Do You Support Your Support Staff?

On the day when we honor administrative and support staff you might want to do more for your admins than get them a potted plant.  A new survey of more than  4,400 administrative professionals and 500 managers found that:

• Half of the managers say their admins help their companies reduce spending.
• One-third of the manager say their administrative professionals help them with technology.
• More than half of of the admins have managed volunteer and fundraising activities in the workplace.  

The study from OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals states that in today's economy, administrative professionals are doing more work and more varied work.

It also found that more than 80 percent, when offered, take courses to improve their professional skills.

To summarize, you have people who are doing more work in an organization and are taking advantage of opportunities to improve themselves by taking courses in things like accounting, budgeting, and purchasing.  So why does this survey concern me?

Because 51% of the admins say their employer does not offer them any leadership training, even though 96 percent of the staff say they would take it, were it offered.

Are companies missing out on developing great talent because they've pigeon holed employees into a limited role? Performance on the job should be recognized and nurtured.  If you have someone who understands your work culture, accepts new challenges, and improves their skills, then should they not be given the chance to grow their careers vertically in your organization?