The World Administrators Alliance launched a campaign in 2022 to increase awareness of the administrative profession as a conscious career choice.

The campaign aims to elevate the perception of the role to obtain the acknowledgement it deserves and enhance the value and relevance that the role brings to the bottom line of businesses and organisations.

Why Now?

At the 2021 WA-Summit, a discussion group on “The Future of the Profession” produced a paper recommending actions for the WA-Alliance to create an awareness campaign.

The Career Behind the Job aims to raise that conversation and to influence the positioning and the evolution of the profession by creating a realistic understanding of the unique role of the administrative professional.

We aspire to:

• Elevate the perception of the role to obtain the acknowledgement it deserves
• Promote the profession as a career of choice
• Inspire the younger generation to understand the lifelong personal and professional growth the role gives
• Influence stakeholders such as HR, executives, recruiters and trainers to understand the diversity, scope, value and impact of this unique role
• Encourage associations to take collective responsibility for a proactive and long-term approach to positively influencing perceptions of this career

The World Administrators Summit surveyed over 3,000 administrative professionals from 61 countries and revealed some startling statistics about the profession. With more than 160 different job titles, it’s no wonder that there is confusion and misunderstanding about the role. Over 70% of people surveyed felt their organisation didn’t understand the role or the potential impact of using their skills and talents properly.

This discussion has been going on for many years. Assistants are crying out for recognition for what they do. This cannot simply be once a year during Administrative Professionals Week, where managers can pat each other on the back for remembering to send flowers to their Assistant. Each country is different, and the culture of the country has an enormous impact on how the role of administrative professionals is viewed. Sadly, in some countries, the stereotype still prevails. Often, those working in the profession are seen as a ‘dogsbody’, expected to sit behind a desk, waiting to be given a task by a manager, not expected to take the initiative or be proactive. It’s an uphill struggle, and if that’s going to change, then it’s the people doing the job who must effect that change. But how do you bring about a culture shift? Well, very slowly it seems. But we all have a part to play.

United We Stand

A first step to gaining recognition is to stick together. If you don’t have an Assistant network in your company, now is the time to create one. Get together with the other administrative professionals in your department and talk about the benefits of forming an in-company network. Cathy Harris shows in her book The Executive Secretary Guide to Creating an Internal Assistant Network how to do this and the value that it can bring. Show your company that you are serious about your profession and that you want to make a positive contribution to the success of your business:

“The creation of internal Assistant networks within organizations is a perceptive, innovative resource tool to improve communication, create standards, provide training and development initiatives and give the Assistant the opportunity to always be ahead of the game.”

Members log in to the Members only Section to access the resources available.

If you have any queries, please contact Christine Stewart, partnership@wa-alliance.com.