Just how important is Administrative Professionals Week? According to the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), Administrative Professionals Week “is one of the largest workplace observances outside of employee birthdays and major holidays.” Wow! Sounds important, all right. Let’s learn all we can about it.

The first National Secretaries Week was proclaimed in 1952, by Secretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer. President Truman gave him a box of chocolates and a store-bought card. “To a Swell Secretary of Commerce,” it reads. “In war and peace / Through bad times and good / You’ve been there for me / Like a secretary should. / And thanks loads for helping me try / To nationalize the steel industry.” The card is now housed in the Smithsonian.

In 1981, the word ‘National’ was dropped from National Secretaries Week, to reflect the growing awareness that not all secretaries are citizens of the United States, and it was renamed Professional Secretaries Week.

In 2000, the word ‘Secretaries’ was dropped from Professional Secretaries week, to reflect the growing awareness that not all administrative professionals are secretaries, and it was renamed Administrative Professionals Week.

In 2018, Administrative Professionals Week will be renamed Everybody Week, to reflect the growing awareness that not all persons are administrative professionals. But for now, it’s still Administrative Professionals Week.

What is an appropriate gift for Administrative Professionals Week? 1800flowers.com suggests their Chocolate-Covered Strawberries Gift Box, which will set you back about thirty dollars. But they would suggest something like that, wouldn’t they? According to the IAAP “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Administrative Professionals Week,” a more appropriate gift would be college tuition.

Please join me in wishing the administrative professionals a happy week.