It’s probably impossible to imagine your office running smoothly without your administrative professionals. They take care of everything from scheduling meetings to fielding phone calls — and without their help, your office would likely fall into complete and utter chaos in just a few days. That’s why you should take the time to celebrate your office’s admins on Administrative Professionals Day this April 26. They deserve it!

Why employee appreciation matters

Sure, it feels good to have a day dedicated to how good you are at your job. But does recognizing your employees’ hard work offer any other lasting benefits for your company as a whole?

Turns out, it does. Research has found that recognizing and celebrating coworkers makes them:

• Four times more engaged at work
• Five times more connected to their workplace culture
• 73% less likely to feel always or very often burned out
• Five times more likely to see a path to grow in the organization

So if you were looking for another excuse to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day, you’ve found several.

5 ways to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day

If you need some ideas on what to do for your team and your organization, here are five meaningful ways to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day.

1. Order a catered lunch

Your administrative professionals are the rock stars of your org. Give them the full VIP treatment with a fully catered lunch. Usually, your admins are the ones collecting requests, calling in orders and doling out everyone’s meal when it arrives. Turn the tables and give them a well-deserved feast that — for once — they don’t need to arrange.

Wondering what to order? Pay attention to the foods that your admins usually eat. What are their favorite restaurants? What do they typically order or bring from home? With this strategy, you’ll know exactly what to order for the big day without asking them directly and spoiling the surprise.

Whatever type of food you’re looking for, ezCater can help. We partner with over 100,000 restaurants across the country and make ordering catered meals a cinch. That’s especially important if this is your first time handling lunchtime plans! 

2. Give their desk a decorative makeover

Who doesn’t love a good makeover? Let your administrative professionals know you care by decorating their desks the night before or early in the morning before they arrive at work. Use what you know about their interests and personality, as well as your creativity, to add some flair they’ll never forget. Spruce up their space with:

• Balloons
• Notes and cards from team members
• Meaningful team and organizational photos
• Special awards
• Flowers
• Personalized stationery
• Funny mugs, T-shirts or hats geared toward office admins

3. Give them flowers or plants

It may seem like a bit of a cliche to order flowers on Administrative Professionals Day. After all, isn’t that what you do for every holiday? However, if your admin loves flowers, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with treating them to a gorgeous floral tribute filled with their favorite stems. It’ll brighten their desk and give them pleasant aromas to savor whenever they need a break from the office monotony.

But if you want a living “thank you” that will last longer than a week, we suggest you go the plant variety. Pay attention to plants they currently have on their desk, and listen carefully if they discuss their gardening pursuits. Look out for pictures of their gardens or indoor plants from home, and use that to inspire your plant selections. Here are a few ideas they might love:

• Flowering succulents that take up little desk space
• Seed packets they can spread in their backyard 
• A new pot to house their favorite desk plant that’s outgrown its current planter

4. Host a happy hour

Your office admins should feel like royalty on Administrative Professionals Day, and what better way to serve your monarch than by throwing them a royal bash? Hosting a happy hour lets everyone kick back and relax, especially if your company is picking up the tab.

Choose a local bar and reserve a table or room for your employees to come and cheers your hard-working admins. To keep the budget lower, you can even host your happy hour in a conference room at the office — just ask your employees to each bring in a bottle or mixer to get the party started. Your homemade drinks would also pair great with some catered appetizers from local restaurants.

Just keep in mind — not everyone drinks these days! Make sure your happy hour is inclusive with non-alcoholic drink options. Plus, April 26 is a Wednesday this year. Even though it’s Hump Day celebrations, many may choose to go light on the imbibing since there are still two days of the work week left. 

5. Support their desire to learn something new

Learning new skills is part of the fun of life. Chances are, there’s something your admin professionals have been dying to dig into. Perhaps they’d like to strengthen their professional skills so they can get a promotion. Or maybe they’d like to work on one of their hobbies, like perfecting their cooking skills or learning to surf.

Give them the opportunity to stretch and grow in whatever way they wish. Offer them a gift certificate or stipend for the course or lesson of their choice. If their ambitions are professionally minded, you might allow them to attend seminars and group events for administrative professionals or help them find associations, organizations and accreditations that support new connections, skills and certifications in their field.

Are you ready to start your office admin celebration?

We hope these ideas for celebrating your invaluable administrative professionals get you moving in the right direction. With kindness, consideration and thoughtful planning, you can give your administrative professionals a day they’ll never forget!

Get started on your event planning by browsing restaurants on ezCater. We’ll take care of the hard work for you so you and your party committee can focus on the gifts and activities!