Who is the most important person in an organization?  Most would say it’s the owner, president, or CEO. They might just be wrong.  The most important people in a company are the administrative staff.  Surprised by that answer?  Then it’s safe to say that you’re not in an administrative staff position.

Office administrators are responsible for everything from record keeping and organization to billing, travel planning and logistics.  Administrative staff see each department and element of a company from A to Z.  After many years of being overlooked, administrative and executive assistants should be recognized for their invaluable contributions to business growth and success.  Below are the three reasons why administrative employees are vital to your company. 

They Go Above and Beyond

Although many executives would like to be in full control and do everything on their own, it’s just not possible.  Those who try to control everything may be setting themselves up for failure.  The best executives and managers recognize their limitations and understand that they need help to perform their tasks more effectively and efficiently.

A trustworthy administrative staff understands their supervisor’s specific needs and dedicates themselves to ensuring that each supervisor has the necessary resources, knowledge, and support to face professional challenges, overcome obstacles and achieve a favorable outcome every time.  Having a reliable administrative staff allows their supervisor to better perform their jobs on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis.  When the executives, manager, and supervisors are successful in their goals, it benefits the entire organization and it’s due in large part to the efforts of their administrative personnel.

They Build Connections 

As part of doing their job properly, the administrative staff works more closely with various professionals throughout the organization and they build better connections with other departments.  Through these connections, departments tend to communicate more clearly and frequently, and they also collaborate more effectively.  Instead of viewing each other as competitors, strong interdepartmental bonds are formed with all members united in achieving successful goals.  This would not be realized without the barrier-breaking and bond-building skills of administrative staff. 

Visibility in to cross-departmental work can also give administrative staff key insights into what is and is not working for a company.  It is important for executives to seek out the opinions of these administrative team members.  Often, the best ideas come from employees doing the ground-floor level work across departments.

They Protect the Company 

While assisting executives, administrative staff are privy to an abundance of confidential information, including future company business plans, trade secrets, finances, and client information.  Understanding that this is privileged information, the administrative staff not only uses extreme discretion when discussing these topics, they also ensure that this information is secure at all times to avoid potential problems such as leaks or theft.  By acting as the gatekeepers of this information, they protect the company from a variety of external and internal threats. 

There are many more benefits of administrative staff for companies in all different industries.  As more organizations recognize the importance of these key players and understand their contributions to company success, they are including administrative staff in business discussions and decisions. 

If your organization is looking to add new members to its administrative staff, Elite Personnel can connect you with some of the best candidates! Contact us to learn more about our current administrative assistant candidates.