Support staff often go unsung

A lack of recognition can stop admin workers progressing up the corporate ladder. Photo / Thinkstock

They used to be called secretaries, but their job titles have been changed to encompass everything from the entry-level office admin job through to the CEO's personal assistant.

No matter what the title though, the core function of people working in this arena is administration in all its forms. From ordering the stationery to booking international travel for company executives and - according to one survey - darning the bosses' trousers.

Despite everything this army of administrators handle, their value is often not recognised by managers.

Ethelwyn Lloyd, who carried out a survey of administrative professionals as part of her studies at Victoria University last year, said there was a lack of recognition by some employers that effectively stopped people from moving up the corporate ladder.

She said there was also evidence it had prevented people changing careers - even though their skills could range from typing to managing large events and handling people across all levels of an organisation.

"The lack of recognition of these core transferable skills was described as an issue with recruitment agencies who categorise administrative professionals as belonging to a specific industry," said Lloyd in her report.

"There does not appear to be recognition that industry, organisation or department-specific knowledge is a routine process of informal learning on the job.

"This lack of recognition may be perceived as a rejection not only of their experience but also of themselves. This perception of rejection of self may contribute to a lack of value of self, skills and role for an administrative professional."

Despite this, 60 per cent of the 193 people who responded to Lloyd's survey believed there was a career pathway for them.

According to Stats NZ, that pathway is long and wide. Its employment classification of clerical-administrative workers in New Zealand lists more than 240,000 people as working in this field, with 80 per cent being women.

Hope Millar, an associate director at recruitment firm Parker Bridge in Wellington, said many employers did not always appreciate the work admin staff did until they left and the replacement was unable to operate at the expected standard.

"Administrators are the backbone of firms and act as the hub for any team," said Millar.

"They are there to provide support to a team or organisation so the other people can focus on their core roles and deliverables of the organisation.

"The role of an administrator covers a wide range of jobs from the entry-level office job right through to personal assistant - they can wear so many different hats."

According to Millar, the market was wide open for admin staff, but she said there was a shortage of "good people" available.

"There are a lot of administrators out there, but finding a really good one is still hard," she said. "There is a big demand for them."

That demand appears to be growing as Millar has seen a flurry of new admin jobs being created during recent months. Although she was not sure what was behind the trend, it appears to be a career that is recession-proof.

"Even throughout the recession, teams still needed people to support them and I don't think it has really changed that much, although there are more temporary roles than before," she said.

Millar said the best administrators could provide a high level of service, understand they were at work to help others and were good problem solvers.

"They are people who really own a problem and sticks with it until a solution is found, so people wanting a career as an administrator need to be solutions focused. They also need a high level of initiative and have strong communication skills."

Millar said a popular misconception was that administrators were at the bottom of the employment rung.

"This couldn't be more wrong," she said.

* Steve Hart is a freelance writer at www.stevehart.co.nz.