Administrative professional recognized
Once narrowly-defined day of recognition now includes a spectrum of employees
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Rita McCrea came to Yellowknife for three years in 1990 and now has been working as a comptroller at Ron's Auto Service for 25.
Rita McCrea has worked at Ron's Auto for 25 years and plant to retire once she finds someone to take the administrative reins. - Meagan Leonard/NNSL photo |
Training as an accountant, she says she did not think this was the path her life would take, but the company feels like family now.
Although she does not consider herself an administrative assistant, she is still one of many who will be recognized today for Administrative Professionals Day - part of an event started in 1952 by Harry Klemfuss.
At the time, Klemfuss decided he wanted to recognize the important role secretaries played at his company. Through the creation of National Secretaries Week his goal was to encourage more women to enter the office work force.
Klemfuss' holiday is still celebrated each April but now covers a broad spectrum of positions. Now called Administrative Professionals day, appreciation has expanded beyond secretarial duties to include many others who work behind the scenes to make sure offices run smoothly.
McCrea said if a phone rings, it is not a designated persons job to answer it - it's about working together.
"Our accounts receivable girl answers phones, our accounts payable girl also answers phones and I answer phones," she said. "If a letter needs to be written, then I'll write it - so it's not technically that we have that position."
Because of this, she said she somewhat takes issue with the day's title, saying she feels her duties in accounting, human resources and hiring don't necessarily fall under the designation.
"An administrative assistant to me is a secretary - she'll organize your travel, she'll organize your meetings, she'll maybe take minutes, she'll write your letters and do your filing," said McCrea. "I'm not that person."
Nevertheless, she said, it's nice to be recognized for the work she and the other staff do on a daily basis. While she is now approaching retirement, McCrea says she's not in any hurry to wrap up her days at Ron's.
"I was hoping to be done by 60 ... but I don't know that I'm going to make that deadline," she said. "Because (Ron's is) family, if my position isn't filled I can't walk away."
