a routine basis. Because they file documents in a professional manner, it is often easy for them to locate and retrieve important documents. Many leaders depend on their Administrative Assistants to help them retrieve correspondence that was filed.
Ensuring that the leader’s office is clean is something that many Administrative Assistants help to coordinate, sometimes by working with the janitor. Leaders are often more comfortable working in a clean environment. Ensuring that the leader receives stationery is another responsibility that many Administrative Assistants carry out.

Core Competencies of Administrative Assistants
Persons who desire to become Administrative Assistants must possess some core competencies. When leaders recognise that their Administrative Assistants possess many of these core competencies, they tend to trust them more and may also utilise their skill set in other areas.
Accurate reports, letters, memoranda, etc., are some documents leaders expect their Administrative Assistants to produce. Leaders often have many tasks to complete, so they hope to be able to read a document and approve it immediately.
Administrative Assistants must develop listening skills. It may take time for some to develop these skills, but leaders like to share their views with those who will listen. Administrative Assistants must also demonstrate that they are critical thinkers. They must look for ways to improve their work and that of the organisation.
Administrative Assistants are expected to be able to type rapidly. While they learn to type speedily, they must also type accurately.

Employer’s Responsibilities
Employers have the responsibility to make sure the work and offices of the Administrative Assistants are given much respect. The office space must be suitable for Administrative Assistants to work in. There will be the need to provide adequate office equipment and furnishing.
Servers and backup power supply are important for organisations, as the work done by Administrative Assistants must be saved and easy to retrieve when the need arises. If there are regular power outages, it will affect the Administrative Assistants’ work.

Some organisations do annual performance appraisals for their employees. When leaders assess their Administrative Assistants, they must ensure that their contributions to the department and the organisation are adequately reflected in the scores allocated to them. If the need arises for Administrative Assistants to undergo training, leaders must collaborate with the Human Capital Department to support them in this area. The employer must plan developmental programmes, and some of these programmes must also benefit Administrative Assistants.
Every organisation should celebrate the importance of its Administrative Assistants, as these employees work very hard for the organisation. Administrative Professionals Week is recognised every year, and leaders must include money in the budget to celebrate these personnel. Many Administrative Assistants work with the same organisation for a long duration. Therefore, their long service must be acknowledged and celebrated. Treat Administrative Assistants very well and they will help the organisation to surpass its previous performance.
In the month of April every year, one week is set aside as Administrative Professionals Week to recognise the importance of these employees. Since one week is set aside for this category of employee, this shows how important they are to every leader and, by extension, to the organisation. Many leaders are often delighted to celebrate this week with their Administrative Assistants, and many Administrative Assistants look forward to this week because they will be celebrated for their continued dedication.
This week does not imply that Administrative Assistants are on vacation or that it is a restful week for them. Some Administrative Assistants hope that during this week, they will have less work to do, but sometimes it turns out to be the opposite.
In the organisation’s annual budget, Human Capital Department heads will often allocate money for Administrative Assistants Week. The money will be spent to acknowledge the contributions of the organisation’s Administrative Assistants.
Some organisations may provide Administrative Assistants with a fixed amount of monetary contribution or purchase gifts for them. Some leaders will make it their personal responsibility to take their Administrative Assistant to lunch at their expense. Many leaders know how important their Administrative Assistants are to them. It may not be possible to acknowledge their contribution every time, but they must be acknowledged.

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