Mega Raffle: Celebrating Admin Day 2020 Together from Afar
Thank You for Celebrating With Us!
On National Admin Day (April 22, 2020), OfficeNinjas partnered with some of our favorite admin-supporting companies to give away 35+ prizes in a Mega Raffle just for executive assistants, office managers, admin pros, and workplace operators (aka Office Ninjas). See the complete winner’s list here.
Thousands of Ninjas from 49 states celebrated together online, shrinking the physical distance through a variety of entry activities that fostered enthusiastic connection, thoughtful reflection, mutual appreciation, and kind support — and, of course, pure joy and celebration.
Want to instantly improve your day? Read the comments below to see stories shared by admin community members of a time they received unexpected kindness and how they paid it forward.
Admin Day Mega Raffle
If this isn’t your first rodeo, then you know that legendary giveaways are a fun part of our Admin Week celebrations (six years going strong!). But this year’s Admin Day Mega Raffle is a brand new pony.
On Wednesday, April 22 (National Admin Day), we’re raffling off 35+ prizes including luxury eats, self-care wellness packages, and high-tech WFH essentials. While coronavirus threw us for a loop this year, our trusted vendors continued to deliver by contributing indulgent prizes all for YOU. (Not your company; we forbid you to share!)
365 days a year, our mission is to ensure Ninjas have every opportunity to lead a valued and fulfilling professional life. For this Admin Week celebration, we decided to focus on one specific opportunity — the opportunity to experience unapologetic joyful revelry.
So, saddle up and prepare to bask in your glory all week long as we shower you with love, global recognition — and many indulgent prizes.
Mega Raffle Prizes
Our trusted vendor partners dedicatedly serve admins and their workplaces all year round — they wanted to show some love on Admin Week, too! Their generosity and support keeps Mega Raffle entry fun and FREE. Here’s a glimpse of what you can win:
- Luxe Self-Care Gift Set ($70 value): Yuzu Soap’s natural bath and body products are handcrafted in small batches from premium ingredients, making them a self-care necessity.
- WFH Tech Success Kit ($245 value): Moshi, maker of thoughtfully engineered tech accessories, is here to help you upgrade your home office experience.
- Garmin Smartwatch ($250 value): Bevi, our favorite workplace hydration solution, wants to help you prioritize your wellness with countless smart features at your fingertips.
- Nonstick 15-Piece Bakeware Set ($387 value): Williams Sonoma, your go-to source for kitchen essentials, is gifting a lucky Ninja their signature baking set.
View the complete lineup of the 35+ exciting prizes up for grabs!
Schedule Breakdown
Exclusively for the OfficeNinjas community, we’re raffling off 35+ prizes on Admin Day (and throwing in a few bonus giveaways throughout the week!). Thanks to our trusted partners, it’s completely free for Ninjas to enter.
- Mon, April 20 | Mega Raffle Entry Opens
Entry begins at 5am PT and continues throughout the day. - Tue, April 21 | Mega Raffle Entry Continues
We’ll share plenty of new ways to increase your chances to win. - Wed, April 22 | Mega Raffle Final Entry + Drawing
Mega Raffle prizes are awarded in 5 rounds of drawings at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm PT. We’re accepting entries until the last prize is awarded, so don’t miss out! - Thu, April 23 | Second Chance Raffle
Not a Mega Raffle winner? Don’t worry — you can still win. We’re giving away one new prize at 5pm PT, with extra ways to increase your chances. - Fri, April 24 | End of Admin Week Giveaway
We’re commemorating the close of Admin Week with a final Giveaway at 5pm PT. Plus, more ways to increase your chances.
How to Enter
Mega Raffle and Bonus Giveaways!
First things first, OfficeNinjas’ Raffles and Giveaways are only open to executive assistants, office managers, administrative professionals, and workplace operators (aka Office Ninjas) living in the US or Canada. We double and triple check! Follow these three steps to increase your chances of winning:
- Subscribe to OfficeNinjas.
Sign up for updates, and each day of Admin Week, you’ll get an email alert informing you of new entry opportunities for increasing your chances of winning. - Complete the Official Entry Form (and daily bonus entries).
In your first entry, we’ll ask for your basic contact information (name, email, title, etc). Increase your chances of winning by returning to this page daily to complete new and easy entry activities. - Visit our Mega Raffle webpage to see if you’re one of 35+ lucky winners!
On April 22, Mega Raffle prizes will be awarded in 5 rounds of drawings at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm PT. On April 23, our Second Chance Raffle prize will be awarded at 5pm PT. And on April 24, the End of Admin Week Giveaway prize will be awarded at 5pm PT.
Official Entry Form
Use the widget below to submit your entries each day. You must use the same company email address for every entry. And before you’re off to the races — share with the community your answer to this question in the comments section below:
What’s something unexpectedly nice someone (a fellow Ninja, colleague, or manager) has done for you recently? How have you (or plan to) pay it forward?
I was in a major pinch one day with multiple projects and requests. A fellow EA took in the task of ordering lunches for a meeting I had later that day so that I could focus on my other projects. It meant a lot that she was concerned and her taking on that small task meant a lot.
Working remotely definitely has its challenges! I go to the office twice a week now for minimal basic operations that I can’t complete at home. Someone left me my favorite snack on my desk! Yum! Going to pass it forward and do the same for another co-worker and include a note of cheer!
One of my co-worked left me a very welcomed cup of coffee from my favorite shop.
Happy Admins week! We area a great community and I am thrilled to be part of it!
I love having such amazing peers, colleagues, associates, fello Office Ninjas! Thanks are not enough for making this an amazing week. I celebrate each and every one of you.
YAY for NINJAS!!!
Way to go, Ninjas!
Admins ROCK!!
Thank you!
Ladies – who rules the world?
Administrative Professionals do!
Happy Admin week all, you all rockstars!
Thank you, OfficeNinjas!
Happy Administrative Professionals Week Ninja! You are all “AWESOME”!
My team acknowledged me with an internal company program recognition award for all that I do for them. I’m always processing everyone else’s award nominations and it felt really good to be recognized for all that I do.
Happy Admin Week fellow Ninjas!! We Rock!!!
A fellow ninja sent an email to let me know that I inspire her and the she would like to shadow me. That inspired me so much!
One of my VPs wished me a Happy Admin Day and promised she’d take me out to lunch when we get the all-clear. She’s the best. The rest all forgot, but I know I’m special and appreciated :D
This week I was introduced to kudos boards. This was one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve received EVER. So excited to work with a team that can uplift and recognize each other!
My executives sent me a message of appreciation and how they miss me, not only my work, but my energy and smile. It meant a lot that during this quarantine a part of me is with them in spirit. I can’t wait to get back to work!
Happy Admin Week Ninjas! You deserve to be celebrated every week of the year!
Happy Ninja week and thank you for the inspiration!!!
Even during the shutdown my managers circulated a virtual card for admin prof day and presented me with a gift card
Shari’s Berries with a sentimental note attached
Let’s party big time and karate chop like Bruce Lee next year Office Ninjas! 😃
Wishing all of you a happy Admin Week!!
Thank you for a fun filled week! LOVE OfficeNinjas!
Nothing unexpected has happened lately, but my birthday is next week and I know that my Admin Sisters have my back like I have theirs. I am sending one of my Admin Sisters a gift card for her travels to her new job in California in two weeks. I am so grateful to have them in my life.
Thank you for the amazing inspiring stories of the all star winners this week.
Loving all the positive vibes, inspriational stories, and of course the chance to win some truly awe inspiring giveaways through this fantastic group of badness! I am on this page nearly everything throughout the year and there is always something fresh, something to lift your spirits, something to challenge your viewpoint, and something to make you laugh! It’s EVERYTHING!
Thank you for all you do, Ninja Oz’s!
I’m very fortunate to have such a supportive manager who is always so encouraging and provides me with great input, feedback, words of praise and is also very pro-active. I appreciate his sincerity and how he can see that I want to be there to help him shine and as a result, it makes me shine. Thank you Frank Davis for all that you do!
Happy Admin week to all you awesome Ninjas! Miss seeing you this year but hope all are safe and happy!
Thank you Office Ninjas for keeping our celebrations alive and appreciated 🥳🙏🏻
A “thanks” goes a long way! When a colleague or manager reaches out to thank me for the work I’ve been doing it really makes me feel great. It’s important to tell people that you appreciate them especially during this time!
What a wonderful virtual admin week.
Happy Admin Week!!
Happy Admin Week!
Hope everyone had a APW!!!
Happy Administrative Professionals Week! Focusing on the future!
Over the many years I’ve been with my boss he has made and given me several pottery pieces. Wednesday he gave me a beautiful round platter. LOVE every piece. Also received an Amazon gift card from his family. Very generous.
Thank you!
For admin appreciation day, my director sent me an email with extremely kind words of appreciation AND he sent me an Amazon Gift Card. It was very unexpected! With the gift card I purchased some needed crochet needles and some yarn, and I plan to crochet a scarf and hat for him as a thank you gift. I’m also planning to crochet some mask backers to relieve the pain of the bands behind the ears.
My boss sent me a gift card to GrubHub to order myself and my son lunch for my Birthday while we’ve been in the work from home situation. It was a great surprise!
Recently my office mates banded together to help me complete a last minute report. They did not have to help, but we are a team and wanted to make sure that one person wasn’t overwhelmed. It was a nice gesture and solidified even more our team dynamic. I will continue to help others in our school, even if they don’t expect it. My team has taught me that we are all in this together.
It’s been an amazing week. Thank you OfficeNinjas.
Thank you.
True inspirations!
I hope that I am not too late to enter, but thank you for putting on this raffle all week long.
Great stories! Thank you for sharing!
Wishing each of you a wonderful Administrative Professionals Week!
Such inspiring stories. Thanks for sharing.
One of my account managers (works in a different office) randomly sent me a small gift in appreciation for always helping her out. :)
So nice that you had a positive role model
Great week. Lots of inspiring stories.
Wow, what an incredible week!
Happy Administrative Professionals Week!
Recently my boss bought me lunch, for no special anything, just because. It was thoughtful and a very nice surprise. I’ll do the same for a fellow ninja when I get back to working in the office.
Yesterday for Admin Prof Day I received a lovely plant and 2 flower arrangements AND gift cards for Amazon…they really are my day. I plan to pay-it-forward by doing something nice for my admin coworkers
Please be safe and stay healthy. We will get through this soon! Happy Admin Week!
I recently received an unexpected bonus for my help with an acquisition. It was so unexpected and greatly appreciated!! I have used some of for donations & helping others due to the Covid-19 situation.
I received a lovely note of appreciation for still having my door open and being available by phone, zoom or chat during this new era of remote work and social distancing. I plan to send out hand written thank you notes by US mail and set up a few raffles of e-gift cards for our weekly team meeting.
My company has an internal site that allows team members to send e-cards to recognize special occasions, milestones and just plain KUDOS. I received several on Admin Day. and in return sent several out to my fellow Admin partners.
Happy Admin Professional Week!
I think aside from thanking my cohorts, it’s really important to call out their mentorship and ways in which they’ve enriched my career. Often the natural leaders among us do not realize their impact on fellow administrative professionals.
My peer Ninja, Lorraine, works in the same building as I do who has become an amazing mentor and friend over the past few years. We talk about development opportunities and our love for all things Admin! Work is a better place with her in it.
Everyone stay safe!!
I aim to always spread kindness because it shouldn’t be limited to our co-workers and peers – although not an administrative professional, I left a sweet treat and a thank you card in my porch for my UPS delivery driver – the note the next day was “thank you, your words meant a lot”
It is great to follow your passion
No recognition from anyone at my work that Nat’l Admin Day was any other day. I was feeling kind of blue that no one acknowledged this day, and then a thoughtful OfficeNinja sent me a Happy Email. Any One person can brighten someone day.
I’m sorry to hear you weren’t recognized. It’s easy for our managers to be caught up in business priorities and forget our special day. Glad to hear Officeninjas made it a little special for you!
Way to go Nija, up up and away!
Yesterday was really nice. Wasn’t expecting to be recognized because of the pandemic. Arrived back home from going to pick-up lunch because I’m working from home. When my husband and I walked up to the porch, a vase of roses and a box of goodies were waiting for me. Wow!!!! Really blew me away.
I received an email from my supervisor thanking me for my work and assistance. I know my team appreciates me, but it is nice to hear. Later in the day, they surprised me with lunch.
Our admin team received several emails thanking us for our hard work and realizing that we do in fact make their lives easier at work! Or we at least try!
For Admin Professionals Day, my boss conspired with my husband to find out what items I might need to add to my baking collection (I’ve recently taken up baking and decorating cookies). Such a fun, personal gesture! Now, I’m looking forward to baking cookies for my co-workers once we can get together again.
It’s so refreshing to hear that her boss had confidence in her and builds her up through feedback and let’s her make decisions. That’s a great mentor and everyone needs one of those. Kudos!
A generous colleague offered to care for my cat while I am away the next few days attending to a family emergency. To give back, I’m volunteering to deliver groceries to vulnerable populations that cannot leave quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
than k you, I am a career EA and it’s good to hear that others regard this as a career.
Yesterdays AP day, my team organized a come and go salad luncheon and one of my coworkers son painted a really cute portrait of me at my desk.
I had organized a virtual Happy Hour with games. Everyone was so excited to participate and see each other and give updates on their lives – including a baby on the way!
A fellow assistant sent me a card in the mail with a little pampering gift. I plan to make a basket of sunshine for someone having a rough week.
As one of our lunch menu items we have at work is grilled cheese, I longed to have tomato soup to compliment the sandwich, but soup isn’t currently offered. Thinking I could buy soup when I was grocery shopping and bring it to work for my lunch did not end in success. As whenever I went to local grocery stores tomato soup wasn’t to be found. This morning, my coworker suprised me with a gift of classic tomato sipping soup! Yes, I did a happy dance! :) Kindness comes in many forms. Last night I surprised a friend by attending her Zoom Zumba class. Even though I was tired, I wanted to support her and she was thrilled that I surprised her.
During this pandemic, I’ve been helping 12 colleagues across Georgia telework and continue the Georgia Conservancy’s work for a state where people and the environment thrive.
Clients have been very understanding and supportive at this time. I have more time on my hands and can do more projects! The clients are providing more work for me. It is amazing!
One of the teams I support surprised me with a group ecard and it really touched me to be recognized and receive the heartfelt messages they wrote. Will continue to pay it forward with a helpful attitude and service.
My senior leadership sent flowers to my home yesterday since we have all be working at home. I love that they still remembered our special day!
I too would go to the office with my Mom (and my Grandma sometimes in the summer) and started learning how to file and AP/AR. It made me feel important at the time. Grandma and I played a lot of Scrabble as well. Great memories!
I received a couple thank you emails/slack messages and even a couple gift cards. It is great to feel appreciated while working from home!!
My boss surprised me yesterday with a BEAUTIFUL flower arrangement that I’ve been wanting. To pay it forward I am sending something special to staff at Perrypoint VA Medical Center as a thank you for helping not only my brother but other fellow Vets in the building with him. :-)
A fellow ninja filled in for me while I was off so coming back was a breeze.
One day I came to my desk to find a bouquet of flowers from a co-worker who was grateful for my help on a big project.
I decided to start randomly thanking others for the unexpected help on things they do for me without my asking them or delegating our those little tasks: a cute note and (an office favorite) a chocolate peanut butter cup on their desk for them to find. I don’t have my name on it, and it’s fun to see how others are starting to do similar things now, too!
I receive daily “Thank You” emails from some of the employees! I’m always there any time (even working from home) when someone needs my help!
Nice video and nice to hear someone who wanted to be an EA since childhood.
Our senior management scheduled a zoom cocktail hour to celebrate admin asst day! We shared funny stories about past trips and they shared how much they appreciate everything that we do and have done during these difficult times. We were all gifted with 6 months of cocktail courier which was great. The zoom was really fun that we plan on having another one soon. We all miss each other and can’t wait to see everyone in the office soon.
My CFO smoothed a sticky situation with acounting that I was unjustly accused for, two weeks into my new position. She investigated and cleared my name to all parties. As a thank you, I hired full makeup and hair stylists for her new Executive photos session. I want her to feel as wonderful as she made me feel.
Our bosses surprised us with a zoom gathering to celebrate our special day today. One of them even showed up with a top hat and feather boa…In celebration & gratitude I sent out a picture of a pretty flower that I took on a walk to my fellow Professional Assistants to commemorate the day.
I’ve received a random thank you from someone I rarely support. Also, someone that works close with me, (I don’t support but unofficially help out) brought me a card and a “self-care” kit , lotions and bath products from an exclusive store – just on a random day because she wanted to say thanks. I was touched!
My two CEOs sent me an Amazon gift card. They also sent an email with clips of thanks from several people. And one of the CEOs sent me a personal email expressing gratitude which I appreciated since 2019 was a difficult year for me at the office.
My manager sent me an Amazon gift card for Admin Day! I sent UberEats gift-cards to my team. I figured I would normally buy them lunch today, this was the next best way to treat!
I was sent flowers from a colleague today. I responded with reason I appreciate our partnership and the opportunity to collaborate together. I’ll send her flowers at another time.
As soon as this started, my colleague organized a weekly virtual happy hour at the end of every Friday. It’s been really nice to see each other’s faces, talk about things other than work, and have an excuse/reminder to relax at the end of the week. We’ve been providing emotional support, sharing WFH tips, and–most importantly–making each other laugh. I plan to say thank you by taking the lead on organizing a more regular in-person get together (once it’s safe!) to keep these connections going.
I received an appreciate award gift card for Admin Day! Was unexpected and will pay it forward with a thank you note and email.
A fellow EA sent me an email this morning to celebrate our day and I returned the favor by sharing the reasons why I appreciated her partnership
Happy Admins Day! I feel very appreciated, even while working from home! I love having this platform to connect with other like-minded professionals. Hope you all feel appreciated today and everyday!
One of the managers acknowledged the work I did on a project, going beyond the expectations and thanked me for the work put in. She did this via email and included everyone in the company (8 people)
Happy Admin day to everyone. We are all amazing hard workers!
I was sent a message today letting me know that I was appreciated along with a gift card. It was very kind and thoughtful. To pay it forward, I am also planning on sending out thank you messages as well.
I received a notification that I was receiving a gift from Sugarwish yesterday from our exec assistant to our CEO & CRO, Stephanie Camarda. I took action after with this fun treat idea to one of our customer’s EA’s who was so patient during a busy time of scheduling, and a terrific partner throughout the process of scheduling a meeting that had continued to get pushed out.
I love all of this support!!! 💚
I received some nice appreciation emails today and will pay it forward in the future to other staff in our building that might not get recognized for all that they do, like our mailroom coordinator who manages all our supply deliveries.
Our CORE (this is what we call our Admin Staff) Leader has special gifts hand delivered (using social distancing guidelines) to our homes while we are all working remotely.
I plan to mail a Thank you/Gratitude handwritten letter to one of my fellow CORE team members to thank them during this unprecedented time. And they will receive some handwritten LOVE in the mail.
My boss (Director) has made a point to check-in on the health and wellness of all employees. When I needed a self-care or mental health day, she was amazingly supportive. She genuinely cares about how we are doing during this difficult time. I plan to pay it forward by helping others with their projects or workload if they are needing to step away from the job for self-care.
Our President and COO worked together to proactively purchase sanitizer and supplies for us (we are a small group) at the start of the pandemic in our state. They wanted to make sure we could all take care of ourselves and loved ones – and sent us home with some supplies – a big weight off our shoulders.
To pay it forward, I purchased washable cloth masks from a friend’s mom (I can’t sew!) and shipped them to extended family members and friends across the US.
I love our 3x week check in’s with our core Admin Group. It gives us an opportunity to finish any outstanding needs and catch up on a personal level. I truly enjoy working with my core group as well as the rest of the admins throughout our global organization!
Our Department’s Chief, Code Enforcement person sent this message: When the social distancing restrictions relax we can celebrate you in person. Until then, please know that without you and your professionalism our Department wouldn’t function as well, if at all. Thank you for everything you do every day, and the style and aplomb with which you do it. You make a difference and are valued!
As I complete my first year at a new job, a colleague of mine has been so helpful in just being there ready to help and answer questions. I plan to take her out to lunch when we’re all back to work.
I was able to send dinner to another Office Ninja. She loved it!!
Today my team sent me flowers and a few very nice im’s and emails came in thanking me for Being the glue that holds the team together. It was very nice and totally unexpected.
Brought me a anti-viral room spray!
I have a gratitude note written and ready to be delivered to another team member!
Huge group email with all of the Administrative Professionals giving us all “props” for being valued! And my Executive called and sang to me :-)
Since going remote, I brought some moving boxes from the office that I needed to go through. It was nice finding all the notes on posits or cards that had just piled up. It’s nice to receive in the moment, but it means even more to go back and be reminded of it during these uncertain times. It just showed me how important little gestures go and how that artifact can have a lasting affect. I am grateful for the thanks, but will continue to pay it forward with notes from me.
I recently lost my father very suddenly, and his funeral took place just a few days before our state started requiring non-essential jobs to either close or figure out how to operate fully remotely from our homes. Obviously, as an operations director, this was a huge challenge that couldn’t have come at a worse time for me personally. My team has been great at gently checking in with me each day, even in the smallest ways, to make sure that I’m taking care of myself and navigating the grief process without being overwhelmed professionally by the changing landscape. Just the small act of my superior asking if I needed any extra time away from my desk hours to spend with my family warmed my heart and reminded me that I work on a team that thrives under the belief that being personally fulfilled leads to better professional results.
Received flowers of appreciation on a day I was not expecting them from a co-worker after working on a project together.
Today my staff had lunch delivered to my house and sent me an ecard for admin professionals day. I love those folks!
I did my first ever podcast (Maven REAch) and my colleagues made a point of sending kudos and keeping track of how many hits it got, etc even though they are pro speakers and do podcasts all the time. Made me realize that for someone trying something new, it’s always a scary leap and getting support from pros means everything. I’ve been offering my know-how to other newbies in areas I’m skilled at to pay it forward.
Our head of HR sent a thank you message to the entire Admin team, and let us know that we can order dinner one night this week on the company. It was a very nice gesture and made me feel appreciated!
Being a part of my company’s administrative staff means during a pandemic, you leave your shelter in place to occasionally visit the office to check and scan mail items. After coming home from a long day of opening, sorting and scanning mail, I was surprise by a beautiful flower arrangement waiting at my doorstep. It was from my colleagues, thanking me for my hard work. It’s the little things that inspire and motivate me to keep going!
I’ve payed it forward by sending my teammates an aromatherapy shower kit to put them at ease and help them relax during these difficult times. They should be getting it any day now. :)
A colleague I don’t talk to often reached out to me for a virtual coffee chat which was nice and we decided to not talk purely about work. Was a good break between back to back Zoom calls, I was able to talk around and take the call. This got me to reach out to someone else at work I don’t talk to often and schedule a virtual coffee break with them.
My coworkers shared pictures with me of their family members wearing the hand-sewn face masks I made for them. Made my day!
A colleague called to tell me they missed me a wish me a happy work anniversary!
I sent a special note to my fellow Admins on how much they mean to me. I sent them each a personalized flower meme.
Recently someone sent me a handwritten card thanking me for helping them with a project. An actual card instead of an email showed they went the extra mile and I plan to thank people in that same way going forward.
Last night our CEO sent a message to the whole firm thanking our Admin team for their hardwork which was really great to wake up to. I paid it forward by sending words of appreciation to the rest of our admin team and it became a whole chain reaction!
My current manager did the most amazing thing for me. Along with a large company merger that we are going through, he is also retiring soon. Instead of just leaving me high and dry to find a new job, he reached out to other managers and found me a new position in the company. He totally took away all the stress and anxiety for me!!! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful caring person in my life, and will be throwing him the biggest retirement party ever.
Was surprised with several gift cards of appreciation. Plan to continue the giving of gratitude to my team.
I was just surprised with an Edible Arrangement from my wonderful coworkers!!! I’ll be sharing with the family of course!
Today my Team “virtually” spoiled me with lots of thanks, ecards, appreciation and gifts that will be waiting at the office when I return. A few of my favorite things. It’s nice not only that they think of me on Admin Professional Day, yet they often think of me and do little things throughout the year. It’s also nice that they know me well enough to get things I truly enjoy! I pay it forward by trying to do the same with them. Happy Administrative Professionals’ Day all!
Earlier this week, one of my executives ‘chatted’ me to ask how I was doing during the COVID-19 situation – we are all doing the WFH at this time. He asked if I can obtain groceries, and if not, tell him what I needed, and he would go shopping and bring them to me! Important to note: I live an hour+ away and in an area not easy to reach or find. I am fine and did not need the groceries, but the impact his offer made on my day and my appreciation for his extremely kind thought are immeasurable!
I am a virtual executive assistant!
Our HR team sent all the Administrative Professionals a super generous gift card! (with explicit rules to use it to pamper ourselves instead of others today, jk)!
Jordan just did the most wonderful thing for me today: she offered to back me up this Friday 24Apr2020 from 11a-5p so that I can take PTO to finish unpacking my apartment, to finish putting together 2 kitty condos for my new kitten that I will be adopting next week, and to garden… uninterrupted. I am so grateful that we work together and have each other as backups and that we both are awesome admins and can completely trust that when we back each other up, we have absolutely nothing to worry about.
This entry should be from Carina Herrera. I was talking about my awesome colleague Jordan Owens.
A supervisor’s wife made a few fabric face masks for me. The masks and filters were laying on my desk one morning when I arrived! I plan to make a mask for someone else and she doesn’t know it. Love the little surprises! Especially while we have to practice social distancing and shelter in place.
I’ve been working from home and I’m on week 6. Felt very appreciated today from my executive, my team and was part of our Zoom admin community call to share stories and show photos from our childhoods. Happy Admin Day everyone!
A colleague arranged a surprise home delivery for me today in celebration of admin day. She wanted to make sure I was home so I’m now enjoying excitement and anticipation.
Congrats to today’s Ninja. Your story is very inspiring. Keep up the great job.
Ute just sent me the most beautiful flowers for Admin Prof Day. There’s one in the arrangement that smells so great: every time I walk past the arrangement, I smell this amazing fragrance and I’m reminded to STOP and take a moment and to look at the flowers. I am very grateful for my awesome bosses and teams that I support :)
This entry should be from Carina Herrera. I was talking about my awesome boss Ute Hoch.
WFH has had it’s rewards and challenges! I work for a non-profit organization who is very involved with the Governor’s office. We’ve incorporated Zoom meetings to stay connected and it’s been extremely helpful with communication efforts. I’m always recognized for my contributions to the team and referred to as the “glue that keeps us all together”….. I look for ways to make everyone’s job a bit easier :)
I am very grateful that my executive – besides our regular daily huddles – called me and the rest of the team, to ask us how we and our families are doing with all this COVID-19 situation. For me, that was a great and very humble gesture. To pay it forward, I will continue giving the extra mile and maintaining my productivity in order to continue helping him to be more productive.
Terry is so thoughtful: she sent me a fabulous bonsai tree for Admin Prof Day today AND she sent me designer chocolates from Half Moon Bay. Before this though, she would remind colleagues of my SharePoint project completion milestone and mentioned it at several meetings. I love that she recognizes my hard work and brings it to the attention of others so they know I’m working hard for them as well. I am very grateful for my awesome bosses and teams that I support :)
I did not follow directions correctly and submitted comments TO my bosses/colleagues and used their email/names. This comment from ‘Terry Sweeney’ is actually from Carina Herrera
I received a very nice note and gift card this morning for the work I do. Was lovely and very unexpected!
HAPPY ADMINISTRATIVE PROFFESIONALS DAY!!! : )
Unfortunately we had to let a few staff members know that they are being furloughed yesterday. One of the people that will be moving to unpaid leave actually texted me this morning to check up on ME! Yes, it’s tough to be the one to have these conversations with people, but really I am one of the fortunate ones, and I can’t believe anyone cared about how I was doing, least of all one of the people about to be on leave. I expressed my gratitude in my response, and I’m also trying to think of what I can do to show my appreciation when we are able to bring her back…her and the others. They’ll all deserve to be celebrated upon their return!
Received a special email from a fellow admin :) Made my day to hear that I am appreciated!
We had to put my dog down unexpectedly earlier this month and my supervisors all send me cards of condolences and really pushed me to take the day off and grieve. I plan to pay this forward by continuing to work hard and push myself to be better than the day before.
Happy Administrative Assistant Day to each and everyone of us. We Rock!!
I am working from home. My boss sent me a sweet email thanking me an acknowledging Adm. Day. She said she owes me a lot of chocolate. She knows I love sweets!
There are four of us right now that didn’t get furloughed (Myself (EA), our VP of Operations, the Sales Manager and our Accountant). We are calling ourselves the “Fab 4” and have daily encouragement for each other through Skype conversations. Sometimes it gets pretty stressful during the day – and one of us is smart enough to put something funny in the conversation… They have been acknowledging me every day this week… And tomorrow is my Workaversary… Great timing!
My boss sent me a gift card and a gift for Admin Day and for my bday. Something completely unexpected and so appreciated. To pay it forward I have sent a coworker a cookie bundle from a local vendor.
My manager checks in with me daily by slack to say hi and ask how I’d doing.
Thanks for all this group does! A true inspiration.
A colleague gave a great LinkedIn review of a trauma-informed self-care session that I offered to staff last week, and I plan to give future LinkedIn shout-outs to my colleagues as they mark milestones and celebrate big accomplishments!
this statement is so true now than ever before … Keep calm and let the executive assistant handle it
My co-worker sent me an Etsy gift certificate to thank me for helping her with her grant work reporting. It was totally unexpected and was a nice surprise. She works really hard as well, so I plan on sending her a gift certificate for a local salon as a treat for herself. Her husband is a full-time student, they have a middle school daughter and she is the breadwinner in her household. She came from a family that didn’t have much and put herself through school to get her MA.
My boss encouraged me to go home and get some rest after a long day. I’ve gotten kind words on Admin Day.
My team started today with homemade cards held up during our daily video team meeting. Lunch was delivered to my home as well as a lovely floral arrangement. I love my team and think moving to this department was one of the smartest things I could have done in my career at this company. We have been extremely busy during this crisis but we have taken the time to find ways to celebrate milestone anniversaries and special days like Admin Day.
Special thanks to OfficeNinjas!
Bringing administrative professionals from many workplaces together helps to improve our leadership opportunitites with and for our teams!
My company usually sends a gift to each AA in the US. With the lockdown though, they were unable to. Instead we had a webex with everyone across the US and they sent a Home Chef egift card to each of us. Really appreciate their thoughtfulness each year in recognizing our contributions to the company!
Excellent day today: received flowers and the Office Manager is buying all the Admin Professionals in the Executive Offices lunch! Enjoy working with this team, and really happy we are all still working in the office together. I love the connections we make
It’s a trying time right now and the Administrative Assistants are the ones who pick up the pieces of the odd responsibilities left behind from co workers that were laid off or furloughed or need to work from home or just cant come in for fear of spreading this virus. Many things we do will go un-noticed but that’s our job isn’t it? To look at the big picture and make things happen so those around you can focus on what they need to do without worrying about the “little things” that sometimes aren’t so little. Whether they realize it or not we got their backs! In case no one has said it today, Thanks for what you do. You are appreciated!
I received flowers from the team on Monday. I’m the one who normally surprises people so it was nice to actually be surprised… and bring a little joy to my new WFH space :-)
My former manager saw that I was feeling particularly stressed one week and left a beautiful drawn “Breathe” square next to a worry stone. It was so nice to feel seen without explanation.
I have only been in my current position for two months and started working from home after only three weeks in the office. The administrative team has been very welcoming, connecting through MSTeams with meetings, chats, and sharing our thoughts and encouragement.
My coworker send me an Amazon gift card so I could outfit my home office with some necessary supplies that make working from home more fun and productive! I plan on sending them some snail mail to thank them and paying it forward to another coworker so the cycle of giving continues!
I had a call on my calendar this morning that was titled CARES Act update, and thought ugh I don’t want to do this at 8:30 in the morning! But I got on the Teams call and it was a surprise Admin Day party for me from my team. They each (27) made signs wishing me Happy Admin Day or We LUV You, and You Rock Everyday, and Thank You! I was so touched by their kindness and thoughtfulness! LUV my team so much! And they sent me an e-gift card! How great is that!!!!
My boss surprised me with some goodies this morning.
I work and interact with about 15 AA in the USA that are wonderful women in our organization. We have a wonderful team that meet regularly and I would not be successful without them!
My colleague from previous company wished me a happy admin week even though we longer work together. It made me feel like I definitely left great positive impact at my last company. I strive to continue to do the same for my current company.
I have been assisting the owner’s of our company with applying for SBA loans and researching all the details we need to be aware of for that. It’s meant long hours and learning things I never knew about before. Both of the owner’s have been incredibly thankful, gracious and flexible when I needed to take time out to take care of family in the middle of all this. It’s amazing to be a true business partner with them and experience the behind the scenes workings of running a startup company.
My boss has been so supportive of me needing to take some personal time off during all of this. I’m paying it forward by making sure my team does the same when they need it!
Several of my Ninja friends and colleagues have been doing a weekly virtual happy hour. Their smiles, positivity, and humor keep me going!
We’re checking in with each other on a daily basis, making sure we’re still smiling and doing ok! I miss seeing my work tribe and will pay it forward by giving lots of hugs (whenever we can do that again) : )
One of my fellow Office Ninja’s has taken an interest in learning more about my new, interim life working from home. I’ve appreciated the desire to learn more about who we’re in quarantine with. I’ve felt much closer to my team as a result!
My exec called me this morning and thanked me and gave me the day off!! I’ve been able to work on my memory keeping today—a great gift!
My group shows appreciation to me all year long. But they don’t even know its APD unless I tell them.
A coworker bought me a mug that read “Yet despite the look on my face, you’re still talking” because she knows the barrage of crazy questions I can get in a day. So as a thank you, I brought in buffalo chicken dip to the office.
Happy Admin Day!!! Appreciating all the hard working professionals!!
My fellow admins have been sending wonderful notes to me (and me to them!) identifying specific things that we appreciate about each other. It’s been a lovely pick-me-up!
Despite not being in the same work space currently, a coworker reached out via email to say thank you for my support as an admin.
Received a kudos for job well done from the court coordinator.
Thanks for wearing last year’s shirt to celebrate our day- Admin Day and Office Ninjas!
I’ve had numerous leaders reach out to just check-in and see how I’m doing. Not because they need something – just because they care. I’ve done the same thing to other team members as well because I knew how much it meant to me!
My boss has been incredibly flexible and understanding during this time. He wants us to focus on our families as much as we need to during this crisis, and it’s nice to feel that support in this time.
I have several staff members helping me with a particularly difficult employee situation. They have been there for me to voice frustration, offer helpful advice, and hopefully resolve the issue as a win-win for all.
I honestly can’t think of anything nice someone at work has done for me, as we all had to suddenly work from home due to COVID lockdown in our state. But that doesn’t mean I won’t go out of my way to support all of my co-workers and my boss. It just means I’ll be doing whatever it takes to keep our business running as long as we can during this pandemic! This is what an admin is trained to do and I’m up for the challenge!
I sent personal notes to my administrative peers – we are successful by collectively supporting one another.
My boss just nominated me for an employee high five that our campus runs. One of the things he said was “she is the glue that holds us together.” Sometimes it’s nice to hear how valued you are. I try to tell most people I encounter how much I value them as well.
My executive team sending me email acknowledging me on Admin Professional Day! This is especially meaningful during our Shelter in Place! Sending out joy and peace to my other fellow administrators and team at our global sites.
Happy Administrative Professionals Day!
Thank you so much for this opportunity! It’s so great to be inspired by other admin professionals :)
Received praise from my boss that was sent to the entire team.
Our Executive Team celebrated Admin Prof’s Day today with our choice of lunch (safely catered) and a sweet floral delivery to each of us. What a lovely way to be appreciated!
I have the World’s Best Boss. She is smart, kind, and the definition of a fair and compassionate leader. When the coronavirus hit our area, knowing I live with 2 medically fragile people, my boss went to bat for me. She made sure I got setup to work from home first, before they even closed the office. She volunteered to stay, and take on all of my high exposure tasks, so I could keep my family isolated. I could never pay her back for all of the support she gives me every day, not even close. Instead, with her help, I organized a mask-making drive with volunteers from our company to make face masks for our essential workers. She was my first volunteer.
Thanks for making this day more special!!!
Amidst all the crazy changes to work due to COVID 19, it has been terrific to feel appreciated for the fast pivots and solutions.
Happy Admin Day to everyone! Both my bosses really put in the extra effort to make this a good one. Really appreciate all they’ve done so far.
My managers (I have 3 of them) sent me a gift card and flowers to remind me that I’m not alone on an island during this work-from-home period.
I have 20 direct reports. Several of them thanked me for being a great support to them today!
We all support each other. If I get busy my office team always chips in. We support each other
The mom admins of our group ( including myself) were having a rough go at balancing work and parenting at home and the others offered to take on some of our load without hesitation. It wasn’t exactly a tangible gift but it was more appreciated and necessary than they know. Ever grateful for sisterhood during this strange time for all of us. Chin up all you WFH admin angels! We’ll all get through and will be so much stronger on the other side <3
Someone on my team remembered that I have back problems and checked in to make sure I had a comfortable work-from-home set up. I mentioned the back issues in a passing conversation almost a year ago, and it was so nice that this person remembered this small detail about me and checked in on me! They reminded me to connect with my teammates regularly to see how they’re doing, even if we don’t have anything work-related to talk about.
My boss ordered us all lunch to be delivered to our homes (cause we are all working remote) and sent out a zoom meeting so we can all celebrate together and have lunch together! :)
Was inspiring to see all of these responses – wish more companies would be as responsive as some of these lucky admin’s are
Happy Admin Professionals Day everyone!
I received flowers from my bosses friend for setting up their guys golf trip. So nice to be appreciated for doing your job.
My manager has offered a ton of flexibility during the current crisis! It’s helped me focus on my family and mental health, which is so appreciated!
This is just too much fun!!!!
Today is Administrative Professionals Day and my boss gifted me with a $50 Amazon gift card! Not to mention, wished me a happy SEVEN YEAR work anniversary! This was so nice, especially with all of the craziness going on right now. I’ve already mailed out a really nice thank you card to her.
Happy Admin Day!!!
My manager mailed me face masks as my package of face masks was missing
Happy Admin Day everyone! I appreciate you!
I think the flexibility my manager has offered recently is the nicest thing that has happened. In these uncertain times, the ability to be flexible and adapt is the number one thing I need.
Thank you for everything!
Thank you to all for providing this fun way to celebrate Administrative Professionals Day! Really missed not being able to go to the event but this helps suffice! Have a great day and stay well!
Happy Admin Day to all of us!!
Having the Office Ninjas community promote this day and post thank you videos from various industries has been really nice to see. This morning, I have received thank you notes from various EAs within my company and I have sent the same to others.
Our newly hired Operations Assistant realized I wasn’t sleeping well lately and decompressing fully. She knows what I really enjoy so she reached out with some unexpectedly kind words and some activities that we’ve been doing remotely after hours. To thank her I’ve sent her invitations to some remote activities that I really enjoyed and even started sending things to coworkers who’ve had losses in their families as well as providing coaching services to those who’ve been needing it. After all, we need each other!
Happy Administrative day Everyone! Keep up the great job!
My team sent me a GroupGreeting card for Admin Day. We usually pass handwritten cards around the office, which isn’t possible right now – so that was a nice surprise!
Thank you for recognizing the profession!
The lead admin in Enginnering wished us a Happy Admin’s day and wine showed up at my doorstep today! Love our admin team!
My manager wished me a Happy Admin’s Day and thanked me for all my support during these challenging times. Just a simple thank you means so much!
I reached out to an Admin in another office about my lack of productivity due to working at home. She in turn reached out and got me some jobs to do with other departments. She also complimented me on my hard work. It was very nice to hear that the job I do is noticed.
Today my boss complimented me in a run-of-the-mill email and cc’ed me. She didn’t need to do it, and in these uncertain times, it really lifted my spirits!
As my company’s Office Manager, I had some concerns when we moved to fully remote during the pandemic of losing my job. When I reached out to our local HR lead to inquire about my concerns. Her response made me feel appreciated and valuable to the company and I can’t thank her enough for her candor! I make sure she also knew how much I valued her as a colleague! During these hard times, I think it is really important to reach out to the people you appreciate and let them know!
Thank you for all that you do!
Sharing the day with my team – I woke up to some very nice messages from both my execs that I support.
I won! Thank you so much to Office Ninjas. Not just for the gift, but for fostering an awesome community of support.
Recently I shared with a colleague that I was struggling to feel connected to the faculty on campus. I’m used to a very collaborative environment and it’s been a challenging adjustment. He shared he feels similarly and now makes a point of stopping by and connecting with me in the morning. In future I will pay more attention to new team members and intentionally work to include them.
In the midst of all of this upheaval and confusion, I can pretty much attribute my ability to stay sane and motivated to two of my coworkers. One of them is the person who trained me (and also reminded me that I was a Ninja, and should participate in this). He is constantly reminding me to not be so hard on myself, and keeping me grounded when I fall into one of my “why aren’t I absolutely PERFECT in every way” rabbit holes. My other coworker gets my appreciation because she is constantly thinking of me when a new project gets unearthed, knowing that staying busy is what gets me through each day with my sanity in tact. I am unsure how I will pay it forward, but I will. I want to be sure someone else gets to feel as appreciated, and as important to the company, as I get to feel on a daily basis.
Started my day with Admins’ Day greetings from the team. Paying it forward by going to the office to provide contractors with access so IT doesn’t have to as they have a long commute
A colleague sent Uber Eats gift cards. I plan to pay it forward by treating someone else to these meals!
My manager sent me flowers last week for my one year work anniversary! I haven’t received flowers in probably 20 years! I plan on paying it forward by being more positive at work when we go back to the office.
I just got a 1-year appreciation package from my new employer. It is great that they recognize service and dedications no matter how short.
Co-worker had to go to the office to pick up something personal, took care of opening all the mail for us. This one easy to pay forward, I know this individual has been struggling, so I’m making an extra effort to reach out regularly for quick non-work related zoom chats. Personal connection matters even more than ever now!
Happy Admin week! I sent a special wish to our admin team which said we have the skills, the wisdom, the ability and greatness to keep this office running!
Working from home has been tough, but our team has really pulled together to support each other and our community. A coworker recently had to run to the office to grab some equipment, I also needed a couple items and asked if he would be able to grab them for me instead of both of us going in. Not only did he grab the items I needed, he stopped at a local gelato shop and purchased a pint of vegan gelato which he brought to my doorstep along with the equipment. I now have a list of local spots to buy treats from for others. It’s the small things that count in this difficult time!
My executive made a personal call to say thank you and share how grateful she is to work with me!
I celebrate today with an amazing group of professionals who are willing to help one another and hold each other up, especially in this unusual time of working remotely. They are dedicated to our school and especially our students.
Excited for today!! We normally have a luncheon for Admin. Day but because of the pandemic it was cancelled. Coming to this site is very uplifting. I love OfficeNinjas!!
I appreciate your inspiration and positivity – it is what an office ninja brings to work each day! Thank you!
So excited for today. I’ve never gotten a proper celebration for this day. I got a company thank you and the president sent me a beautiful flowers.
I received a nice email today from one of my colleagues that I help out on occasion. I was touched by how thoughtful the message was in appreciation of Admin Day.
Thanks for the inspiration! Happy Admin’s Week!
Celebration is the word of the day! I celebrate the amazing group of administrative professionals that I work with, as well as the community at large. I’m grateful to have a team that supports and recognizes my contributions to our organization.
Our HR Team surprised us with a paint party! Since we are working from home we will all be receiving packages of paint supplies and will follow an online video together. I am looking forward to paying it back going out to a real happy hour once everything reopens.
Happy Admin Day and Earth Day!! Both make the world go round!!
My team surprised me and my fellow admin today with flower delivery! I wasn’t expecting anything, so I am very appreciative!
Finding that first cup of coffee on your desk, it’s always nice to surprise coworkers with coffee!
My boss surprised me today with a beautiful gift bag of all my favorites… pens, candles, snacks, a board game! It was a very thoughtful gift and a wonderful “survival kit” for working from home! :)
I work with a great team of EAs and we have each other’s backs. When one is swamped, the others come along beside to help take a few tasks. We support different executives but can cover for each other. When I had shoulder surgery, my co-worker brought me pizza and flowers.
Recently, as we manage COVID-19, we have split our office in half and they alternate weeks WFH. I and my C-Team are here for the haul and don’t WFH. One of my co-worker’s came back from her week, understanding my isolation, invited me to join her and other team members to a daily Zoom event. Thankful for the inclusion, I sent her and some team members snacks for WFH as a thank you and to keep up the good work.
Due to Covid-19, I recently lost my job. My team was surprised and sad since I was the team admin. A few offered to help in my search for a new position, gave me pointers on how to spruce up my LinkedIn as well as offered to be a reference. I will absolutely miss my team and am thankful for them. When they need help with anything in the future, I will be sure to be there.
Celebrating is the word of the day!
The leadership of my department has been great about making sure we are safe during this situation. While we still had to work at the office, they made sure I could order whatever supplies were needed to protect our team (even if they were hard to get). Everyone is working from home and they are flexible based on the needs of our team members. Some people are having to work really strange hours to work around child care while others are struggling in different ways but they are making sure we get through this together.
The 5 C-suite executives I support sent me a big, gorgeous bouquet of flowers and gave me a card where they all expressed their gratitude for everything I do for them. It’s a nice reminder of how I’m making a difference in their lives – work and personal. Plus, they bought me lunch today! :) I don’t do what I do for the recognition or any other reason except to serve. However, I have to admit, it is nice hearing “thanks” once in a while.
Thank you for doing these fun stuff virtually.
Thanks for sharing!
I helped create an Employee Hotline (telephone number and email) for any questions, comments, concerns regarding COVID-19. Along with the hotline, I have created a spreadsheet to track all incoming questions, as well as all questions that have been answered. It has been a helpful tool for many
I’m an executive assistant in the healthcare industry. As things first started my Executive said to our group that if anyone was sick to please let he or I know and if I got sick they were all in trouble. He lets me know consistently how much he appreciates the way I solve problems.
I look for ways to help the other admins I work along side.
Even while working remotely, the flood of messages, virtual gifts and well wishes that have been flooding my communication portals has been uplifting. I honestly don’t expect to get anything on this day. It’s always a wonderful feeling to be recognized.
Recently, I had to schedule a last minute Webex Telepresence meeting. The new Telepresence equipment is being installed in our conference rooms while we are WFH, and the EAs have not yet been trained. Our Office Manager took time from her busy day and Skyped with me to teach me how to use these new tools. I’ll certainly pay it forward and teach my colleagues these new features if needed before we return back to the office.
A colleague gave me a handwritten thank you card after finishing a tough project. It reminded me to appreciate feedback and to give kudos where they are due more regularly!
I am known for being a hugger and it is really hard for me to not be around people. A few of my colleges have taken it upon themselves to check in with me to tell me a joke, a personal story or just say hi.
I am paying it forward by reaching out to all staff to see how they are doing. We even had everyone send a picture of their new co-workers at home and put it in a slide show to share. I think it is really helping lift the spirits of our team.
Great content!
Our EA group created a list of fun virtual friendly team get together ideas and social touches – like question of the day or virtual bingo scavenger hunt! We EAs are the glue that hold our teams together!
My colleague left me thank you card on my desk when I had helped them with a project. It was such a sweet surprise to walk in and see that on my desk.
I love seeing and hearing the videos of fellow OfficeNinjas! We are such a great network of people!
I hope all of us admins are getting the recognition we deserve!
I have received an email thanking me for what I do … stating that what would we do if Kerri was no longer here to help with everything. Made me smile :)
Today we hosted a virtual coffee break with fellow office support staff, where we had 55+ people who joined both with and without cameras. What a great opportunity to get to know others! Happy to be an admin!
Thank you for sharing this!
So excited and blessed to be a ninja. Thank you so much to OfficeNinjas for their amazing work and continued support. So happy to have this incredible resource as an Admin Professional! Happy Admin Week Ninjas!!!
Our company is considered essential services. During this time of social distancing, most of the company is working from home, but there are a few of us still coming in to the office. We do not work in close quarters, so we are able to maintain the WHO and CDC guidelines, while still accomplishing our work. The first two weeks of WFH (work from home) the workload was incredible, so our sales team got together and had lunch delivered a couple of times to those of us in the office. It was so thoughtful and very much appreciated! One of our managers was barely taking the time to eat, so I decided to pay it forward, and have been bringing lunch in for both of us. I even brought my rice pot in one day and made fresh rice to go with a pot of beans I had cooked over the weekend. It has been nice to eat healthy “real food” rather than grabbing whatever out of the vending machine or running thru a drive thru! And I know my coworker has truly appreciated it. #bettertogether
Our CEOs EA sent a beautiful flower bouquet
A coworker of mine in the finance department helped me to get started with a complicated spreadsheet auditing project this week. It was very generous of her to take time from her schedule to walk me through how to get started with this, especially because it was not related to her job. I will pay it forward by going the extra mile for the next person who asks for my help – a little extra time can make a huge difference for someone else. :)
A fellow Executive Assistant from another Department sent me a nice email card this morning for Administrative Professionals Day and a thank you message. She is always so sweet and cheerful and good at spreading joy. I’m hoping to learn from her example and always be cheerful and kind in my responses to others. I’m also going to send some appreciation emails to fellow admins today.
One of the teams I support emailed me first thing this morning thanking me for my help, and to wish me a Happy Administrative Professionals Day.
Team members are sending notes of appreciation. LOVE!
My Manager and team sent me a box with delicious snacks and two bags of coffee. I feel special :)
Each morning a collection of staff in my office come together to start our day over coffee and a conversation that is not always work related. It’s a way for us to connect and give one another support, keep each other sane, and share knowledge/information/ideas. Recently, I colleague stated that this call has given her an opportunity to continue her good mental health practices she had been unable to keep up while in isolation. She said she depends on this call to help her through this scary time. Her acknowledgement of how important our meeting is to her reminded me of why I join this call each day and how much we depend on one another.
I will keep paying it forward by continuing to support all my colleagues not only during this time but also when we are back together in the office.
Today I received a virtual bouquet of flowers from a colleague wishing me a “Happy Administrative Professionals Day!” I paid it forward by sending the same type of message to many of my administrative contacts in other companies. Happy Admin Week, everyone!!
Unexpectedly, One of my bosses surprised me with a spa gift certificate and a few weeks later, my other boss (along with his wife) gave me a gift card (to REI because they both know I love going on hiking trips) along with a hand written card with a lovely note which made it very special and I felt appreciated!
Our company sent aromatherapy diffusers to all admins.
My boss, the CEO, sent chocolate to all of management and the admins. Most people think the admin does all of the work but all I did was provide addresses :).
The VP of our Board is the CEO of another organization. I plan on surprising his admin, who is absolutely wonderful and has been an incredible help, with a gift card today in celebration of Admin Day!
I had a colleague see the stress on my face when I was assigned a new project while on a video call. She reached out after and offered her help. I plan on paying it back by offering my help to the next person who I see needs it.
I work in a small office – there are only 3 of us :) and we are working remotely right now. The grace that has been given to me to allow me time to work flexibly with having to distance learn with my 1st grader and spend time with her during the day has been so encouraging and helpful during this time. I will keep paying this on by doing my best..they have shown me such kindness and compassion and I only hope to be able to give others such assistance in the future.
One of my co-workers surprised me by “Spotting” me to HR. It’s our company’s way of acknowledging people who go above and beyond, and is announced via email. After the email went out, several other co-workers told me it was a group effort, that they were all so appreciative of the extra things I do for them. Totally made my day! As a way to pay it forward, I’m working on ways to make the transition back to the office (whenever we finally get to do that) a little smoother for everyone, and some sort of treat bags will be part of that.
With all that is going on, I did not expect to be celebrated today. But I was definitely surprised and emotional like never before. My supervisor joined forces with my family and I had a great breakfast delivered with flowers, cards, and a special video from my entire office. I do not know how this was done without me knowing (especially because I am usually the one planning these types of surprises; home and work). But to know that even through this and all my supervisor has going on she remembered me. I plan to pay it forward by surprising someone else on my team with a special handwritten note.
My manager has been great at extending grace to me in this new remote work from home world. I intend to pay it forward by having that same level of patience with everyone I encounter who’s just trying to get through this quarantine world.
Happy Admin Day Everyone! Today my during our morning stand up everyone wished me a happy Admin Day and created a slide deck for me, every single person that works in my office wrote a paragraph about why they think I am amazing, what I do that they like, and just awesome words of encouragement. Of course, I teared up, every one sai such lovely things. They also decided to write all of those things as recommendations on my LinkedIn. AMAZING! I plan on sending everyone a little thank you note!
I have received flowers, emails, eCards to show thanks for all the assistance I have given to the team. I was told I am the best row-mate in the office!
I love your enthusiasm and coordination. So fun and I’ feel very encouraged.
I’m so grateful for this community! Thank you for this motivation.
Happy Admin Day everyone
Happy Administrative Professionals Day!! My boss really surprised me with flowers delivered NO CONTACT this morning! with a note that read – “Thank you for all you do for me and the team! There are just too many things you do to put on this tiny card. I hope you enjoy this small way of saying thank you.” To pay it forward, I have gift bags made up for each of the support staff in the office with a card individually addressed to share what I think makes them special to me. I’ll deliver them once we get back to the office – but I did reach out electronically to say – enjoy the day.
During this unsteady time, the stress of staying inside, not being able to socialize, and fearing the unknown has been hard for me mentally. But my fellow admin friends at work reached out to me and was so supportive. I can’t ask for a better group of people and I feel so blessed. I hope I can be there for them as well when they need it the most.
In my position I have the opportunity to interact with so many wonderful people each and every day. I can’t isolate one event. Our Admin staff is amazing. If I have a question, within minutes I’ll have a response with offers to help. The thanks and praise that goes around makes everyday a great day to be at work. With the stay at home and WFH going on now, I really appreciate the team I work with. To pay it forward, I will try my best to offer the same professionalism that I receive from my colleagues.
One of the directors that I support emailed me to say that he hoped I was ‘weathering the quarantine’ well, and to let him know if I needed anything. It made me feel good to know that I was being thought of.
My team sent me flowers this week and also sent a very nice note of thanks today. Honestly, they don’t wait until Admin week to let me know I’m appreciated, and I know that is rare. Happy to be in this role supporting a great group of people.
I appreciate each and every one of the admins out there! I may never meet you, but I know that we are all doing our very best during this crazy time. CONGRATULATIONS to ALL THE ADMINS!!
Happy Administrative day everyone.
I am a senior administrative assistant and partner to many senior administrative and executive administrative assistants. We are a well-tuned machine in working and solving issues together. I am always to thankful when they reach out to me to thank me for something I provided and I do the same when they provide updates in our MS Teams. Happy Administrative Professionals Week!!!
We have a small admin team of ten ladies at our tax accounting firm. It’s been challenging, to say the least, working from home during tax season with the added complications of new and ever-evolving tax regulations with the CARES Act. But every day someone from the team is checking in to see how everyone is doing, to see if there is something we can do to help each other, and to keep morale up until we are all back together again. It’s the difficult times like these that really make me appreciative of the team on which I’m honored to be one part. We have a saying at work that “It’s what we do together that sets us apart.” Right now it feels like “It’s what we do apart that brings us together.” We’re all counting the days until we can be physically together again but in the meantime, we’re making lemonade out of lemons.
Our group has some new employees so trying to get our team to bond and stay engaged during this time is essential. I really leaned into gleaning as much information as quickly as possible to prepare the team to work from home. My boss paid me a compliment in front of our whole team saying how impressed and appreciative he was for the all work I have put into helping the team with tech issues during the initial WFH weeks. I was riding high on that compliment for a few weeks and I still do all I can to pay it back to our team with tech support as well as keeping their spirits up through funny memes and gifs. I’ve also started organizing a short quiz/trivia game for the end of our weekly team meetings so the bonding doesn’t cut into their family time and other WFH needs. With the weekly quiz, I’ve learned how to use the polling feature on Zoom and WebEx. Cheers to my fellow OfficeNinjas! I hope you all find ways to learn new skills and feel appreciated – today and every day!
My executive wrote an extremely kind post and shared with all company on Slack in celebration of my q year work-a-versary. It was very unexpected and brought tears to my eyes. We have worked hard to build a strategic partnership and it felt good to read his words of gratitude!
Mainly just by calling and checking in on me. Just hearing from someone can make your whole week!
Thanks for making a video for us!
Happy Administrative Professionals Day everyone!
I recently returned to work after a leave, and many of my coworkers have gone out of their way to welcome me back and to let me know I was missed. The warm welcome was much appreciated!
I love the “pay it forward” plans. One of my team mates surprised me with a very nice Spa gift card (can’t wait til the spas actually open). I send at least one BlueMountain ecard a day to a different member of our team. Just sending a smile can make someone’s day!
My daughter came by on Sunday with a giant colorful plant. I work remotely and independently so I don’t really celebrate Admin week with anyone. She wanted to recognize my accomplishment and thank me for what I do. She said, “You are a beautiful example to all of us.”
Our Director has only been with us for about 2 years. While he is more demanding that our previous Director, he makes sure to thank me EVERY day for doing what I do to support him and for our company. I feel my work is appreciated. I am only a couple of years away from retirement and when the opportunity arises, I share my years of knowledge with our staff assistant.
with everyone working from home I didn’t expect many of my team would remember. My inbox was flooded with kind and thoughtful emails and a generous unexpected electronic gift card. I plan to share that generosity with an admin that is very isolated during our wfh situation.
Happy Administrative Professional Day! xoxo
I’ve received so many appreciative and supportive emails and text messages from the teams I support and other administrative professionals from are company already this morning which really made my day. I’m so proud to work for such a great company!
Not work related, but I started a “Pay it Forward” getting coffee last week. At the drive-thru, I bought the coffee for the person behind me with the intent for them to Pay It Forward – I hope it worked! I was the recipient of a Pay it Forward a few days later, where someone ahead of me bought my lunch!
Congratulations Hilary. Well deserved honor. Keep up the great work!
Love watching the energy flow!
My sister-in-law just bought me a lounge chair for the backyard. She thinks I need to get away from my desk and sit in the sun at lunch, and she is totally right. I have been slammed with projects, an unexpectedly homeschooling at the same time means that I have to consciously decide to step away, and she tried to make that a bit easier. It was so thoughtful!
Our E-team surprised all of the admins with Amazon gift cards this week which was unexpected with everything going on these days. I plan on paying it forward by donating to a charity that my company, App Annie, said they would match, doubling my donation-
Since we are all working from home these days, my team sent me flowers as a thank you for Admin Day – so sweet! I want to pay it forward by hopefully making some of my fellow admins in the office feel appreciated as well.
My boss drove to my house yesterday to personally deliver an Edible Arrangement fruit tray to me! It was SO thoughtful (I live 30 minutes out of town and so does he…but in the opposite direction so he had to drive an hour one-way).
Wow Laura, now that was definitely a nice treat in so many ways! Congratulations and Enjoy!
A few weeks ago my supervisor bought me a box of Truffles from our local candy store. It was such a nice, unexpected gift. I’ve paid it forward by buying bottles of wonderful smelling soaps for our restroom during the pandemic!
The Admin Maven
I met Ally and Ross @ Admingling NYC. They are the best co-hosts thus far. Super smart, funny, and have incredible synergy. Even when they kind of messed up on the high-five at the end (maybe on purpose??), it doesn’t detract from their positivity and the truth of their words for all admins out there. Celebrate ourselves each day. Yeah!!! woot woot
I am the only EA in the organization who works alone as our Toronto office is the smallest of our offices. All our other EA’s work in locations with each other and with support staff. I am so grateful for all the support they give me to keep me informed, connected and constantly learning. I couldn’t do it without you! You’re all amazing. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I love that you feel our support all the way to the Canada Office! YOU ARE WELCOME!
I just started working for a new division within my organization before the shutdown happened. Still getting my feet wet with my actual role, my role sort of changed on a dime to assist my new division with getting Instruction on line for college students. The project leads of the team sent a pizza to my house for dinner (as well as the other team members). Out of no-where!! No idea. Plus the kicker is that they had to pay $$$ extra to have it delivered to me because I live about 15 miles outside the city. So SWEET! I barely know this new team of people. LOL I am trying to continue to uplift them and help them in anyway I can. I decided that I was going to send uplifting messages of encouragement and appreciation and/or videos to our Chancellor and Vice Chancellors. I do not know how often they get thought of. I know they have probably spent many sleepless hours trying to assure our students continue to get the quality education they have paid for and to make sure they take care of us, the faculty and staff in the best way possible and they are doing great. It is not an easy task to decide what is the best and right way to handle things during this crazy time So they need love too! – Thanks for all the insight on different topics you provide in your newsletter! So glad I found it!
My admin colleagues always stop by desk to chat and see how i’m doing. Especially during this pandemic, i’ve been making an effort to reach out to them regularly to see how their doing.
I manage our office in Seattle while being in NY. In my one year of working at the company I hadn’t taken any really vacation time and I finally had one planned 2 months ago. The Seattle office collected money for me as a token of their appreciation so I could pamper myself before my trip. They also sent me a picture with signs. It was absolutely amazing. I just keep that in mind (and the picture on my desk) to remind myself of how much they appreciate me in Seattle even though I’m not there every day. And a constant reminder to make sure they feel like they are part of the botify team.
With the Stay at Home order in effect, our teams are working from home or remotely in the field. My amazing company recently reached out and gave back $5,000 to local restaurants and non-profits near our five Colorado locations.
My counterpart in another location has helped me immensely by being a mentor and looking out for me. I can’t say enough kind things about how welcoming she has been since I started, and how she has guided me and been not just a colleague, but a friend. We all need someone like this, during this new norm. Paula- you are a Rockstar!
I had a birthday in quarantine, and my coworkers did a virtual celebration for me, had lunch, flowers and a cake delivered. It was so lovely!
One of my fellow Admin colleagues purchased a funny gift for Admin Week and dropped it off on my front porch. Plan to take her to lunch when all of this ends.
I work with a great team of admins! During this “physical distancing” I did a delivery on Monday to both of my admin teammates and stopped by their homes to drop off some blooming daisies to brighten their WFH space and a sweet treat – a small token to let them each know how much I appreciate working with them every day!
My firm has a great group of admin all over the state. With everyone working from home, we all have a little downtime. The office managers met (virtually of course) and put together a spreadsheet of all of our strengths. If any one of the admin needs help, the just need to ask and we will be happy to assist. It’s nice to know that we all have each others’ back during this situation. HAPPY ADMIN DAY EVERYONE!
You go girl! That gives me some awesome ideas!
I have two wonderful cluster mates which means they back me up when I’m out sick or on vacation. They are the best!!! I also back up their bosses when they are out as well. Its a wonderful experience because we get to learn about other areas of our firm. We are so reliable with each other and our bosses that it works like clock work (most of the time :) ). Thank you, Office Ninjas, for this wonderful week and chance to win wonderful prizes from the vendors. HAPPY ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY to all the OFFICE NINJAS out there! Love the stories. Keep them coming!
Last week my CEO gave everyone in the company a food delivery gift card, gestures like these are thoughtful and much appreciated! I’ve been trying to take care of the team by doing porch deliveries of office equipment and eggs from the chickens of one of our coworkers, and checking on people, especially if they live alone.
I recently had an employee at my company randomly Slack message me saying “I can’t say enough how you make our day to day so much better since you started (I started in December)” and it stuck with me. I truly feel appreciated and it makes me want to create the best environment/culture for everyone to keep their spirits high during these uncertain times. As a fun “virtual gift” for everyone, I plan on taking screenshots of all employees during our Zoom meetings and photoshopping it into our company logo for a funny, yet impactful message to them that we are all in this together. Maybe we can frame it for the office when we get back!
What’s something unexpectedly nice someone (a fellow Ninja, colleague, or manager) has done for you recently?
Office Manager Anne Collier at the Five Star Institute purchased a grey legal case for me for work and to be the lady boss she knew I was.
My coworker and I have become close friends. We check in on each other often now that we are working remotely. It’s good to have someone who I can talk to about the stress.
One of our fabulous Texas site Admins set up a weekly Skype call for all of us to check in with each other. We use the time to discuss work issues, but also talk about kids, family, our fur babies, etc. It’s good to know we are not alone while we’re all working from home. We have 2 new Texas Admins, so training long-distance is a new challenge, so we are all doing what we can to assist them.
Last week my Chief Compliance Officer nominated me for our iCare award program for going above a beyond in making her transition to joining our firm seamless, welcoming and being responsive to all of her inquiries. It was presented at our all company meeting. It was quite the surprise as I execute this program for the company.
During this time of social distancing and working from home, the attorneys in our practice group have worked hard to maintain a personal as well as professional connection. I have truly valued their efforts and caring, and have done the same with my admin team, connecting several times a week with each member of my team through email, skype, FaceTime and Zoom. Maintaining personal connection is the hardest but most needed thing we can do right now.
I received several thank you notes and gifts from medical students at the end of their semester. I will continue to dedicate my time and efforts in helping these students become successful physicians and thank them for being a part of our unique program.
I support a Chick-Fil-A Operator that continues to inspire me each new day with his teams commitment to making a difference in the community… especially through this challenging time.
My work BFF and I text a lot to let off steam. It’s a fantastic way to get things off your chest and keep sane, especially now! It’s so nice to have a colleague who can be a source of relief.
Thanks for the videos and all you do!
We have just started a Staff Council with in our company and we are looking at ways we can bring more professional development to our Administrative staff. I will definitely be recommending OfficeNinjas as a resource.
I am pregnant during COVID and everyone has been really caring, supervisors and team members checking in on me and making sure I am doing well during this time.
At the beginning of the lockdown my supervisor gave water to everyone’s desk plants since he was the only person allowed in the office; I am giving plants (including flowers) to frontline workers that know and can reach. It is my hope to help brighten their day during these uncertain times.
I had a fellow colleague call me a few months ago to thank me for mentoring her. She let me know that she was recently promoted to a managerial position!! She followed up by sending me a fruit bouquet!!
Info-sharing makes us all more valuable to our team, our company, and our field.
While all of our other EA’s are WFH at this time, I am able to keep in constant contact with the group via email, TEAMS, txt and phone. I often do a check-in and make sure everyone is doing ok and if they need extra support. Can’t wait to be reunited with them IN PERSON.
Loved the tributes today!!
Someone I worked with more than 30 years ago found me on social media and told me I had been a mentor to her. She said I had seen potential in her and trained her for higher level jobs, so she in turn had gone on over the years to do the same thing for other women. She spotted potential in them and invested in them like she said I had in her. I was thrilled she reached out to let me know I had made that kind of impact. I would never have known otherwise!
This is a great forum to learn new things and seek advice. I love being a member of Officeninjas!
Motivational and fun video
My boss sent virtual flowers for Admin Day and followed up with a phone call thanking me for support in setting up our virtual meetings.
An old colleague just reached out to offer me a EA position, stating I was the best he had known. While I’m happy in my current role, I was very flattered to be considered.
I recently moved on top of a deli with my boyfriend. Due to everything going on, the deli has limited hours, but we wanted to support his business by ordering a couple of sandwiches. We had already met the business owner, and upon arriving to grab our sandwiches, he told us it was on the house! He said it was a welcome gift from him. We were so excited for this sweet gesture; we had to shout out the deli on our Instagrams. Multiple friends saw the posts and stopped by within the week to order their sandwiches. We are looking forward to using them as our caterer.
Happy Admin Week!
Recently with all the vents of what has been going on, my landlord has now waived rent for April and May. I am fortunate to still go to work (essential, woo!) and therefore plan to use the money to help my in-laws who all got furloughed from Disney and to help support the local restaurants that are still running during this time.
During this time of uncertainty, my boss, my teammates and my peers have all rallied around the Office Management team to ensure we feel supported as learn how to continue to be culture champions without physically being together. We’ve been provided the tools we need to ensure that we’re still adding value from our homes and have been encouraged to take this time to focus on professional and personal development — both areas that usually fall to the back burner during normal circumstances.
The CEO I supported sat down across from me at my desk and said, “I just want to sit here and talk with you because you calm me.” I still reflect back on it to this day particularly when I am in stressful situations.
My prior boss messaged me to wish me a happy admin day and check in onh family. He’s just a really thoughtful person.
Since we started working from home, our President’s Executive Assistant set up a joint Team meetings for all of the administrative assistants. This gives us a chance to get to know each other better and work on issues we might have working from home.
A retiring manager expressed to me that I was the emotional heart of the team. He is a man who does not give praise lightly. I really appreciated his sentiment.
I’ve never worked under such an amazing manager. She’s not only taught me many kind and thoughtful gestures around the office, she has made it a culture in the company. From the first day you walk in the office she hands over a box of mini welcome cupcakes to go around and meet the staff, to the very last goodbye with her delicious overnight chocolate chip cookies. The amount shes done around the office with her incredible gift of giving I can never “pay it forward”, but I try daily to assure her that I am always available with a helping hand, a quick sanity reassurance and letting her know we will conquer each task together. Shes done so much not only for me, but for the company which makes it difficult to name one gesture alone. One kind gesture I have done to give back to her was giving an egift card to Sephora to help her achieve her goal of becoming a Rouge Beauty Insider, super small gesture that I dont think compares to all shes done for others.
After a long but successful annual meeting, the partners at my firm surprised the administrative staff with a day at the spa! It felt so nice to have my hard work recognized. I felt valued and appreciated not only as an employee, but as a person.
I pay it forward by putting in the extra effort where I see opportunity to help. For example, whenever we have a birthday, I decorate the office and order their favorite meal for lunch. We end celebrations by munching on their favorite cake!
Sherri @ Maxim Integrated.
I with out a second thought stepped up to help a co worker in time of need when she was out sick. She kindly sent me a big box of specialty grocery items to make my own pasta. That was much more than i expected but felt a Thank you goes a long way.
I try to say thank you with a hand written note and a pack of “Extra” gum letting them know i appreciate them going that “Extra ” mile
One of my team members took on the role to send all the assistants on our team an Administrative Assistants gift that has arrived for us it was nice to be surprised and not be the assistant to select and deliver the gift. I will surprise them with an onsite lunch when SIP is over.
I have a slack channel with other admin assistants and we always help each other, when I needed help to test something for an all hands, they jumped to the chance at helping me and I try to do the same whenever they need something. #runtogether
Three days before the COVID crisis really hit the fan and sent us remote I accepted a fantastic new job and gave notice. My two supervisors really worked with me to meet the company’s revised start date and were genuinely happy for me. The second day of being remote the offer was rescinded late at night. I was heartbroken and could hardly hold back the tears when I called my 2 supers the next morning to tell them. I also told the only coworker that knew I was interviewing and that afternoon she surprised me with a beautiful flower arrangement on my doorstep, and a Max Lucado book of encouraging words. I was touched beyond belief. Two weeks later her husband became ill with COVID19 and was admitted to our hospital. I returned the gesture by bringing her a hot meal to the hospital for dinner, and a small cooler with 3 days of pre-made meals so she could eat without thinking about it. Just like we care for each other at work when we’re in need, we can care for each other in times of personal need.
Someone introduced me to Scheduling Privilege in Zoom so I updated and gave the information to the other EAs and admin assistants with my own screenshots and instructions. Glad I could help them and look forward to paying it forward more in the future!
My love language is words of affirmation – I’ve been receiving much kudos for hosting Shenanigans Hour (happy hour), initiating virtual Coffee w/Leaders (peer to leader 15/30min video chats), sending handwritten birthday cards, and finding other creative ways to connect teammates while we’re all remote! Thank you, Team! You have my heart!
I was given a Venmo gift from the team as I took off on maternity leave. They had planned a surprise baby shower but our office closed just a few days before we could celebrate! It’s always nice to be reminded how much people care about you. :)
To my surprise, my manager recognized me in our virtual all-staff meeting as being a source of uplifting messages and invaluable support during the Covid-19 teleworking phase. That was unexpected and appreciated.
I was recently given kudos for sending our team cookies from our favorite local cookie shop last week. The team was genuinely surprised and grateful.
One of my co-workers sent me puppy pictures to brighten my day while in WFH mode.
I plan to send my fellow EA a note that I am thinking about them during this time.
My friend Molly saw my facebook post last week when I had a meltdown over 5+ weeks of isolation & no human touch, Her kiddos make me virtual hugs & mailed them to me!
My co-worker sent me two bottles of wine for Admin Professionals Day! She is lovely and it’s a joy to work with her. I’m sending our EA team bags of coffee for admin professionals day.
I was recently gifted with an Amazon Gift certificates as a thank you for participating in a virtual work event. I plan to continue to put forth best efforts in all that I do like the proud Office Ninja that I am! Thank you for always bringing the positivity and fun! It’s especially helpful during times like these.
Love your site and the articles I read on it are always helpful! Thanks for honoring us!
I have received holiday presents from colleagues in the past. I pay it forward by alerting other admins of networking & training opportunities via my own FB page.
My toddler and I got the flu together while my husband was out of town. My insanely sweet fellow Ninja asked me for a grocery list, picked all of it up, and delivered it to my door. It was beyond helpful and made me feel so lucky to have such an amazing person looking out for me.
One of the best things that has happened is one of my colleagues (that has turned into a wonderful friend!) has organized a weekly ‘Sanity Check’ for the admins in our building! We get together and have a 30 minute – 1 hr Microsoft Teams Meeting every Friday afternoon and it’s be so great to see everyone’s face and check in with each other :).
To pay it forward, I’ve been sending old fashioned letters and care packages! Just the other day I was able to send one of my coworkers a few packets of yeast because I had some extra and she wanted to bake a loaf of bread :). Thank you so much for holding this raffle!
Love the OfficeNinjas team!
This is an awesome platform to be involved with especially during this unprecedented time in our nations history
My fellow Admins are all very kind. I started this job in December and they have backed me up every step of the way. They’ve made me feel at home from day one. Lately though, with having to work from home, one of my coworkers sent all of us admins an email just to check up on us. I unloaded my struggles with the kids’ homeschooling while trying to manage the rush of work I got after all of this went down. It was such a relief to have some one to talk to who also knows your work environment. Her action just made me realize what one email is capable of. I have been making sure to email any one I talk to and ask how they are doing. I get some quick answers and some long. lol Even the smallest of actions can make such a big difference in 1 person’s life. :)
A member of our team put together some great resources for activities for teams working from home to do together. It was super helpful. I took that info, added onto it and shared the resource out with my larger team in a format that they could easily add on to once they discovered new ideas. My colleague’s good ideas are snowballing into a great central community resource for our teams during this time.
Someone from my team sent me coffee via a delivery service because my coffee maker is on the fritz.
Something nice that management has done for me recently is to continue to call and email and make sure that me and my loved ones are alright during this pandemic. We’re in New York City and our office has been closed since the second week of March and stay-at-home orders have meant that no one has seen each other in over a month. Despite these unprecedented times, management has still taken time out to make sure that I’m alright through all of this. To me, that shows just how another level of care and concern.
I love Office Ninjas! Thank you for all of the support and information!
My coworkers publicly thanked me on slack for organizing virtual social events and it was just a sweet way to spread the love! As a way of paying it back, I make sure to shout out on slack when I see folks going the extra mile!
My GM/CEO and our HR Manager have both reached out to make sure WFH is going well and if I need anything since home is in a different town than the office. I have in turn reached out to other co-workers to “check-in” on them to make sure they are holding up ok while out of the office environment.
I have a specific co-worker who makes it a point to give everyone a compliment everyday. She is typically one of the first individuals I see each day. The compliments are simple “great shoes, that color is nice on you, you did great on X yesterday.” It’s such a nice way to start the day. Now that we are telecomuting i would like to make a point of paying the compliments forward via our office electronic communications.
My new boss made it clear he values me and the work I do. This makes me feel, well…, valued. I try to make sure I pay it forward by letting the people I work with know I value them and what they do.
Two of my colleagues sent me a Moscow Mule kit last week. It was completely unexpected and totally made my day. I sent them each a box of treats with a little thank you note. It’s fun to give an receive surprises, especially when we’re all stuck at home.
Flowers for no reason from my boss :) always thoughtful and the best type of “work reminder” to have in your house! I used our team building budget to send a surprise swag item to each member of our team so they had a fun gift to look forward to as well.
Thank you for being here for us.
In my company, the EA team collaborates closely, which makes it possible to back each other up when one or more of us plan to be out of the office. In February of this year, another EA was able to step in and contain a business crisis when it erupted while I was away on vacation with only limited online & phone access. Such actions foster greater cohesion among the EAs and encourages me to always share information and to involve my fellow EAs in my process & systems of getting things done.
My coworkers have just been super flexible and accommodating with each other – when someone needs something rescheduled, when we’re feeling overwhelmed from the remote work, or when we’re feeling kind of lonely and need a smile – someone has stepped up to help or do what they can. I am honored to work with such fine people!
Really enjoying the articles and suggestions being made by other members. Being separated from the team has been challenging, but rewarding in many ways. Pushing through the obstacles and finding alternative ways to communicate, participate and meet goals has been rewarding. Looking forward to being back onsite to share new strategies. Thank you for this opportunity.
Officeninja is something I enjoy reading through FaceBook. The tips and personal stories lets me know, I am not alone in life’s challenges.
THIS! “The people. More specifically, seeing “my people” succeed. My motto is, “My co-workers are my clients,” and I get that proud mama feeling every time they close a deal, impress their client, run a successful training session for colleagues, or get on a “Best Places to Work” list.”
That’s exactly how I feel at my job. I’m the mama bear and I’ll do whatever I can to help my coworkers, whether that’s a conversation, a hug, getting the job done or simply listening. Every interaction matters.
Really good things being shared; I am sharing with other admins in my College
A colleague recently checked in to see how I’m doing during the “WFH” phase most of us are in. I greatly appreciate someone checking on me. I send emails every 3-4 weeks to see how people are doing, offering any help or assistance where I can. I feel people truly appreciate a “just checking on you email” vs a “do this or do that” email. :-)
During the first week of SIP, my new manager sent me a “Thank You” gift directly to my house (a journal, a candle, and a trinket bowl). This week, I mailed to each member of my team a thank you card with a little gift in each. #spreadlove
This morning, our PTO shared a video with our school community and one of the parents gave a special shout out to me for helping calm her and answer her questions about COVID19 and remote learning. It’s nice to know parents see my efforts as helpful during this stressful time. I mostly work behind the sciences with teachers and their technology issues, but now I get to help parents as well. Teachers are learning quickly and can pass along my instructions too. It’s a win for everyone.
It’s the little things that make my day. I am currently doing my job and filling in as interim Administrative Assistant for another division. The faculty and adjunct know how big of a lift this is and their emails always acknowledge my communication and great job I am doing. This morning I received a “Thanks for all you are doing for us” with a cute Administrative Professional Day picture. Our VP thanked me for filling in and commended me on my teamwork for the college. All of this makes me smile and feel appreciated.
My boss is in NYC and he continually checks in on me- every day just quick “How are you doing?” and over the weekend even makes sure I am doing something so I am not losing my mind during these trying times. He has his own kids and a crazy life in NYC and I feel so blessed to have someone that cares about my daily mental health. I plan to send him a card and thank you note/small gift.
Before he leaves every day, my manager makes it a point to say “Thanks for the help!” He’s done it since the day I’d started with the company.
I have been in complete awe for weeks now with everyone from work. During unprecedented times where it required massive adjustments in everyones life, we were to hold our annual SKO, virtually now. Lots of Hosts, Guest Speakers, Panelists, breakout sessions etc etc. which meant instead of holding it live we now had to do it virtually. I can’t begin to say how proud I am of everyone involved in SKO but the entire company. We did a virtual company Kick-off , that most of the company attended. We did the Sales Kick Off that *everyone* attended, and whilst it wasn’t in person, we felt the energy through every single day. 3 separate days flawlessly executed. I have always known I can do anything with the support of my team, but now, more than ever :)
I’ve spent the last month or so working from home with a very lovable but high maintenance co-worker, my 3-year-old daughter. I was so thrilled one morning to find that a friend had left a big tub on our front porch with a bubble machine, encouraging notes, and cleaning supplies (of course). The instructions were to have some fun with it and then pass it on to another family to enjoy! We inflated the bounce house, blared “Bare Necessities” and cranked out those bubbles to create a very memorable moment for our little family. We’ll be dropping it off on a friend’s porch later today to help spread the joy!
When I pay it back forward to say thank you everyday to our service workers, grocery stores, truck drivers, teachers and hospitals during this Stay@Home order.
One of the guys in my office has chickens and knows my daugher is trying to eat organic. So he brings her eggs once a week to our office. In return she knows send him all of our leftover fruits and vegetables as they are going bad to feed the chickens. Its a pretty great exchange between them.
My director and manager have really ensured our team is safe and treated well during this time. Our company is on WFH but we are still needed to come in at times to make sure things like mail and shipping is being handled, the plants haven’t died, and the fridges haven’t gotten a mind of their own. I wouldn’t say it was unexpected, but it caught me off guard given the way jobs have treated me in the past! To pay it forward, I’ve been looking at ways to streamline productivity for myself once I’m back in the office to more fully support my manager and team.
The colleague bought me a gift card. I plan to buy my team gift cards for Admin Day.
My coworkers gifted me with a gift card for a massage after I completed planning, organizing and implementing a major remodel of our office suite. It was a lot of work and felt great to be recognized. I am hoping we can continue to streamline processes and find ways to connect with each other in the new, great space!
Since I am virtual and we get a lot of clients by referrals , I forwarded some information to my client about 2 opportunities, and if either of them signs on, not only do I get the work that goes with it, but I also get an extra $100.
not exactly what the question means, but day 1 and day 2 gave me unexpected ideas to incorporate. i have already found a lot of inspiration, and that is really nice. paying it forward: i share things i learn with co-workers in other departments so they to can get ideas, and maybe even lead them to office ninjas. Currently i have a co-worker that is pretty stressed. i offer suggestions when asked, and offer my support and assistance even when not asked. It could be with the assignment, or asking them to take a quick 5 min walk/break with me. if they say no, i bring them a cup of tea/coffee and chocolate/hard candy.
My manager is giving me a day off with pay to show appreciation to me for Admin Pro Day!
Our entire team has really been going above and beyond to keep the team connected and show acts of kindness during this WFH time. Two words we have used a lot in the past 5 weeks have been “patience” and “grace”. My manager has been very aware of the difficulties of trying to work from home especially if there are kids around or someone is sharing a home working space with a partner. I’m so glad she has extended that patience and grace to me as I work through sharing parenting duties with my husband as we both try to work. She has been leading by example and it’s making it so much easier for us to each then extend that same patience and grace to others on our team. This kindness is contagious.
Our leadership has been incredibly supportive, understanding, and doing its best to make sure everyone comes through this unscathed and still employed.
We have transitioned to using a program called MS Teams. One of my coworkers and I have been working closely for a 3 day event that is taking place now. I caught an error and let him know about it and just the sincere Thank You I received made my day better. I came from an office where thank you’s were given but they felt like an automatic response and I didn’t feel like they were truly meant. I have been with my new organization now for over a year and I feel like we truly care about each other.
I was recently awarded one of our company’s quarterly awards – Genuine Giver – during our last all staff meeting. I plan to pay it forward by continuing to give back, especially to my colleagues during these unprecedented times. I sent a Starbucks gift card to one of my colleagues last week to let her know that I’ve been thinking of her and hope she’s hanging in there.
I am currently working from due to the pandemic and my manager delivered a company t-shirt over the weekend to show her appreciation.
During our current quarantine- one of my teammates rode her bike around town bringing fresh baked cookies to several fellow employees! It was such a fun surprise and a great chance for her to get some exercise!
My husband’s company sent out Visa GC to all of their employees as a thank you for keep the productivity up while working from home. In a climate where many are being laid off, it was great to see that companies can show that they truly care and are in touch.
A colleague remembers that my birthday is coming up and sent a surprise over to my home :)
My employer has been doing daily video briefings first thing in the morning as a way to bring us together and that kind of compassionate leadership means a lot in this new era. I’ve tried to check in with my co-workers and get feedback or give mine to make sure we all still have dialog and that others aren’t getting overwhelmed by so much solitude.
My manager has been extremely supportive during shelter-in-place. It’s been tough making this adjustment as an office manager because my duties are very limited and with such a small facilities team, I haven’t interacted too much with anyone else. She’s been working closely to help me think of projects to take on as well as assisting other departments as needed. Also, gave me the opportunity to use online resources to continue my growth. It’s great to know she’s as invested in my career and learning as I am!
One of my colleagues put together a video to show how much their leaders appreciate them for Administrative Professionals Day! She was extremely creative and took time outside of the work day to complete it.
The managing partner recently sent me a self-care spa package that included a bottle of wine, spa bath salts, a candle and a recommended playlist. He knows that I am juggling working from home with two children which is the ultimate Ninja challenge at the moment. I appreciated his kind gesture and it truly brightened my day. I put the gift basket to immediate use and was able to unwind and take a moment to breath and relax.
As an Office Ninja, my role is even more of a challenge now that WFH is the new norm. Each day I commit to trying to be innovative and realistic about how to manage operational needs and understanding the pulse of the teams while working remotely.
After receiving the spa gift basket from the Managing Partner, I thought why don’t we send gift baskets to all of our employees as a way of saying thanks and hang in there while we get through this. Virtual happy hours and games were a great way for people to socially check-in but I realized what was missing was putting a smile on people’s face during this time.
I’m paying this kind gesture forward by sending all of my team members gift packages during this time as a check-in to put a smile on their face and to say hang in there.
My employer has been very understanding in allowing us to be flexible in the hours we work from home during this pandemic. They understand that we all have our own families and needs to attend to, and they allow us to work as much or as little as we can. They put their employees first. I’m so lucky to be part of such a supportive group!
I was struck by how difficult it was to think of a response to this. I immediately thought of two instances…that were both two+ years ago. But then I relized it doesn’t need to ab a whole gesture, the small things can mean even more. One of my coworkers asks before bringing up a project if I have the bandwiodth for it before even mentioning what it is. As someone who eagerly takes on any project and has a really hard time saying no it is super helpful to have someone ask that first so that I can both think about what work I am already doing and have an opportunity to say no without feeling badly about it. That simple question means so much and I plan to pay it forward by integrating that question “Do you have the bandwidth for ….” into my regular life
My employer made hand made hand sanitizer for us for when we go out to our jobsites. in return I’m helping to make masks with her to give to our employees
My manager has been very supportive of my work needs while working from home. She’s gone out of her way to ensure I am able to perform at my best. In addition, she checks in to ensure all is well at home. Her added personal connection during this time and thoughtfulness is terrific. I try to pay it forward by doing the same with coworkers in terms of checking in with them and seeing how they are.
in this time of Change … We get to create Our Change!
I have been working from home with two small kiddos. It’s beyond hard to balance everything. My counterpart at work Ericka has been so helpful picking up my slack and always being a friendly ear.
Acknowledgement of a job well done is always rewarding
Being new to the company, Sam has been just one of the amazing resources in our Administrative Services Team. Always helpful with giving direction and information when I have a question. I look forward to working with her in the future.
Nickla goes above and beyond to be sure the departments in her division run seamlessly, specifically the administrative support. She will always give a lending hand and will hold it if needed. Thank you Nickla!
Not long ago, I temporarily relocated to AUS to help start up two new offices. When COVID started impacting international flights and the decision was made for me to leave the country and head home, my manager there rallied to pack up my business apartment, distribute my groceries and things I didn’t need to pack to fellow teammates who didn’t have cars during this tough time, found and booked flights on my behalf so I could focus on packing and did so for my colleague who was doing the same. We were on a flight within 10 hours of the decision being made. There was so much support and comfort during a chaotic and sad time — particularly because our work wasn’t done. He (and his wife) ensured we didn’t have to worry about anything — they even forwarded packages back to us in the US that were delivered after we had left. The kind gesture reassured me that even in a chaotic time for the world, my colleagues and teammates around the globe are there for one another. I sent them a huge thank you, and plan to pay it forward by always taking great care of those who visit us and extending anything I can to help make others feel at home no matter the world circumstance. I’m never too busy for that.
My boss sent me an appreciation/ thank you card with a Starbucks gift card to my home address during this pandemic. It was completely a surprise and cheered me up greatly.
I paid it forward in buying my teacher friend a coffee too when I went and delivered to her door (6ft distancing and all).
Throughout all of this, my team has been responsible for trying to keep everyone across our global offices as connected and supported as possible. Figuring out new types of ‘events’, giving every office a place to catch-up during a ‘virtual lunch’ in place of our usual catered lunch, virtual workouts, etc. A lot of my time and focus has been on making sure everyone else is connected but this has been a really isolating time. My manager has been amazing at checking in every day, sending funny videos, memes, and just being there to talk about not work related things. It’s been really great and helpful to have that support and I think that’s so important to have with your teammates in general, and this time has really shown that I do have that with mine and I am so lucky to work where I do. I plan on paying it forward by making sure all of our employees celebrating quarantine birthdays and work anniversaries feel celebrated and appreciated with little gifts and shoutouts.
I received an email last week that said Congratulations in the subject and as I opened it and read it… to my surprise a co-worker from another site office had nominated me for an Excellence Award that our company was having for 2019 and it would be announced in May of this year. She nominated me for the Leadership award for all my support and help not with just her but with all the admins that work in our division from all the sites in the US. I felt so honored. It really caught my breath to read all the kind things, it brought tears. I love my job as an admin and my desire is for all of the admins I work with, to be successful in what they do for their managers and teams. If I can help in anyway, I want to be available to them. They don’t realize how much they have helped me too! If I win, I want to have the prize go to her, Theresa Canez!
Trish, I LOVED seeing the view of Chicago from your office!
Working from home during this pandemic, my mother-in-law, who lives with us, offered to make me breakfast. She never cooks normally, but knew I was having a particularly hectic week. I plan on treating her with a ladies lunch on Friday, while inviting her friends to Zoom in.
During this SIP, Admins have been tasked with redefining new strategies for workflows and resources. I just launched a new in-house SharePoint site today with resources and links to new procedures!
I supported a cohort by adding a LinkedIn recommendation to her profile.
I had been working on a small project with one of my teammates updating our team’s intranet webpage. When we were finished I was pleasantly surprised when my manager shared the update with our executive management team. It was so nice to be recognized and hear the positive feedback coming from upper management.
My supervisor has been very supportive of me working from home and to be flexible with my time.
She was so kind to send me a caring e-card as I was having difficulty with toggling homeschooling and work.
Another EA made sure I was in a really great EA slack networking group after we “met” on a zoom webinar. I paid it forward by also recommending an EA professional development resource to her!
During last semester I had a family situation that make me be absent at my office for two months. My duties were cover every day for persons that want to help me and understand the importance of the service. The call me, send me messenges of support, this help me a lot. When I returned to work I confirm and understand that we are a family. My coworkers are always taking care of each other.
I got a new job, and upon leaving, the entire office took me out to lunch. On top of that, right before I left the office, I found out that everyone had pooled together to get me a going away gift. While I was excited to move on to a new venture, it made me even more sad to leave those wonderful people. People are what make an office great, and we need to work hard to ensure they have a great place to work. It’s a group effort.
I am part of a network of EAs and we all get together on happy hour calls. So nice to have support from my company and my external network as well. We all motivate each other and check in to make sure everyone is doing ok. So grateful to be a part of such an amazing group of people.
My coworkers have been so supportive during this time and reach out to me to make sure I am doing alright. I think everyone is taking that extra step to be kind and join together. I hope that we all continue to be this supportive when all of this is over.
In the new times of WFH being an Admin has changed. Being in the office you are around everyone going a mile a min and helping everyone around you. Your days always end going by way too fast. Now that we are working from home my days seem to have slowed down. I’ve noticed all my projects are done first thing in the morning and few meetings here and there. Not being at the office and helping people has really gotten me down and its been hard. I’ve been able to find that work/home life balance. But iI’m used to fast pace and slowing down is and adjustment. This last week I had one day with no meetings. I received a zoom request from one of our Directors from a different department. When I logged in she had a few other employees and had a surprise coffee date. They let me know how much they missed me and wanted to let me know that even know I’m not in the office that they still appreciate all my hard work.
Before we were officially on lockdown, I had to stop by the office before a dentist appointment. One of my coworkers was in the office and she gave me an incredibly thoughtful gift. Her reasoning was that we might not see each other on Administrative Professionals Day and she wanted to make sure I got my gift. It was so unexpected since it was over a month in advance and such a kind gesture. That act of appreciation inspires me to continue to do the best I can to support my executives and my coworkers.
My leaders have been supportive through these times as I have needed flexibility to manage new priorities with family, home-time and work all getting mixed up together. Knowing that I have their trust & support to wok as needed/when needed has reduced any stress I might have been feeling, and and allowed me to be more fluid in my choices.
Giving me a firm recommendation to take some time off. Let’s be honest, the work at work never stops and it can be challenging to find the right time to take a vacation. I’m a goal oriented person and sometimes won’t stop until it is completed. A couple of months back, I had spent several months prepping for a massive company wide system transition. Once everything was said and done with, my boss firmly recommended that I take some time off to recharge and rest up. It was a simple gesture that helped me feel like my work was recognized. Going forward, I plan to keep this experience in mind and give others the gentle nudge to focus on themselves as well.
My managers were very supportive of me taking hours off during the early onset of our shelter-in-place so I could visit my grandmother at her senior home before they had a lock down. My fella Ninja took care of needs while I was out. The smile on my grandmothers face to see me was priceless. I am very fortunate to have supportive managers and co-workers during this difficult time.
Our ExComm leaders recognized our admin network today for all the support we’ve provided and especially for stepping up and making everything work in spite of the current work from home situations. I plan to pay it forward by taking extra time to also show appreciation to our admin network so they also feel appreciated and valued by their peers. When we are back in the office I am going to host an appreciation lunch.
I had to go out for brain surgery last year, my boss sent out an email to everyone I work with asking if they would donate gifts to get me threw my recovery. She said I’m one of the most positive people in the office and does so much for everyone. I was surprised when she showed up on my door with gifts. I was advised I could only open one a day. It’s nice to know that what I do around the office is appreciated.
I’d actually like to shout out our entire team! Though we are working remotely, everyone has been making the effort to still “join each other” during lunch (via VC), we’ve been sharing uplifting and humorous stories via Slack, and so much more on top of our daily priorities.
it’s been quiet working from home, so it has been nice to have a zoom from fellow co-workers.
As an office manager, the last few weeks added a lot of new factors to organize and manage that have never happened before. I was struggling to keep the office afloat while being pulled in so many directions (story of office ninjas’ lives). It has meant a lot when another staff member had time to do a sanitizing round for me, so I didn’t have to be pulled from the office. Our facility has remained open as an essential pediatric medical facility, and I am thankful for the teamwork we have displayed during all these ups and downs of the last month. To repay the favor, I try to be as supportive as I can be right now. I try to be that listening ear or other person to relate with in order to keep the staff in a better mindset and helpful foster a more positive environment.
Our CEO recognized our hardwork and took us out to dinner.
My manager has been very supportive not only ensuring that I have what I need to be working at home during this time, yet she also often touches base to ensure all is well otherwise and if there is anything else I need. She often goes that extra mile when she doesn’t have to. This is very appreciated. I am paying it forward in trying to do this with coworkers including people in other departments.
One of my technicians, who has to go to our building as an essential employee, volunteered to take on extra admin tasks (like opening mail and scanning it to send to us) so we wouldn’t have to go into the office. I’ve promised him a big jug of homemade cold brew coffee (a skill I just learned while on quarantine) and cookies when we are able to get back.
A colleague has shared a tedious task load with me on a project, without my asking her to. She just completed the tasks and added the updated files to our shared drive. Sent me an email, saying “these are done :) ” I have helped my peers in similar ways when appropriate. When you’re part of a close knit team, you can tell when someone just needs to see an email with “these items are done :)” without asking for the help.
Happy Administrative Professionals Week!!!!!!!!!
One busy day my supervisor recognized that we all needed a boost and bought us coffee.
A fellow Ninja has been very supportive during the time of transition working from home and homeschooling. Always checking in on me.
Flowers just because
Today’s all star winner is a very inspiring read, well done Tricia
Thanks for all you do for the community!
My manager is extremely flexible with childcare issues, allowing me to leave early and make up time in the evenings from home when needed. I have been paying it forward by shopping for neighbors during the quarantine and I am planning on sending uplifting notes to colleagues on National Pay it Forward Day (April 30).
I received a gift card from Panera Bread from one of my co-workers…just because. :)
Feeling inspired as the week goes on!
I received a gift card to one of my favorite stores (Michael’s) from both of my bosses. I support such an amazing team!
IT WAS A REAL LIFT-ME-UP. Thanks for posting.
I work for an essential business so it’s very stressful and we observe all protocol. However, my sweet coworker knew I needed a lift and brought me my fav donut. It’s the small things…..And yes i observed all protocol to eat it—except the mask lol!!
My manager has helped me by being extremely flexible with my work schedule when I suffered a mini stroke. Every day I remind her what a compassionate and motivational manager she truly is. And she’s not very tech savvy so I always help her out at the oddest hours 😁and resend emails she forgot she received. Overall the best experience I’ve ever had with the manager.
After a particularly grueling few months of planning very short turnaround events, my client, an admin professional herself, sent me the most beautiful box of local treats made in the town where heir home office is located. It included handmade beautiful pasta, artisan crackers and dips, chocolates and cookies, a reusable to-go coffee mug and a beautiful high quality refillable pen. It was so unexpected and so wonderful to be appreciated for just doing my job (albeit with a smile). I am now planning whoI can surprise with a gift box, especially in this time when everything was upside down, to see who could use a little extra appreciation.
I appreciate when people reach out just to see how I am doing. I do the same as well. Makes me feel less isolated.
I wasn’t part of an Admin team for years in my department although I obtain points of contacts which become friends and great sources within the company. However with new and exciting changes of restructuring, I got transitioned to a new manager and team. I for once felt like I had an access to a place I could call my work home with those who understand completely and having them to turn to bounce ideas off of. This is a wonderful transition for me and I do all I can to share my knowledge with my new TEAM!
I have had several co-workers reach out and check on me and remind me that we are all filling essential roles. (my company has essential workers but most of us from the corporate office are working from home)
My coworker knew I would be dropping by the office weekly during COVID while the rest of the team stayed home. So on her last day reporting to the office she left Trader Joes Ice Cream drumsticks in the office freezer for me. It’s our favorite treat!
Coworker helped me adjust to the virtual admin week celebration and brainstorm ideas to make everyone feel appreciated and celebrated.
I had a surprise delivery of flowers to my home on Sunday from my boss. They were beautiful and the card said how important I was to the team. It was nice! I’ve been paying it forward by leaving positive notes For employees to help boost morale!
Good Morning Everyone! I hope everyone is staying safe. Have a great day!
Received a nice surprise last week – Flowers from our Global Beverage President “Your continued remote support keeps all moving forward. Thank you for all you do!”
Cant wait to see what you have next!
Thank you for helping us be awesome!
Wow, Trish, what an inspiration!
Executive Assistant at UnitedHealthcare in Medicare and Retirement
OfficeNinjas are important part for a well functioning office!
When I was going to have minor shoulder surgery a co-worker gifted me a mini-spa set and misc. items to help relax during recovery. I have tried to pay it back by bringing her coffee and I brought back a big foot chocolate treat from a trip I took to PNW (she’s a fan of big foot). It’s still hanging on her office bulletin board two years later.
A client gave me a gift certificate to a local restaurant as a way of saying thanks for me going out of my way to provide him information while WFH.
So many folks have gone out of their way to send their appreciation for everything I’m implementing with our new WFH experience. I’m going to commit to give more recognition and to remember how good it feels to get a shoutout in our slack channel!
My boss surprised me with dinner at PF Chan’gs and a nice bottle of champagne. I plan to take my boss to get our nails done as a way to pay it forward.
My boss (owner of the company) recently bought everyone a succulent for their office. It was small but reminded everyone that he cares and is thinking of all of us through this difficult time! I like to pay if forward by leaving candy/chocolate around the office for everyone.
My VP recently gave me an official face mask that are like gold right now. Was so honored he shared. I purchased gloves and have shared a few. Covid-19… we shall overcome!
During these times we need to be proactive, keep in touch with our managers and teams and above all else during these crazy times, be creative! I am not sure what the future will look like for all of us but we are all in this together……..Admins Rule.
One of my friends sent a succulent to my house and it’s the perfect desk accessory and such a happy surprise!
Good Morning Everyone
I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. We are working re mlm remotely. This is my first time with office ninjas. Looking forward to learning more
My team often brings me coffee or gift cards from my favorite coffee shop. I often pay it forward by using the gift cards to bring them in one too.
Since we’ve been WFH, one of my fellow admin colleagues has offered to go check the mail for me at the office, as she lives up the street from the building while it would be a 35 min drive each way for me. I have also done some things for fellow co-workers (administrative and other) to help out where I can.
We are all working remotely right now and even as an introvert, it’s easy to feel out of touch. One of the managers at my office (not my direct manager) texted me just to say “Hello, hope you’re doing well!” and it surprised me how much that little gesture meant.
I love coming in to work every morning and opening my Office Ninja email, along with Apple News, I always enjoy an article from Office Ninjas to start my day with motivation. I love the team of ladies to use as a resource. Something extrodinary and nice that has happened to me recently is last week, I really was struggling to be productive and my boss let me have an afternoon to myself to recoop my thoughts, I came back to work the next morning ready to go. Sometimes its the little things!
A lot of being a successful Office Ninja means keeping up personally with the other groups on our floor to know what is going on in their business units, their teams and the general pulse of our combined environments. Not being able to have short, impromptu, in-person conversations makes that difficult. My local team put together weekly “Strategy Meetings” at the very end of the day where we catch up about work, teams, ask questions and, yes, personal friendships. This has been extremely helpful keeping connected with others that I am used to seeing every day and keeping up with business I am missing out on because our groups connect, but don’t overlap. I have started doing this with my business unit team that is spread across the county to keep us united.
One of our admins will buy coffee gift cards for anyone who is having a bad day do not our entire team buys gifts cards for each other. It’s a little thing that shows each person we see you and that we care.
My office has been working from home for over a month now and I have expressed concern for the plant left behind on my desk. A few teammates who have been going to the office for essential reasons have been watering it for me, without me asking them. So sweet. I’m attempting to pay it forward by spreading positivity in all my remote interactions. There is much to be negative about right now with uncertain times for our firm and I am working hard to keep conversations with coworkers positive and hopeful. Stressing now won’t change the outcome.
Tricia is inspirational! Congratulations on this well deserved achievement. Continue to be the best at what you do. Your company must be so proud.
I did not know that my job was about to be dissolved when the team mas reallocated after our VP moved on to another company. That was when the VP of other division ask me if I would consider working with them. The caviat: a new position will have to be created. He went above and beyond to make that happen in few weeks whereas would take months. Very humbling and he made it happen! The process was finalized in the middle of the pandemic and I am now part of his division. Not sure if I will be able to pay forward in the exactly same format. However, I can’t wait to provide them a fantastic Office Operations support.
I just joined this group and consider myself to be a natural born Ninja but I want to become a SUPER NINJA. While being organized and pro-active in nature, I want to keep learning, growing and adapting with the times by learning about tips and tricks, new productive apps and the other secret ingredients my fellow Ninja’s would like to share…Happy Admin week all!
I am filling in for a position that I’m not particularly fond of, but I give it my all. During a recent meeting a coworker, unprompted and off subject, told the group that I was kicking butt and the rest of the group chimed in with their compliments.
It’s really important to tell people you appreciate the work they are doing. I plan to give props where props are due at every opportunity.
I’m so excited and grateful to be part of this community for support and advice during this time!
I have an awesome team of admins – we are always working together to accomplish what needs to get done. While we are all working from home – we are assisting each other and other departments in helping get things accomplished. They are all getting a little surprise when they return to the office for the help that they have given myself and the team.
I have a colleague that offered to help with a COVID-19 project for which I am helping coordinate logistics. He offered to lift a task from me to lighten the load yesterday and I really appreciate it.
I will pay it forward by checking in with my team members behind the scenes to see who is struggling and lend a helping hand
Supporting an College IT executive has been a challenge in recent days to say the least. His feet hit the ground running every morning and those days are jam packed. It’s my job to keep him organized and moving forward ensuring he is informed with the latest data. It has been a month since the world has been upended with Covid-19 and things have finally leveled out. Recently I received the sweetest email from his spouse thanking me for the early mornings and late nights that she knows I was asked of. She very much appreciates that I am able to partner with her husband to keep him forward moving and efficient during these crazy time as it directly affects his home work life. She went on to say that when this all began, selfishly one of her biggest worries was that the family would never see him because he would be working 24/7 in his home office. In reality she was pleasantly impressed how we were able to ensure he had family time each and every day. It meant the world to her, but more so meant everything to me to be able to make that a priority in his schedule. I love that I support people who love their job, but I love it more that they put family first no matter what chaos may be going on.
We just collectively suffered a huge loss with one of our own dying due to complications from COVID. Everyday we check in with one another, on our own time making sure that everyone is doing ok. Quarantine is hard but not being able to grieve in a way that has become normal and to pay your respects at a funeral makes it really difficult. I love that everyone is concerned about one another and supporting each other through this very difficult time. I can see our team is bonding more and more each day, even from a distance.
So sorry to hear of your loss. Grief is difficult enough and the challenge of this pandemic does not make it easier. I have experienced 4 losses within my circle over the past month and have had to reach out in unconventional ways to support and be supported. We are in this together and relationships are being strengthened and new bonds are being formed. Stay strong and be well.
I am so very sorry for your loss. I can’t begin to imagine how that feels. I am so glad that you are able to lean on each other virtually during this time.
Recently the manager’s assistant to a different office in our company reached out to tell me how much she appreciated all of my hard work and how well I am doing. The encouraging words made such a difference and reminded me what that kind of connection can mean. I then reached out to the two people in different offices that I helped train earlier last year to tell them hello and some encouraging words about how great it is to see them doing well and pass on that encouraging feeling. I thought a nice card to a fellow assistant/manager might go a long way as well so I ordered some Hallmark cards to send out soon as well. It’s such a great feeling to get positive words and when you work in separate offices the environment of positivity can be harder to keep going and all the more special when someone does reach out.
Great article on Tricia. She’s a true OfficeNinja.
Just before we were all quarantined, we were going day by day, then hour by hour at our university. Students were being sent home. Faculty stopped coming in. Then one morning we were given 4 hours to get whatever we needed to work from home. Newly divorced, I had no computer. My boss let me borrow one of our spare laptops and IT told me to bring it to them for some additional programs I would need. They told me to come back in a half an hour. I went back and they had two boxes for me, plus the laptop. The IT manager who I worked closely with said, “This is your old desktop plus all the cables and programs. I know your situation and we would just junk this; it’s fine, so take it and use the laptop as your backup. Call me if you need help setting them up.” I couldn’t thank her enough, got home and, after a quick cry for the first nice thing that happened to me in two years, sent her an email with my gratitude and the promise of some home baked bread when we got back together. Without this, I would have been in the first round of furloughs, I’m sure.
I started a new job on January 6th. My beloved dog of 13 years passed away on February 5th. I was devastated. The group of admins I work with, some of which I have yet to meet in person, showered me with calls, emails, flowers, cards, coffee… I was so touched! I have never received love like that from coworkers, especially being so new. Once we are able to go back to work, I plan to treat them to lunch to say thank you!
I’d like to give a shoutout to Kristin and Barb (both with ONs) for being so friendly and welcoming since the moment we first met and introducing me to this amazing community. They’ve always had my best interests at heart and I’m so happy to call them friends and mentors. I’m paying it forward by introducing others to ON and attending as many events as I can to help grow this community and share the knowledge I’ve gained.
I was feeling nervous being a bit older and changing jobs to more HR than reception/customer service. My fellow Ninja (Executive Assistant) Shelly made me feel welcome and took the anxiety away of learning the legal side and encouraged me in my Ninja skills as they existed. I can wait to pay it forward to the next Ninja to join our team!
A professional colleague recently shared with me the opportunity to have a free dinner during APW, courtesy of a local catering and delivery service. Her thoughtfulness was very much appreciated! I’m paying it forward by giving away two $25 Starbucks gift cards to the admin team that I work with. #collaborationnotcompetition
The owner of my company sent everyone in the company cookies and a thoughtful note showing his gratitude for everyone during this time. I am planning to send him and his wife a thank you gift this week.
Our office is going through some changes that will effect me greatly. The emotions and negative thoughts have been swirling through my head for a week now and only growing by not talking to someone about them and with only my family to hear them. I finally broke down and confided in my current boss. It felt good and as she is part of this change, I didn’t think she would care to look into any of the issues as this has been/will be a big change for her too. She has taken the change very hard and works from home alot to avoid those who turned against her.
She took my concerns not knowing I wasn’t the only one with the same issues and became the bigger person and reached out to her replacement to become a united front.
As much as this was a growing time for her, it made me feel like a valued team member and that my years of work paid off. I will always support her and be there if she needs anything.
our owner has been sending out weekly emails to everyone. Most are working remotely. I go in part time and he appreciates the efforts of his employees.
My wonderful co-worker spent the entire first weekend of lock down making homemade treats and then dropped them off on my doorstep! They have been such a nice escape. I’ve already made sure to drop off dinner and a treat on her doorstep :)
During this time of the corona virus, i was working from home, just fine, then everything started working poorly. Sending email became a struggle. One of my co workers called in sick, so another of my workers picked up the work, when normally I would have. With a wonderful “team” attutude. She truly is so very kind and helpful.
I had a pretty rough start to 2020 including needing emergency surgery. My coworker went above and beyond. First, she sent me something to my home that really brightened my day. I tried to return to the office too early and my coworker sat down with me and made me realize I needed to be home recovering. It may not sound like a lot, but it meant a lot to me. Upon my official return back to the office, she placed my favorite drinks (non alcoholic) and candy on my desk. I plan to pay this forward by making the time to talk to someone who might need it. Sometimes the smallest things are exactly what somebody needs!
My fellow Ninjas and I have been taking great care to keep each other safe and in a sterile environment during this time. We are a great team.
A colleague saw me super stressed out for a few weeks and on a random Friday, she brought in a small potted plant with a note saying “thanks for all that you do”
When I was new, our Associate Dean sent me a thank you gift card after I helped her coordinate logistics for a faculty event. It really helped me feel welcomed, appreciated and seen. When someone is nice to you, it gives you the permission to be nice to others. I always try to make new hires welcome nowadays. Recently I was able to get a little budget to be able to send thank you gifts to the caterers or hotel managers or vendors that help us also.
I’m new to OfficeNinja! I look forward to reading others stories and ideas!
My co-worker, fellow admin, bought me candy hearts for Valentine’s day just because they are my favorite. We constantly get each other little things. After this I bought her some M&Ms that I had a funny saying. I miss her very much right now. We still talk constantly, but it’s not the same as being in the office together.
With the new normal, just having my execs and colleagues check in on me and see how I’m doing on a personal level. That means so much to me!
A coworker gave me some cookies and I put some chocolate out for everyone to share. Sweet surprises bring cheer.
A co-worker from accounting stops by the office everyday now to check the mail and gather all incoming checks to process. She goes above and beyond by doing what I did before working remotely by separating the mail and placing it on each appropriate worker’s desks. (My commute to the office is 30 miles While hers is maybe 5.) I go in twice a week for things I have to do, but then help her with tasks she needs to get done (like stuffing envelopes with receipts and stamping them to take to the post office). In doing so, she doesn’t have to stay long and can get her other tasks completed, too.
Today I received a package in the mail from a fellow Admin that I met at a conference several years ago. It was the sweetest gift and I’m so touched by her thoughtfulness. In return I purchased my current favorite book and I’m having it shipped directly to her!
My CEO recently dropped off lunch for me while we were working from home during COVID-19. One of my dogs had recently gotten injured so I’d had a rough week and she wanted to make sure that I was taking care of myself during all of the chaos. We’re going to do a staff virtual lunch soon to share those good fuzzies with the whole office. :)
My boss suggested giving a gift basket to two employees who had significant things to celebrate, which made me feel very proud to be a part of this company.
Just prior to the covid outbreak, my mom surprised me one evening with a huge orchid…she knows I love them. I pay it forward by reaching out to others regularly to let them know that someone cares for them and is thinking of them (text messages, cards, emails, etc). I’ve also placed a message in my front window that I change weekly to inspire everyone who walks by to remain positive!
After the execution of a massive event that I planned, I recieved a digital attaboy in the form of a Starbucks Gift Card, from my boss. I recieved it as a text right before we took off. She was in the front of the plane and I was in the back. It was uplifting to know that even in the exhaustion of travel, she had thought to recognize me and to do it quickly–not only thanking me for a job well done, but pushing me to continue to meet my goals in the future. I plan to pay it forward in a similar way, what an easy and inexpensive way to give a tangible thank you! PS. She knoooowwws girl loves her coffee :)
Just before the SIP I received a gift card to Starbucks for helping my co-worker with a difficult task her boss asked her to do. As soon as the SIP is lifted I’ll bring her some goodies.
She is very selfless in accomplishing what needs to be done.
The President of my company has been sending out (at least) weekly uplifting quotes and images that people in the office send to her or that she has seen in her free time. Its kinda cheesy but genuinely meant, so it works.
There was a sensitive package in another office that needed to be shipped out via FedEx that same day. The issue was that the other office was almost two hours away roundtrip via public transit. I was having trouble finding someone to assist in shipping it out, because it required packaging sensitive information. I was about to head out and ran into another EA who has been with the company much longer than I have and has more connections- mentioned it, and she worked with me to find someone to ship it out on my behalf — saved me a trip and so much time, it was much appreciated! I live near an office and work from an office further away — if anyone needs anything, I’m always happy to help bring something back or take something there. We can all use the time! :)
My co-worker sent me a gift card to my favorite restaurant letting me know she was thinking of me! I sent her a package in the mail to be delivered this week for admin week!
My admin team is staggering schedules at work so we are each one day a week while we social distance. I think we are doing a good job of looking out for each other’s departments while we can’t be there every day.
To celebrate Admin Professional’s Day, I organized a GroupGreeting signed by each person they support to be sent for each admin. I miss my fellow admins!
A coworker reminded me to focus on the positives in my life during these troubling times. It helped me to back away from the rabbit hole lest I dive in head first. To pay it forward, I’m doing the same with my family, friends and co-workers.
I’m actually currently unemployed, but my fellow IAAP members in the Greater Houston Area Branch have been an invaluable source of support and leads for me as I look for my next role. I love networking with them and can’t wait to continue to serve the chapter in the years to come.
Our manufacturing and distribution teams have been working 24 hours a day, as my company manufactures components for the COVID-19 test kits. To show our thanks we have pulled thank you notes and posters to hang on the walls and hallways as words of encouragement during this unprecedented time.
I am an Executive Assistant to our Head of School which means working remotely is entirely new for all of us. I went from greeting families and students every single day, to not seeing anyone except a few administrators. I chose to work at a school for the life that it brings and the family that our staff is. What one of our Ninja’s recently did was start a remote happy hour with Scattergories. The connection that has brought makes the loneliness of working all day at home worth it!
My CEO purchased fun, eco-friendly, hygienic, reusable Swedish Dishcloths from Three Bluebirds for all staff. I helped him by placing the order and gathering everyone’s home addresses and putting them on labels so he can easily mail them to us when they arrive.
An unexpectantly nice thing that was done for me last week was my new manager made time to train me and setup the proper access to Microsoft OneNote.
My favorite ice cream brand has closed their business. When I shared the sad news, one of my managers offered to buy some for me so that I would have a stash. So very thoughtful and sweet.
It’s been great to check in with everyone as we all work from home. Everyone is mindful of our challenges at home as we navigate home-schooling with work.
Excited for this week. :)
I got an incredibly thoughtful “spot bonus” gift from a manager for a special project I had taken on. I will pay it forward by continuing to say yes to things outside my job description / comfort zone and find ways to give “spot bonuses” of my own – even if just a thank you note!
My SVPs asked me to order over 350 customized jackets for the group and allowed them to provide input for their cut, size and jacket color preferences. Normally I would choose one standard for streamlined distribution. I was tasked to get this ordered and delivered within 3 weeks and then distribute to the Santa Clara office and also remote offices. My leaders knew I was supporting 3 large organizations and luckily at the last minute my SVPs for this particular group asked their staff and PMs to help me distribute the majority of jackets in one afternoon. The leadership team said, Sandra, you do so much for us, the least we can do is help you. It was awesome seeing the leadership team ban together to help me with these administrative tasks. Everyone walked away happy.
A little praise goes a long way. It motivates me to put my best foot forward for all members in the organization
After an extremely difficult office move, my manager told me to take some time off to do some self care! It’s so refreshing to have a manager that cares for you inside and outside of your job. I plan to ask her to do the same and focus on self care too :)
Our company has an Inspire Rewards & Recognition Program to celebrate employees’ efforts and contributions. One of my managers acknowledged my work and the support I provide our team, and it was really wonderful to actually be appreciated and awarded, especially by management.
I am baking bread for my neighbors and homeless around my area.
My current company is great about dropping public praise & thanks in slack for everyone to see. It’s a small gesture but it means a lot any time I get called out with a little appreciation and I always try to pay it back by giving credit where credit is due.
Mid March, most of our staff had already started working from home, leaving only few of us on site. It was my birthday, normally I would receive some cards and gifts from fellow-workers. One co-worker remember and brought me some flowers.
Diane Crim
Today I received a gift in the mail with a note saying “Nobody is butter than you” and it included a popcorn popper along with a mini projector. It is perfect. I was craving popcorn yesterday as a healthy snack but feeling to tired to do so over the pan. I’ve also been wanting to watch tv to unwind but didn’t want to lug a laptop into bed. This is the absolute greatest tokens of appreciation while I shelter in place.
I have two! After almost a month at home, only leaving the house for groceries, I treated my daughter and stepson to a car ride and trip to the Starbucks drive thru. The line was ridiculously long, but when I reached the window to pay, I was told by the Barista that the car in front of me had paid for our order. I will be doing the same on my next trip through the drive through.
Also, a friend that I made last year on a camping trip (in Colorado) who lives in Arizona, has been making masks since this whole shelter in place order went into effect, offered to mail masks for my whole family. I plan to anonymously return the favor by sending her a generous donation to replenish her supply. :)
During this pandemic, free face masks were being offered locally. I requested two for myself and picked them up from the givers front porch. A few days later, someone was making masks and their order of fabric was delayed so I gave her all of my extra cotton fabric to make masks. It felt so good to pay it forward during this unusual time in our world.
We have been having a Monday morning virtual coffee meeting and a virtual cocktail hour on Wednesday afternoons (includes our Bay Area and Houston area admins.) Mondays are structured with topics and Wednesday we try to let it flow.
I had just completed a project that required a quick turn around with a short deadline. The project was something I perceived as just a part of my responsibilities. A leader I worked with on the project took the time to send a detailed commendation through our company’s recognition platform. Copies of the commendation were sent to the leader I support. The commendation will also be used as an entry in a quarterly prize drawing.
It felt great to receive a recognition for doing something I found gratifying and was happy to do. As a result, I plan to use the recognition platform more often to recognize my co-workers for fulfilling their responsibilities with positivity and passion.
During this time (shelter in place) – one of my colleagues sent me a birthday card by mail and it was totally unexpected and very thoughtful of her for even thinking of me. I am planning to do the same for hers.
During this hunkered down period, I’ve been touching base with our CEO to drop off mail and pick up anything that needs to be distributed to the rest of the staff. During the week of Passover, I brought her a flower for the holiday. The last couple times I’ve stopped, she’s given me a couple things to take home including matzah, smoked salmon, and candy fruit slices, as it was the week of the Passover Seder that she celebrated virtually with family and friends. The gesture has added some sweetness to the days! Next time I plan to bring her something I bake, probably cookies or magic bars. :)
Aside from my regularly assigned work duties and responsibilities, I chair the leadership committees for both our employee resource groups.(one for women the other for minorities) Since we began social distancing I have rallied both leadership groups and have resumed meeting virtually in an effort to keep our members engaged and connected. We have held a few events over the past month. A few of our members who live alone reached out to me know how much it meant to them and I received flowers the other day from one of my colleagues as a thank you.
We have been doing weekly admin meetings via zoom and it’s such a great way to stay connected. We are always looking for more fun things to do with our teams so I sent over some scavenger hunt ideas. Could be a fun activity via zoom for others to implement too.
Our people ops coordinator went out of her way to sanitize our Street Cleanup equipment and deliver to our employees’ homes for a distributed Earth Day cleanup this week. Such a great way to get outside and make a difference, even though all of the COVID stuff is happening.
Heidi, another EA on my team, who works remotely from another state, shipped me an extra company-issued monitor to my home. I have two desktop monitors at work and it makes things quicker and more efficient. I have a great work laptop that I’ve been able to bring home to work remotely the last few weeks but it’s been a little harder with just my one laptop screen. (I don’t have a another monitor at home and couldn’t connect my personal laptop to my work laptop to utilize the double monitor setup.) Heidi was so generous to share this with me! I’m excited to have two monitors again! Working on a way to pay it forward… :)
I and several fellow admins, have regularly been checking in with each other via skype, email, text, zoom during this Covid-19 situation.
After getting a lei for and some champagne for my birthday, I returned the favor and celebrated and decorated the office, got a cake, gifts, etc for someone’s birthday.
Our company gets all of the admins a beautiful flower arrangement every year for admins day. It’s such a nice treat!
My manager & recruiting team surprised me with a nice night out to dinner & gift card after I filled in as recruiting coordinator during a busy hiring period, on top on my daily office manager duties. I was happy to help when originally asked, but the gesture was still very much appreciated :)
To pay it forward, I’m surprising one of my fellow ninja friends with wine infused chocolates from a local business for Admin Week. We normally attend OfficeNinjas events together & while bummed about this year’s circumstances for AdminBash, it’s not gonna stop us from treating ourselves. Even though we no longer work together at the same company, she’s been a great source inspiration for me as both an admin & person.
After receiving a homemade treat from a co-worker, I did the same to say thanks and recognize a birthday!
On March 6th, I left the company I had worked for for the last 3 years. I did not expect a big celebration; however, I received a lunch, flowers, gift basket and gift cards from several of my team. I passed this forward by giving the new EA a few inspirational quotes with a card. She still reaches out to me once a week telling me how thankful she is for the inspiration and how much she misses our daily talks and updates.
Just today one of my team members who does a weekly recap posted to our entire team that this week is Professional Admin Week and thanked me for all I do for our team. It was a great way to start my Monday as well as a sweet surprise that my team of engineers actually knew what Admin Week was?!?! I plan to make sure I use our #Thanks bot to recognize Cuong and let them know what a HUGE impact it has made on me. I also plan to organize a fun team activity that our team can all optionally participate in virtually. Open to all suggestions and thinking maybe skribbl.io?
A coworker left me flowers on my desk on Valentines day with the most heartfelt note letting me know that he couldn’t do his job without all that me and my team do for the office and for him every day. It was incredibly unexpected and kind, and made me cry at my desk!
My boss knew I was having a tough day and she called me at the end of the day to check in and see how I was doing. She listened to me. That was the best thing anyone could have done for me that day.
My executive and I have daily check-in to make sure we are both doing well during this unusual time. She has also taken the effort to suggest trainings or projects I can help out with. It has been great for networking and my professional development.
Everyone has been supportive and kind during this time of the Covid-19 situation. I could not have asked for a better group of people that I work with! Thank you!
Our department director is keeping us connected through Microsoft Teams and weekly one-on-ones. We wll appreciate and will work to keep things moving along.
A co-worker, I have never met sent an unexpected email telling me how much she appreciated my help. It was really nice to hear and made my day to know I helped someone else out.
While everything has completely changed for most of us in the last 6 weeks there is one thing that remains constant, Officeninjas are the glue that keeps everything together!
I work for a very small Tech company and I have been in the office everyday doing my job. The techs, sales and marketing can work remotely but there is no way to operate the switchboard remotely. It has been kind of nice having the whole place to myself, I can bring my dog in and listen to whatever kind of music I want to hear :)
Another important thing I want to share is that all of our clients are still working and almost all of the employees are working from home except for the office administrators. Every single business whether it is an investment firm or dental office has their most important staff member coming in to make sure that everything is running as is should be.
Bravo Fellow Office Admins! Celebrate Your Week!
My supervisor knew I was having a tough time with the isolation of this COVID-19 Stay at Home order. She also knew that one of my favorite ways to “treat” myself was to have freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, so she ordered cookies and had them shipped to my home. She lives in another state, so she couldn’t bake them and drop them off. It was awesome!
One of my team members is having extreme difficulties with her isolation, so I have been contacting her via Zoom to connect and talk about everything from anxiety to gardening!
The EA consistently encourages me and tells me I’m doing a good job. I want others to feel appreciated too, so I want to encourage and compliment other coworkers.
Really helped that my boss acknowledged that business is slower during these times and that it’s a great time to take care of things like spring cleaning and anything else at home!
Someone on my team volunteered to go into the office a few hours a day during the quarantine. The business needed someone to go into the office and she was brave enough to raise her hand. I was hesitant with a family at home to worry about so her help is greatly appreciated!
The executive I support spoke highly of my musical talents to this company who manages the money for musical talent, promoting to them how lovely my music is and how I should partner with them. When my music is up and ready to share, I plan to share that all with my executive and issue loads of thank you and a nice gift if all aligns for me to work with that music management company.
After a recent team meeting (via videoconference), a colleague who I don’t see much while were working virtually asked if I could stay on. I thought it would be to talk about a shared project but it was just to catch up! In the office, we typically share our yarn crafting projects and she wanted to show me her current project. It was so good to connect and find a sense of normalcy.
I’d already mailed a card to one of our teammates. I may need to be un-sneaky and just ask for the other two addresses so I can mail cards to them. Or deliver cookies to their porches…
One of the admins at my company organized an admin day gift for us! It was certainly thoughtful and unexpected since we don’t typically get admin day swag.
I just received a card from a former manager thanking me for all the support I gave them years ago–just made my day–it’s been over 10 years since I’ve seen them! It’s motivated me to acknowledge someone too.
I had a horrible headache one day at work and my manager let me use her Peppermint Halo stick to rub around my head in hopes to cure my headache. I used it and it worked miracles! I told her that my headache was gone and it was amazing especially because I also strongly prefer natural remedies. About a week later she bought me my own Peppermint Halo stick which was SO thoughtful! In the future when everything is back to normal I plan on helping and giving little things like that to my colleagues to make their day just like mine was.
My supervisor is totally supportive of me working from home while also homeschooling my 4 year old twins during this time, and for as long as needed into the future, since we do not know our childcare options for this summer or fall since our kids School is closed. This totally helps me not stress about the future too much!
I think just being patient and kind to everyone during this time is really needed! Spread the love forward (while Social Distancing!)
Due to health issues, I have had to work remote during this time, while other essential personnel have remained in the office! I am not one to ask for help; however, through this experience, I have had to ask for assistance from my co-workers who have remained in the office several times! It has been heartwarming to watch our team pull together and change lanes quickly, without hesitation! I plan to take the a few of my coworkers a special treat when I return to the office.
Sounds like a simple thing, but my boss left me a bottle of hand sanitizer to use when packages and mail are delivered. And a colleague gave me another pocket-sized bottle of hand sanitizer that I now keep in my car for when I have to be out and about. It’s nice to see people be concerned for the well-being of others, including me!
A fellow office ninja agreed to cover for me for a random, much needed, day off. I appreciate her so much and will be happy to cover for her in the weeks to come when she too, will need a day off.
My colleague recently had a gift for administrative professionals day mailed to my home (since we’re all working from home) It was a completely unexpected thoughtful thing to do. I plan to mail her a nice surprise just as a thank you and to remind her that I truly could not do what I do without the strong relationship i have built with her.
During these WFH times, it’s been incredibly easy to feel distanced from everyone at the office. Recently, my coworker has been consistently reaching out to me and checking in with how I’ve been doing, digging deeper than the superficial, “hi, hello.” It was a much-needed reminder that others in the office were probably missing human connection and feeling the same way, so I’ll be making an effort to do the same, even if it means starting with just one person.
I work for an Essential Business which has been very stressful during these changing times. Our clients and our team as a whole have been so understanding when it comes to deadlines and the lack of available supplies. I hope when all of this is done that I will be able to share some baked goodies.
With the current COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all working from home. However, I was asked to come into the office a few hours a week to help with mail distribution. I was doing this plus my daily job, so needless to say, it’s been busy. I unexpectedly got sick (thankfully not COVID) and my team mates jumped in to help so that none of my work was forgotten. Once I felt better, I was able to seamlessly pick up where they left off. Thank you so much team!
With all this working remotely and some of our team members having to be in the office, it’s been super fun to have Teams available to us – just sending a friend a fun GIF to brighten their day has been so simple and is a nice way to tell others how much we’re thinking of them and missing them. WFH is nice, but doing it all the time is boring when you’re used to interaction.
the it department has extended their hours while we adjust to this new way of working.
two vendors have been super supportive. not only with the needs of the company, but with sharing insights to how they are implementing and dealing with the shelter in place.
2 strangers unexpectedly came to my assistance.
I know that as I talk with other EAs, we all feel like we aren’t doing as much as we think we should be for our teams because we are working from home. During two calls with important committees for our company last week, my boss specifically called me out as the person who is the “glue holding things together”. I was incredibly grateful for his comments and called several of my EA friends to remind them that they, too, are the glue that holds things together.
My coworker recently sent me a surprise quarantine gift in the mail. It honestly made my day, receiving something super small and knowing someone is thinking about me. I made sure to send her something back as a nice surprise. Its good to be friends with coworkers and keeps my spirits up in this weird time!
Recently – I’ve received an influx of public “thank yous” through my internal company system. I’ve been swamped and feeling like I wasn’t getting as much done as normal which had me stressed (particularly because I’m so used to being on top of everything all the time). Needless to say, those public thank yous (that everyone in the company can read) has been unexpected but so so appreciated. It reminds me that even on the days I think I’m not making a difference, I totally am.
Our Operations Team send all of our Admins gift boxes of goodies and treats to our homes from ‘Snacks and Chill’. It was a lovely surprise and I felt appreciated.
I was recently out sick and my co-worker jumped right in with printing contacts and having them signed. This was so helpful to me and meant so much because we have had to change the way we do things due to the pandemic. It seems that doing everything electronically and paperless will come faster than most expected.
My admin team has these really wonderful “human interaction” meetings three times a week. Its such a nice way to connect when we are all working from home. We share good news, recipes, crafts, and other words of encouragement to get through this together.
I recently started a new job on March 2, and my new company closed the office 4 days later due to Covid19. My boss has been amazing, keeping me engaged, giving me grace, and feedback as I ramp up – working from home. He reminds me constantly that we are all working from home during a global crisis, to give myself grace and do what I need to do to take care of myself and my family. Just the acknowledgement that this is HARD, makes me feel so lucky and blessed.
One of my co-workers is sewing fabric masks for various places. I asked her about purchasing a few, and she mailed me 4 of them, along with some latex gloves, and would not take anything for them!
My coworker gave me lots of credit in an email to my boss and others for a user interface redesign project I’ve been working really hard on for weeks. It’s been a team effort but it was nice to be singled out about it, too!
My VP sent me flowers just to “put a little ray of sunshine in my day” while we are battling this shelter-in-place situation. To pay it forward I sent an email (with a picture of a bouquet of flowers) expressing genuine appreciation to our admin team for always being there when I need them.
As we are in lockdown and working from home, it can be challenging and lonely. I had a random call from a co-worker the other day. They didn’t need anything, they just called to chat and catch up. I thought that was really nice and have a plan to call a few of my other co-workers and just check in.
My coworker, Cassandra, showed up with a hot breakfast for me one day just before this Coronavirus thing happened. I plan to surprise her too once we get back to normal and back at the office!
I received an email from the Lead of our departments Field Training Group-saying he had to ruin the surprise, but needed my home address to send me a card and something from his team. I was surprised that they even thought of me, since I only support them in occasionally, but we do sit near each other in the office, so we have a lot of fun together.
I have been responsible for assisting the laid-off employees to go to the office to collect their belongings. It has been hard feeling the suffering and, at the same time, being thankful for my job. One of the recent higher-level managers took the time on this sad day to tell me how much my events have mattered to her family and what an amazing job I was doing. Words go a long way.
I work in the health care field. We are so focused on helping others, that sometimes we forget about ourselves. I am finding the simple ask of “How are you doing today?” really touches my heart and allows me to stop in the moment to reflect. I make it a point to smile (with my eyes, since we’re all wearing masks) at whomever I come into contact with as I’m walking down the hallways and saying thank you for everything you’re doing to help keep us safe. The little things mean so much…
I was assigned a new task in a different area and my colleague who I was helping out, went out of her way to explain and show me what was need to be completed and how to complete the task! It was amazing of her to go out of her way :D!
Two weekends ago, I was working overtime on creating some forms and editing some legal documents in order to meet a strict deadline. Everyone was stressed, but we managed to complete the project on time and error free. A few days later, I received a text on my personal phone (not my work phone) from one of my fellow ninjas telling me she was very appreciative that I gave up my weekend in order to complete this project. It could not have been done otherwise. I always like to pay back the appreciation by showing it to others. Whether it’s in a G-Chat, a comment in our team portal, or a quick video call to them. :)
The most recent shout out was during our Weekly Staff Mtg. A team member spontaneously thanked me for being the glue for our team and said that without me everyone would be lost on what they needed to do since everyone is working from home. I’ll be sure to pay it forward for one of my fellow Ninjas because they are all important to their team.
A good friend and neighbor has been my accountability partner for taking breaks throughout the day by taking a walk, doing yoga or meditating. It’s a much needed break as we all know how easy it is when working from home to sit for hours.
A colleague sent me a Starbucks card for helping her remotely with a PowerPoint presentation when I did not expect anything. I was just being nice and help out! I will buy a coffee for someone as an unexpected surprise for helping with little things!!
My mom had major lunch surgery a couple weeks before the shelter in place started. I stayed home for a few days in case there were complications. A beautiful bouquet showed up at my house…for me! It was from a fellow EA on behalf of the company. I’m not sure how to pay it forward yet in this new world but I most definitely will when the opportunity arises.
My colleague brought me daffodils from her yard to brighten my day! I plan to bring her some blooms from my yard to return the favor.
I was sent a lovely card in the mail (something that wasn’t a bill!) and I plan to pay it forward by sending a physical note to people telling them how much I appreciate them and how much I am looking forward to seeing them in person.
Last week, my boss sent me a little care package with a coffee cup filled with confetti, and a little card thanking me for my support and help during this time of change. I work for a small nonprofit, with a staff of 5. We’ve all moved to working from home, and my job priorities shifted during the transition. Sometimes I get in my head about my work performance, but a small, kind gesture from my boss really shows me how appreciated I am and how the hard work I do is noticed.
I had a virus two weeks ago (probably not “the” virus but who knows) and my HR business partner checked in on me at the weekend. I felt recovered enough to log in on Monday morning but she’d spoken to my boss and they insisted I take a whole extra day to fully recover so I could come back completely rested. I was amazed how much of a difference it made.
My colleague gave me a shout out in a company meeting for all the virtual events we have been hosting recently to keep people engaged. I plan to give a shout out to someone else from my team soon to pay it forward.
Some local Ninjas and I have started a sort of impromptu best practices round table. This helps us connect with others locally and in our field during this difficult time, while also fueling ideas about how to best support our companies and teams. It’s hard to keep up with changes every day (or even every hour) and this helps us spread the work.
Since we started working from home, all the admins have a weekly WebEx call to discuss what is happening in their parts of the world and to stay connected. My boss and my immediate team have started to have weekly WebEx calls to stay in touch as well. In a sense, we feel more connected now than when we were at the office everyday!
Our corporate office has been sending weekly virtual challenges each week to to keep everyone connected virtually. So far we’ve had a crazy sock contest, childhood photo – who am I?, and this week we are sharing photos of us participating in our favorite sport, activity or hobby. This has been a lot of fun and it’s a way to keep us connected virtually. Seeing that my boss engages and participates makes it a lot of fun and encourages us to participate in the fun!
Since our shelter in place began and my organization transitioned to working from home, my manager in our weekly check ins makes it a point to ask me how I’m doing outside of just my normal work. To check in on how the transition has been, how am I doing mentally and ask if there is anything they can do to help make anything easier for me. This extends beyond just work and the extra thought in these times is extremely meaningful.
I work for a state agency. Before this COVID-19 crisis, our agency averaged about 15-20% working from home at any point in time. When this crisis hit, the agency Director and executive management quickly made it possible for almost 90% of our workforce to work from home. While this is probably a no-brainer for many companies, for us it is a huge deal! I think all of us appreciate it more than we can say, and our response has been to continue the high level of professionalism and productivity we maintained on site.
It starts from the top. The director goes out of her way to compliment and encourage and especially listen. With everything happening in the world currently a lot of people just need a moment to feel heard. You can see that happen all the way down the hierarchy. People taking moments to listen or encourage each other.
My best friend and fellow admin pointed me toward a series of speed mentoring webinars going on throughout the shutdown. They’ve been great in reminding me that I’m not in this alone.
Congratulations to Corina Terrell for being an Office Ninja All-Star!
Our manager really goes above and beyond to reach out during this time and make sure everyone knows what is available for us, the availability for questions and/or concerns. She even sends EAs extra emails “in case you missed this from the company” with programs and things like book clubs that are done via Zoom in hopes to keep the comradery. Coming from an extrovert stuck at home – it is MOST welcomed (thank you Jackie Taddei!)
Looking forward to hearing tips, tricks and staying connected!
I check in with my co-workers and always end my messages by telling them to stay safe.
I have a Manager that goes above and beyond to mentor and teach. I plan to pay it forward by doing the same with those I manage in the future!
I had a coworker delivery an HDMI cable so I could work from home with two monitors when I was sick. It was so thoughtful and he went very much out of his way!
I’m new in my position with my current organization and everyone has been so helpful and understanding as I learn the ropes. We’ve stayed open during the pandemic and my supervisor regularly checks in with me to see how my family and I are doing personally. I pay it forward by remaining positive and uplifting as I support my team. I consistently get feedback that my attitude is appreciated!
I’ve been working remotely on and off for 4 years. I enjoy the flexibility and the work life balance.
The girl who sits across the isle from me – Txted me just to check in and see how I was doing with all this change ( I am going threw a divorce during this pandemic and my dog just passed away a month ago) When we were in the office she didnt want to verbally ask me but wanted me to know she was there – and offered to be a set of ears and buy me a coffee. She said she knows sometimes talking about it helps clear your head and can make work more enjoyable :) So grateful for her. To pay it forward I am going to remember her desire to be an amazing college and real person while keeping things private for me… and do that for soemone else :) evenif its a little pick me up piece of candy left on someones desk –
Our office is full of OfficeNinjas (regardless if they realize it or not). I’m grateful to be part of such a fantastic team!
The staff in my office have been teleworking, but I have had to go into the office every Friday to scan and send important items to others, prepare check deposits, and other tasks that cannot be performed remotely. My awesome manager went to the office when I was not in, measured six feet around my desk and placed painter’s tape around it to make sure that everyone maintains a safe social distance.
This year’s Admin Professionals Week will be one for the books. Our whole firm of almost 1,000 across the state has been working from home, with the exception of our Admin staff. We have been tirelessly coming in every day, or working from home, to make sure that our clients needs are taken care of. While we have been an office of 3-5 (instead of 200), we’ve been giving permission to order in lunch every day and charge it to our teams. Our office manager has been very generous as well, bringing us little gifts of gratitude. My team leader left a gift on my desk over the weekend. I was very surprised. The admin staff will be having “lunch” via webex on Wednesday to celebrate our special day!!!
During this time of crisis my ex boss sent me a planner with some inspirational notes which was very unexpected but I really appreciated it.
I plan to pay it forward by checking in on colleagues who are invisible during this time due to their jobs relying on heavy office work and without an office it can be challenging to feel appreciated.
We refer to our people in a range of different ways (Navacado’s, Navanaut’s, Nava[something]) and some of the designers made emoji avatars for some of the most used. To say thank you/pay it forward and to help the Navacado’s feel more connected while we’re WFH during COVID19 lockdowns, I had some of the avatars made into stickers and magnets and sent out to everyone, along with some small goodies.
My fellow office ninja left me flowers on Saturday to help me celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary. It was such a nice gesture and made my day.
Since we can’t have our usual birthday celebrations in office as usual, my boss sent me a whole cake delivered to my home on my birthday! It’s hard to make a quarantine birthday special but this meant a lot. I’m inspired to make team birthdays even more special particularly while we are all still under shelter in place.
I still have to go into our office once or twice a week to check on the mail and water plants. My CEO checked if I had gone and said, hey I’m going in, I’ll check the mail, but I have left a bottle of wine on your desk for the next time you come in :)
Everyone at our company throughout the world are helping those in need during this terrible Pandamic. I am so proud to be working for AIG. #AIGCares
Our Office Manager does an amazing job at making sure people are seen, even people in our Ops team who may not be given that much recognition. He wrote a very kind appreciation for me and shared with the agency over Slack, which inspired me to do the same for him and my other colleagues.
I just started my admin job in early March. I was previously doing client work, but my boss noticed that I love organization, procedures, and connecting people. She really advocated to our ED that we should create and office administrator position and that I should be the one to fill it. She helped me prep for interviews, write my cover letter, and encourage me to head in the right direction. Now here I am, month 2 and absolutely loving it!! She already knows that I think she is the best boss, but I do think I should pay it forward by using my new role to advocate for her and our client services team. Also maybe a cup of coffee… because who doesn’t love coffee!!!
Two colleague’s had to work a food and wine festival for work at one of the happiest places on earth, and upon their return, they brought me back my favorite treats from the park, and another gave me a special pair of ears that were given out for the celebration.
Because I’m the only admin, how I plan to pay it forward, at least during these times, is to celebrate them this week with a text, card, etc.
My organization has been incredible during the COVID-19 shutdown and although many of us are working from home, we are taking care of those that can not and are still considered essential by providing weekly gift cards for grocery store delivery so that they don’t have to also worry about going into the stores. I hope to follow suit for my personal team who is still having to rotate in once weekly.
Since shelter in placed began, we have one of our support staff members who goes to the office daily to scan documents to us, deliver legal documents that can’t be signed through docusign and requires original sigatures to our owners, or mails out packages through UPS, etc. He’s been such a tremendous help. In appreciation I sent him and his wife a gift certificate for dinner at BJ’s restaurant to let him know how much he is apprecaited as it’s keeping us from going into the office.
One of our vendors is a local restaurant who like others is creating ways to keep his business afloat. I shared that with our KS office and he’s bringing me a “weekly meal kit” for my efforts. I plan on sharing that with my mother/father in law who are elderly and also our neighbors. (There is only 3 of us, so this will be way more food than we need)
I was recently thanked by a team member who was leaving the company for sharing my caring demeanor while making the COVID-19 work situation a bearable process with an uplifting attidude.
Our company has always had a great culture and I feel it is a privilege to work for them. They have been even more incredible during this crisis with additional touch base meetings, motivational emails, being very transparent with what is going on in the company and how the crisis is effecting our employees and our business. It is just a very positive place to be and I continue to feel valued for all I do!
We have a weekly Virtual Happy Hours to decompress and connect while we’re working away from the office. We play online games (Drawful is hilarious!). I have some friends who work for other companies that I’ve suggested it to.
I recently had to schedule a Webex meeting. Telepresence and Webex are brand new equipment that were in the process of being installed right before the Global Pandemic hit, so I did not yet have training. Our Office Manager took time from her busy day and taught me how to schedule the Webex meeting using Telepresence, while sharing screens over Skype. I’ll certainly pay it forward and do the same for any colleague that needs to learn how to schedule Webex meetings before our official training commences when we’re back in the office.
Recently, our firm has begun a wellness program by video for the whole company to stay focuse don physical and mental self-care. I am so thankful for little things like that, and look forward to our zoom happy hour each week as well.
Just last week my co-worker had to physically go to our offices to pick up some work items. While he was there, he sent me an IM and asked me if I wanted him to water my office plant! I was so grateful to him for doing that because I knew my over ten year old plant might die without me there and our offices aren’t in the same area. I don’t quite know exactly what I will do to pay if forward, but I might pick him up a coffee once we are back at work.
This will be fun especially when a lot of us are home working.
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My job has been extremely supportive of the WFH situation that we are all facing. They gave everyone a $300 WFH stipend to purchase items to make working from home more comfortable and supportive to your workflow! My manager has done daily check-ins to see how I’m doing with our “new normal,” and our relationship is stronger than ever!
Recently, several staff members including me in their family celebrations. It made me feel special to be included. I’ve also received several personal thank you notes from various staff members which really made me feel like the extra steps I take to serve are truly appreciated.
Due to Covid-19, the company for which I work made the difficult decision to restructure. I was responsible for meeting with all exiting employees to oversee the return of equipment and collection of personal property. It was a long, emotionally draining day. Thirty-minutes before the close of the day, one of my now former-coworkers sent me an e-gift card for a local restaurant with a message urging me to take care of myself by getting dinner on the way home and thanking me for my kindness and support. I was sad, exhausted, and suffering from “survivors” guilt. The message and ability to skip having to cook when I got home was the emotional boost I needed to make it to the weekend.
Taking this kind gesture as a guide, I recently participated in a fundraiser for area hospital workers. The apartment complex at which my employer rents corporate housing was asking residents to purchase gift cards from an area restaurant, which in turn would be used to provide a day of meals for healthcare heroes. As a result of my and fellow donors’ contributions, over 200 employees at an area medical facility were fed hot meals to keep them energized throughout the day. It was/is less than they deserve, but it was a way for me to say thanks and offer support from afar. Something I know from personal experience can do a world of good.
I love Office Ninja’s
My manager has been extremely supportive as I (as well as many others) have had to navigate the challenges of working from home and being a parent. I’ve really appreciated that.
I was recently having a hard time, but didn’t acknowledge it and one of my manager’s asked me how I was doing during a regular huddle. When I answered my manager asked, do you want to dive deeper into what that really means? It threw me off but I appreciated that even virtually my boss picks up on the subtle things I don’t say and made me feel cared for and valued. I have started using the same thing when talking to colleagues and even with my manager in case there are days that aren’t as good as others during this time.
Hello my name is Shelly Goode and I am the Credentialing/Administrative Assistant here at the Carrell Clinic.
I own a virtual assistance agency and also am a VEA. I have been so lucky, during this darn pandemic, to receive referrals and requests to partner. My colleagues have been amazing! I intend to do the same. Refer people to my biz partners! :)
A coworker had left me flowers for my desk during this uncertain time. It is the small things that make times like this a little bit easier.
Had a family emergency on Sunday 4/11 (Aunt & Uncle in bad car accident), and I had to drop everything and drive from NYC to TN where the accident was, and then get them home to MI. My manager & company in general were so understanding and accommodating. Such a relief to be able to focus on my family and not worry about work. Everyone was so amazing and concerned. Talk about feeling motivated to do well – they’ve won my loyalty!!
My manager and several co-workers have reached out to see how I’m doing. It’s nice to hear from others while we are sheltered in place. I also reach out to others for a quick check in.
I set up a Zoom meeting for a few assistants to test the features before we had to help our managers and teams with Zoom meetings. One assistant showed us how to change the virtual background and we had so much fun we were cry-laughing! We all needed that!
My VP of Sales is always bringing me my caffeinated drink of choice, making sure I’m good with lunches or checking in. His generosity is never unnoticed, and I’ll reciprocate whenever I can beat him to the punch!
Love! Love! Love!
I’ve been working my tail off researching insurance policies and calling insurance companies to verify if telehealth is allowed for speech and occupational therapy so we can continue to serve our patients while maintaining social distancing. My boss, and owner of the company, surprised me by picking me up a coffee to perk me up mid-afternoon. It may seem like a small gesture, but to me it was so appreciated!
We’re all facing an unprecedented and interesting time. I am an individual contributor for an essential business and a subset of our employee base is still going into the office. Several of my onsite co-workers have really been stepping up regularly to lend me a hand during this challenging time. I couldn’t imagine handling it all on my own and I appreciate their time and effort. I pay it forward by doing what I can to support and enable everyone during this time and arrange special snacks, like a donut delivery this morning :D We’re all in this together: professionally, personally, and as a community.
Recently someone on my team sent me a Starbucks gift card in appreciation for my efforts on various projects – it was totally unexpected, but appreciated. I’m planning to buy the coffee/breakfast for whoever is behind me when I order – it’s always nice to randomly surprise someone, especially when times are tough.
I stayed in the office while we coordinated our staff to get sent home to work remotely during this Pandemic. I came in one morning and i had a post it note that read “U R Amazing” and was left unsigned. It warmed my heart that someone went out of their way to leave me a personal note but was puzzled as to who left it since 90% of our staff was already home. The following day another note was left.. “U Rock”.. and again the 3rd day. I was racking my head on who is leaving me these notes when one of the staff stopped by and said “did you get my notes”. I told her how I appreciated them and was so thoughtful. She said she just wanted to thank me for my work and it didn’t go unnoticed and wanted to remind me how awesome I am. :)
Reaching out in these uncertain times, we really do have a wonderful support system!
Our Assistant Superintendent sent out a small envelope to all of our employees. It stated how blessed he felt that I was employed and looked forward to my positive attitude every single morning. I in turn, sent a letter to a director, not mine, and stated how I missed her.
A fellow office ninja sent me cookies during this pandemic as a sweet treat
I’m currently unemployed, but several of my fellow ninja friends have been checking in on me via text and video chat. It’s the little things!
Our CEO’s EA always goes above and beyond to make us feel special on Admin Day. This year looked very different since we would not be in the office to celebrate. I had actually forgotten our day was coming up, until she reached out for everyone’s address so she could send us our goodies at home. It was so amazing to receive actual mail (not junk mail), and I love my little to-do list pad she sent! I had already ordered her a gift to be delivered on Admin day, but she inspired me to send out a few care packages to my fellow EAs to hopefully brighten up their days a bit!
My boss sent me the best care package ever: a nice bottle of tequila, his famous margarita recipe (and all the necessary ingredients) plus chips, salsa, and other snacks. We then had a zoom margarita party with the team. Super fun and thoughtful.
Recently I have been asked to help in several different areas to help get our company of ~1,000 employees set up with remote system access and assist with logistics for staff to safely pick up equipment to take to their home offices. My manager doesn’t typically outwardly recognize my contributions and value to our organization, but after this, he gave me a great shout-out via email to the Executive Leadership Team.
To pay it forward, I have been especially aware of people going out of their way or doing something out of their regular job to make sure projects get done or provide assistance where they wouldn’t have previously.
It’s amazing how motivating an occasional “kudos” can be!
My employer allowed me the flexibility to work from the hospital room while my husband was admitted. In kind, I have helped a fellow admin watch her 8 year old son in the office when he had a fever and couldn’t attend school.
My EA Team regularly checks in with me and not only gives business updates, but also how they are doing in there personal lives and fun memes and updates. It reminds me every day to check in with my team not only professionally, but personally too!
During the pandemic, it’s been hard to keep in touch with friends and family. My grandmother sent us a very nice card recently and it reminded me how fun it is to get nice things in the mail. A few days later, a close friend of mine lost her long time boyfriend (not to COVID but still – what a terrible time to go through a loss!) Since then I’ve been sending her mail every day or so to let her know that I’m “there” without “being there.”
One of my supervisors called to check in on me. He knows that I am home alone right now during this pandemic and he wanted to be sure I was doing OK. It means a lot to me to be thought of as a person first before and admin. It makes me want to do that much more for him and the company.
A coworker came by my house to drop off a coffee and pastry at my front door as a surprise. The unprovoked gesture was very welcome as I had previously expressed to this individual that I was having a rough day. It was so nice to 1) have someone to listen, and 2) have someone that took initiative to try and make my day a little bit better. I try to keep this in mind everyday and look for simple opportunities to make the right or better choice. Our world would be a better place if folks recognized and practiced small gestures regularly.
As our country mends and rebuilds from the massive effects of COVID-19, I have witnessed and been touched by so many acts of kindness.
My goal is to serve others through selfless acts of kindness. Given that, just one week ago I was honored to be contacted by a former Executive leader with a request for urgent help.
His daughter is a doctor in Boston and needed Facemasks immediately for the front line. We quickly shifted into action without missing a beat and we haven’t worked together in 17 years!
While he gathered materials for the task, I pulled the skills of former sister assistants. Supplies were delivered to the super assistant seamstresses who worked tirelessly making masks; dealing with everything from sewing machine problems to elastic issues.
Within three days, the needed Facemasks were made, sent via FedEx to Boston and delivered to all residents. My heart is full.
There is nothing more fulfilling than having a former executive leader call on you for help except having former team EA’s and forever friends be so quick to step in and help.
I am thankful – – – small acts of kindness.
Someone in another office, on another team, reached out recently just to see how I was doing. Not to ask anything or to request help with anything — a pure check in. And the unexpected kindness in this season of extra stress was much appreciated.
During a morning call we asked the team what they would like to see in a care package – I secretly took notes and have sent everyone at least a version of what they said they would like!
Few co-workers has checked on me especially in these tough times.
Every Monday I send out a Weekly News Blast to our faculty and staff that includes news, encouragement, updates, and a calendar of upcoming events. I received a very detailed thank you for the emails recognizing my work and sharing their appreciation. It was so sweet to be acknowledged for something that I frankly see as mundane. It had an impact on me and reminded me how important appreciation is – even for small “mundane” tasks.
The Project Coordinator for our group often gets overlooked during Administrative Professionals Day/Week although she steps in and does whatever needs to be done. Being that we are teleworking, and she lives in a remote area, I’ve contacted her local coffee house to make sure her next coffee/pastry, or two, is on me.
I had a colleague order lunch delivered to my home for my wedding anniversary since we couldn’t go out. It was really awesome to be acknowledged that way. I hope to pass it on for someone else’s at-home celebration,.
I was nominated by another staff member for our company wide service award. I continue to pay it forward with the other staff by hosting a weekly check in meeting for all staff. I send an email at least once a week to different fellow staff members thanking them for something they are doing to make my life easier while we are working from home.
Shared tips on how to use Zoom and Teams as we work from home with me. I have shared these tips with other Office Ninjas to help them be successful.
I was recently hired to a new position and staff are now working from home due to COVID-19. The HR manager has reached out to check up on me and provide support. In turn, I’ve now stepped up to the plate to elevate my support to HR (which is a different Dept. than my own) during our year end performance reviews and allow them more resources to meet their deadlines.
A co-worker has checked in to make sure I am doing okay during this shelter in place. I appreciate the time she took to do this. I have done the same for other co-workers.
In an effort to keep employees connected, I hosted Fluorescent Friday and had employees post photos of themselves, family and pets in bright colors. One employee reached out to me separately to say “thank you” for creating these type of events. It really is a simple thank you that makes a difference.
I have been keeping active in my personal life by helping the local animal shelters that I volunteer with in their efforts for virtual fundraisers. I also am a regular volunteer at our local food pantry and helped out with drive-thru distribution this past weekend.
With everything going on, my boss has been very forthright about the financial status of the company and our jobs. It takes the stress out of the guessing game to know where we all stand!
Our teams worked tirelessly and without warning to revamp all of our websites and mobile apps due to COVID-19. The managers reached out to me to put together a goodie box which was mailed to each team member. I designed the communications and coordinated the mailings. The outpouring of appreciation has been very uplifting.
Happy Admin Week ya’ll!
Before the Pandemic issues, one of my fellow Admins was graciously was willing to cover an employee family event for me while I had to go out for a surgery. It was no small task and she was able to pull it off and manager it very smoothly. I did appreciate all the hard work she put into organizing and hosting it, and granted her one of our company’s honor awards and many thanks. :)
While most of our EA’s are at home remotely working, there are two at the office running everything. When my mail shows up as a scan in my in box I am so grateful. One of them loves Anthropologie and the other loves books I am organizing the remote EA’s together to send gift cards to our in the office team.
Back in March, when we first learned that we we’re going to have to work from home, I suggested to all the EA’s company-wide, from San Francisco, Houston and Toronto, that we schedule a weekly video call catch up to discuss any challenges that we might be encountering during this unprecedented time. It’s been invaluable and has really brought us all that much closer together. I’m the newest EA on the team and have learned tips, tricks and shortcuts from the others, we’ve had the opportunity to meet everyone’s four-legged friends, we’ve laughed, we’ve smiled and truly have been more connected now than before. Plus, one of our fellow EA’s introduced us to Office Ninja’s which we would not know about had we not dedicated this time to connect with each other. I sincerely hope we continue to connect this way once we’re all back and working from the office again, I know it will be a challenge to find the time and our four-legged friends won’t be by our sides…but it’s been so rewarding, uplifting and has really helped solidify our relationships. Though we don’t see each other every day, each and every one of the EA’s in our international company truly exemplifies the meaning of teamwork and I am so grateful to be part of such a wonderful group of supportive EA’s!
A colleague of mine – who lives in another country – makes it a point every week to have a call with me during this COVID lockdown and check in on my well-being. It’s been so lovely having these chats that I started a weekly session for the other admins in my organization.
Due to Covid 19 our venue has been closed. We have a core group of managers that are scheduled to work in the office and our Director of Operations created the schedule so that I can work from home allowing me the opportunity to have more time to do online learning with my son. I plan on creating a nice thank you basket with things he likes to show him my appreciation for his support as it means a lot to me and my family.
I work as HR in a retirement community. One of our nurses left me a card thanking me for all of my hard work, positive attitude and just overall being helpful and kind. She didn’t realize how much I needed that card at the point in time. I’ve always made it a point to thank individuals for everything they do but I’m trying to be more vigilant about it so that those individuals truly know how appreciative I am of them.
To all of my colleagues who nominated me for the Chicago 2020 Admin Awards. It was very unexpected to have 9 people submit nominations on my behalf and I am forever grateful.
During all the COVID-19 pandemic, my fellow admin rocked taking care of all the canceled flights, conference, hotels, etc. She kept a log of flight credits, conference credits, credit card refunds and completely rocked the process not missing a detail. She is my Rock Star!
My manager recently comped a move for me after learning it was to purchase my daughter a new bedroom set. We usually get a discount but she said this one was on the house!
My supervisor and I have been sharing recipes & workouts to help keep us sane through all this
Being seen by one of my coworkers. In a recent video meeting, I was repeatedly talked over, even when a question was directed to me specifically. After the meeting, this coworker reached out to make sure I was heard and to reassure me I have a voice in these matters. My goal is to be a better communicator (slow down, listen, watch, really hear the people I am talking to) with co-works and clients.
A fellow office ninja surprised me with a nice cheerful reusable water bottle, lotion, and a sign for adding custom messages for my desk. The sign is so fun! It’s really made me try to communicate appreciation to others throughout the week.
We’re an event-based organization so the switch to remote working caused dramatic changes in our programming. Our team has been working really hard to switch over programs, so our boss “closed” the office last Friday to give us extra time to work on self-care and our mental health. I pay this forward by checking in with my teammates and making sure they’re committing to forms of self-care in their routine daily!
#COVID19 Living – Recently I was unable to find bleach anywhere. A coworker learned of this and delivered some. I was able to pay it forward when another colleague expressed the need for gloves. We are a close knit family that takes care of one another.
On many occasions my fellow Admin. Assistant has stepped in and took minutes for meetings that I wasn’t able to stay late for.
When my company started self-isolation, I came up with a competitive game for one of my teams to encourage them to walk/get outside everyday. My exec mentioned it to the leadership team, now several teams are using the same model to encourage movement and team engagement.
A coworker of mine handed out brownie kits to us all before we left for working from home. Each kit had a brownie mix, a spatula, and an oven mitt with a cute phrase stitched on it. It was the perfect treat to make from home and we all sent each other pictures of our brownies and our families enjoying them.
I am planning on making some more sweet treats (And healthy ones!) to drop off at some of my colleagues homes as a DIY “Snack Kit” for our work from home offices.
Within my first week as an EA, a fellow Ninja (at another company!) reached out to provide guidance and advice “from the trenches” which would help me succeed in my new role. More than that, she has served as a mentor for me over the last YEAR, checking in weekly and sometimes daily. I am so thankful for the giving spirit that is evident throughout the administrative profession. I try to embody this by sharing resources and providing encouragement to other admins through online communities.
Just found out a coworker has been sewing masks, and made one for me. I have other friends that are struggling with COVID-19 in another state. And I’d like to find a way to send them something that will create ease and encourage peace in their home. Not sure what that is yet, but I’m brianstorming.
Happy Admin week to all!
During Stay At Home, my manager has set up daily check-ins, which are for business, but also just for personal time to catch up with our administrative team. We’ve been swapping great TV shows and movie, recipes and stories of what we’ve been up to. I’ve been able to Pay It Forward by offering suggestions for business and personal activities to help keep everyone productive.
Our people team decided to surprise our entire company with their favorite candy, to help make WFH a little bit sweeter. I was in charge of ordering 80 different bulk sized candies and shipping them to 80 different addresses. It was well worth it when all of the thank you Slacks, Instagram tags, and heartfelt emails came through. What I didn’t expect is that my boss, our People Director, surprised me with my own big thing of candy. My beloved Peanut Chews. It was totally unexpected and I got teary eyed when I opened the random package that showed up at my home and read her note. I am now rationing the 100 bars and every time I treat myself to one I think of her (and our companies) kindness. When you work behind the scenes you aren’t often on the receiving end of things like this, it was so wonderful to be on the other side and totally surprised by it.
Someone left a flamingo statue on my desk the other day. No note or anything – just an awesome flamingo to enjoy! I plan to check in with some of my more outgoing colleagues that are struggling with working remotely via video chat.
Our CPO sent flowers to all of us admins to bring a little color into our lives that were suddenly confined mostly indoors since the Covid-19 WFH situation started and regulary sends encouraging emails and asking how things can be better. Just makes it comforting to know they care. I plan on checking in with my friends, colleagues and ex colleagues to see how they are doing and just for some conversation – sometimes knowing someone else cares and is thinking about you goes a long way in lifting spirits and we all need that right now.
During our stay-at-home orders, our Senior Accountant has been going to the office a couple of times a week to pick up the mail and water the plants. It is worth mentioning that one of our company values is ‘Grow Together’ and we gave each employee a small plant for their desk a few days before we were sent home to work. He’s been watering over 70 plants per week! I’ve offered to help, and he says that he doesn’t mind taking care of the tasks. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s doing these days. I’ll take him a batch of homemade cookies when we can return to the office, and lunch is on me when the restaurants start to open.
My marketing team recently did something unexpected for me! It’s my birthday and I pass around a card for the team of 23 people to sign and pick up a birthday treat. Since we are all working remotely someone on my team collected everyone’s birthday wishes and wrote them in a card and mailed it to my house! I’m paying this forward by collecting well-wishes for my admin team for Admin Week! I will be sending the card and a gift to their homes.
I was so appreciative of the pizza, wings, cookies and drinks that our Administrative Director and Department Staff Assistant provided to show their appreciation during this difficult time. I plan to continue to work diligently to promote quality patient care and also, maintain a positive attitude during this difficult time. Thank You
Last week I received in the mail an adorable “COVID-19 Survival Kit” from my manager and his wife. It was an early Admin appreciation gift with assorted cookies, goodies and a bottle of Fiji water. The cookies were decorated in icing with a roll of toilet paper and a mask along with a “prescription” pack to eat one a day! Also a very sweet hand written note expressing their appreciation for all I do to support him. Very cute and thoughtful:)
The plan I already have in place to pay it forward is keeping coworkers and fellow Ninjas in close virtual contact, especially those who live alone. We are keeping each other sane and positive by our chats and virtual Happy Hours.
I was nominated for Heroes award at work for my efforts in working with the Community Helping coordinate the delivery of hot meals to our Frontline workers during the Covid Pandemic. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for my team of Admins who stepped up to help me. So I nominated them for this same award because it takes a team to make this happen for our hospital. To date we have received and distributed over 4,000 donated meals from members of our community and have delivered to our front line staff working during this pandemic.
My coworker knows that I am trying to stay motivated and work out regularly. She found workouts that she thought I would like and sent them to me.
I got a really nice message from one of the ladies I work with. The words chosen to send to me, made my face light up. Sometimes all it takes is a nice note to make your day
We have a lunch pay it forward “game”. We surprise a person with lunch and a reason why they are awesome. The next week, the winner chooses the next person for the lunch.
We are a Design and Production company that works heavily with florals. When we closed our office there were a bunch of flowers we were going to be unable to use for events and the company allowed everyone to take home bouquets. It was really uplifting to look over and see the bright, jolly flowers and be reminded that, though we are all working remotely and apart, we are still a valued team!
I received thank you flowers and a nice note with it or a random (and very unexpected) video call just to check-in and say hi! Over the past few weeks, I’ve been calling and chatting with colleagues, sharing emails with positive/funny messages… Simple and smalls things also make a difference!
I’m going on week 5 of complete isolation and was really struggling last week. One of my work colleagues reached out to me to check in with a video call. It wasn’t work-related; she genuinely was just checking in with me to see how I was doing. After our call, I found a meeting pop up in my calendar for a “happy hour” check-in call for the next week. It was a small action, but it made such an impact on my mindset. We’ve all been so focused on how to transition our work to home and she really put the effort in to transition how we connect as friends as well. It’s a priority of mine now to reach out to different friends and colleagues every week, just to see how they’re doing and send them some positivity.
A group of admins have been scheduling zoom calls to check in regularly with each of us. I then scheduled a zoom call with another group to check in. It has been great reconnecting with admins all across the country and Canada
My boss brought me a box of fancy chocolates just because. It was very thoughtful of him, since he hardly ever shows his mushy side, as he always has his work face and demeanor on all the time.
Since working from home, a colleague of mine has had her tasks lightened, while mine have been increased. She has volunteered to help me and took over a big project! It’s been a blessing! I how to find an opportunity to bless her in the same way when we’re back in the office!
One of our co-workers children colored Easter cards for us and she put them on our desks for a sweet surprise when we each came in last week! I plan to pay it forward with specialized notes of thanks through this admin week.
An anonymous colleague set an energy drink on my desk one day… I figured it out, now we do this regularly when we can sneak it on one another’s desk without anyone seeing, so simple but it makes for a happy day. I try to keep the anonymous giving around the office, before the WFH, early one day I ran into the store to grab a couple of things and saw some beautiful sunflowers that just looked so happy. So before they arrived, I set a bouquet on the desk of everyone in HR thanking them for what they do, anonymously. I have my admin team leave candy or encouraging notes on desks, it brings a smile to the group.
I started a new job three weeks before the worked from home program started. I work in banking and some of our associates have been working around the clock to support the PPP program. I started a weekly MSTeams coffee & connections meeting for the administrative professionals to connect and share how they’re supporting their teams it has been a great opportunity for us to share ideas, support each other, and stay connected.
A co-worker reached out to check on me. She had noticed I’d been sharing some struggles I’d been having around my work and the pandemic, and she wanted me to know she appreciated me. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone, and reminded me of the supportive power of community. I realized I had been thinking about a co-worker, and I immediately reached out to them to check in – extending the circle of caring.
Thank you note from a cohort after showing her how to set up ZOOM meetings.
I got a public shoutout from our CEO in front of the executive team for my work in revamping our timeline and prep process for our all staff meetings. It was short and simple, but the acknowledgement that it helped to make us better prepared and therefore execute the meeting better was really appreciated.
I recently moved into a new home that was not move in ready. A coworker heard I was struggling and dropped everything at work to come to the new home and help clean up so I could unpack. No questions asked, she was just here! I used EZ caterers to have a nice dinner sent to her and her hubby so she could relax and not cook the next night. It’s wonderful to know that some people we work with can also be like family!!!
Part of my role at our office is to route all of the incoming mail. In order to keep me from coming into the office every week during our state’s Stay-At-Home order, a couple members of our tax team, who are required to report to the office anyway, are pulling the mail, and sending it to my house to process. I truly appreciate them adding one more thing to their plate, to make my work from home life easier. I pulled some of our higher end swag items, and gave to them to say a small thanks, but I plan on treating them to lunch when we’re all back in the office full time!
More contact with my executive since she is not traveling so much.
I had to schedule Zoom interviews for 2 new faculty members with 14 people each. The second one I started on a Wednesday morning with a Doodle poll and closed that afternoon. All of the Zoom interviews were scheduled by Thursday morning to start interviewing on Thursday afternoon. It was crazy and the first set of interviews were overlapping the second. All of them needed an introduction and a short stint with me hosting the meeting before turning them over. One of my fellow Admins, whom I’ve never met in person and hadn’t worked with until that week, sent me a message telling me how well she thought I had done and how smoothly the process worked for all involved. It really made my day. I’m going to make sure that I call it out when I see someone crushing it.
Another admin and I installed a keyboard tray for a colleague. The next week, we came in to work to find that the colleague had bought us each a tool kit as a thank you for our help. They have come in handy so many times!
Recently, a colleague surprised me with sending lunch to me by using a delivery vendor like a grub hub. I will be doing the same with my fellow admins while staying at home.
With being out of the office and on a work from home schedule, there are certain employees that are needed to go to the office, such as the facilities manager. She was kind enough to make sure to water the live plants that anyone had at thier desk since they are not able to be there. Just one small gesture of kindess in that way got lots of thank yous. During this time, I think the best way to pay it forward is just by offering a kind word or a phone call to ask someone how they are during this time and that is going to be greatly appreciated.
A co-worker reached out to see how I was doing and sent me photos of her dog and kids to cheer me up! We have a great relationship and we are keeping each other’s spirits up by checking in and sending each other words of encouragement and things to make each other laugh.
A fellow admin at work set up a bi-weekly virtual happy hour for admins to attend while we are all working from home. It’s a great way to connect and let off a little steam during this crazy time.
One of my colleagues has been bringing me things so I can work remotely, and then taking my trash away (I broke my kneecap recently.) I live 25 mils from the office. He’s getting a nice gift when I get back to work.
My boss has a group Skype set up for our team where we all check in on each other, share pet and kid pictures, talk about the weather and what we’re doing during the Stay At Home order. The whole shift to working remotely is something completely new for my organization, and having someone who is flexible and understanding, who checks in on all of us, has been really helpful during this weird pandemic time.
During our second week of quarantine in Chicago, I made my slack status a donut with the comment “tbh I’m just really craving a donut”. My manager messaged me about it saying it was funny, I told her I wish I had some, and 5 minutes later she slacks me back and says “Well, you have Do Rite donuts on the way, they should be delivered to you by 10am!!”. She had literally ordered donuts to be delivered to me when I mentioned that I was wanting some. <3 She is the sweetest.
To pay it forward, it's actually her birthday today, and myself and a few coworkers had a gift card to a local Peruvian restaurant delivered to her apartment, and then gave her an extensive list for how she can take a "trip" to Peru, from her couch! Including a Google Earth exploration into Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Lima.
Since we are an “essential business”, my small office staff has been working since the shelter at home orders started in our state. It has been stressful for all of them, so I have started a new policy of company paid lunches delivered a couple of times a month, as well as offering them a mental health day when they need it. These are practices that “big companies” use all the time that I feel work just as well for my small group.
While working from home, I think the nicest thing is when my fellow admins ask each other sincerely how we are doing. I have 3 young children, so working at home isn’t as easy for me as some of them, and it is nice to know they think of that and care.
Such a fun week for us all!
During this stressful time, my managers have encouraged me to take time throughout the day to do things for myself and take care of my mental health and to not stress too much about my productivity level, but to just try to accomplish one thing per day. Knowing that the opportunity for a break is there, along with taking the pressure off for having the same level of productivity, has seriously helped me destress and remain focused on my work during this time. When hearing from others, they are not always receiving the same support and I am incredibly thankful for the thoughtfulness and kindness of my managers. I try to pass this advice along to everyone that I speak to, especially those who are feeling overwhelmed.
I actually started the pay it forward (not a brag). Thanks to a Facebook Ad, I found the cutest individually wrapped cookies that said “Virtual Hug” and I sent them to my co-workers. I found out last week this inspired someone else to order something to pass it along. We are waiting to see what that is.
One of my Admin Co-workers has sewn and donated over 100 masks for COVID-19 for hospitals and also family, friends and co-workers. This has inspired me to send cards to my co-workers with encouraging messages, cards to co-workers kids and families who are taking part in company culture events. Also baking and delivering items to people as a surprise.
My manager has gone above and beyond for her team during this pandemic and the current work from home schedule. She has shown what makes a great manager. I plan to pay it forward by continuing to work hard and show her that we are doing what we can to continue to keep work flowing, and also by helping the community by donating or doing what I can during this time.
I can’t say one thing that stands out. My school and specific division are like our work family. Working from home has made us realize how much we truly need one another and miss the office interactions when we are on campus. We all get along and have always worked as a team. We are blessed to have a fair and kind leader whom we admire and respect.
My boss took a pay cut so that I didn’t have to…yet!
I check in with the other admins as we work remotely on a weekly basis.
We had a contract consultant working primarily with our operations team on a project, but I worked with him to recommend hotels/restaurants in the area, find guest office space in our office, and get his invoices processed timely. That next Christmas, he sent some small gifts in for the ops team he worked with…as well as one with my name on it! It was nice to be recognized as part of the team, even if I wasn’t involved in the project! This gesture has led to me to giving more credit to those involved in projects, no matter how small the role!
During this trying time, some of my family members and peers have been struggling with finding hand sanitizer to keep in their purses, especially, for when they are running to stores, etc. I had found a huge bottle in my office closet that I had purchased as a “gag gift” a couple of years ago – boy did that come in handy. I had small bottles of shampoos from traveling, emptied those into one large bottle and filled them with the sanitizer to hand out to those in need. So appreciated by my family and peers! We’ve also missed a couple of birthdays, as well as our annual luncheon and we cannot wait to be together again to celebrate health, safety and each other.
During these unprecedented times our leadership team has continually checked in on all of us to ensure we have adapted to work from home successfully. Being that our US admin team reports directly to me I take that lead and pay it forward by staying in touch with my team daily sending inspirational emails, talking to them on the phone to incorporate a human voice and having weekly video sessions with my team. Our leaders encourage us and I encourage my team.
Two colleagues awarded me for assisting them using our company’s recognition program. One for 25 points the other for 100 points which can be redeemed for various items or gift cards. I will look for more opportunities to do the same.
I am one of two “essential” employees out of 950 staff and work onsite for a full 11 hours every day. The other person happens to report to me. While working closely together every day, we have gotten into a great rhythm and are now in a groove that compliments each other perfectly. Knowing I was having a rough day Friday, she told me she would take over the shipping/receiving for the day so I could remote in from home and help take care of my sick husband. To let her know how much I thought of her, I made her a butter pecan cake-let with caramel drizzle. It’s her favorite flavor combo.
Now we’re both back in-office and working to get shipments of hand sanitizer and masks out to our field crew!
A co-worker and I exchanged Girl Scout cookies by mail (before the virus) – she’s in California and I’m in Georgia and we each had a flavor the other couldn’t get and wanted to try. In the box, she included a handful of candies from a candy maker in her area which was a sweet surprise. When we return to our offices, I’ll send her an Atlanta-themed basket of goodies to share with her team.
i have a colleague who’s not in the same dept, but we’re on the same floor and often collaborate. despite working for another dept, they always ask me if there’s anything they can do to help. and even jumps in and helps without me asking. I often submit their name in our company recognition program, personally thank them, and offer my help for whatever they need as well and pay it forward by extending my help to others around the office.
Love my Admin team at work! Since we have been working for home for an extended period of time now, our administrative professional have been meeting weekly via WebEx. Sharing informational company titbits as well as promoting learning opportunities for career growth.
Recently a colleague reached out and scheduled a virtual coffee chat, since we are all remote. It was such a positive and uplifting chat, it really helped my spirits on a tough week. I was grateful that she thought of me and recognized the importance of connecting. It is the little things that can change your attitude!
I received an email this morning from our EVP/CEO, just wishing me a good week and good health. I will pay it forward by emailing a similar message to other admins wfh.
Also, the local florist sent my Admin Professionals Day flowers last week. Our exec. admin phoned and apologized for the confusion, she said I was the only one at our company that received theirs early. The florist phoned and apologized for their mistake AND said I would get a second arrangement this week. I really didn’t give it a second thought, working from home all of the days blend together. The bonus flowers brighten my apartment living room/home office!
A fellow Ninja and I check in with each other to make sure we are both ok while working from home full time. Even though we may not see each other, we still have one another’s back.
I have recently picked up a few new directors to support at my job. They have been wonderful at checking in on me while everyone is working from home, and always make sure to ask if there’s anything they can do for me (a welcome change from the norm)! I try to pay it forward by reaching out to colleagues that I would not normally talk to on a daily basis just to check in – sometimes a simple note that says “Thinking of you” makes all the difference!
Received a really nice (and totally unexpected) gift from a team member! I going to follow her lead and surprise my current and former team members with spontaneous gifts of gratitude : )
We have been working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Philadelphia, One of my co-workers contacted me to make sure I am ok and if I need anything. I have been sending out emails to out Administrative staff every week encouraging them as they work from home and a few are going in three days a week and working 12 hour days. Today I sent them an encouragement message and then another one with a picture wishing them a Happy Administrative Professionals Week.
Just vocalizing support is something so wonderful during these times. I am working on a project with a group of women from across the country & we are all in different places (physically, work/home, etc.). They know I’m going through some hard times & just hearing them vocalize that they understand how hard things are right now is comforting. Comforting to know that I’m not alone. Comforting to know that I’m not crazy or making things bigger than they seem. Comforting to know that I can speak with them freely & receive support. And I’m happy to be that person for them too. Their reminders that they are thinking about me, offering to help me however they can, & checking on me means the world right now. Through this whole mess, I’m learning to bring compassion & patience into all of my conversations (work or home).
My office coworker gave me access to her special stash of dark chocolate! I’m missing that right about now! I plan to replenish it with some really nice chocolate when we are able to return to the office.
A colleague reached out to tell me how thankful they were that we work together and that they can always rely on me to be thorough. To pay it forward, I plan to make sure that I do the same to others that make coming to work each day a pleasure.
Louretta was furloughed, due to what’s going on in this world right now, but she still sends prayer emails to uplift all of us.
My co-workers and managers check in with me on a regular basis to see if I’m doing ok. I have planned a couple of virtual happy hours with my co-workers during the quarantine.
I have not been able to find any disinfecting wipes since this pandemic has started and I am a clean freak. One of my co-workers knew I was in desperation to find some and on their journeys they found a small travel pack and got it for me. Now I know this may be minor to some but it was extremely major to me! I did actually pay her back monetarily but I intend to catch her off guard and get her her favorite Starbucks when it reopens here.
Last week, one of our more senior-level admins sent our team flowers from both herself and her COO to encourage us all after a particularly vulnerable Happy Hour. The note said – your remote work drives (the company) forward. The message was small, but it made all the difference. I’ll be paying it forward (and especially this week) by saying an extra loud and genuine THANK YOU to those of us in the community, or otherwise, that may not hear those words enough.
Fellow Office Ninja Sherry sent me the cutest note in LinkedIn last week. It was unexpected and so nice. Definitely brought a smile to the day! I plan to do the same and find small connections throughout this week!
It’s been stressful moving to a fully virtual environment for our whole staff, especially for me since my job is literally to run our physical office. It’s meant taking on projects that don’t normally fall to me. But my Chief Administrative Officer has been checking in on me multiple times each week just to see how I’m feeling in all this craziness. Her attentiveness to me has inspired me to make sure I’m checking in frequently with my subordinates and help them manage their stress levels and emotions, too.
I have shared this with other Admins in our company. Sad we won’t be together this year. We usually do a lunch at a local restaurant. Happy Admin Week everyone out there. Remember you are special and we will get through this.
My office workers are always so good to acknowledge this day! They are a great group of people to work with & I am so lucky.
My coworker and fellow admin was out sick for a while and I picked up the extra workload (without expecting anything). She sent me the brightest happiest bouquet of flowers to the office. Made my day!
When this pandemic hit here, my boss went out of his way to make sure we all had masks available. He even went as far as making sure my husband had some since he works in the hospital. To pay it forward, i have been making homemade face masks and giving them away. Since I don’t have a sewing machine, this is a slow process. :)
With the COVID-19 crisis, our office is all teleworking. I had to drop off some paperwork at my boss’s house, who luckily lives only a few minutes away from me. She recently adopted a brand new puppy, and let the puppy out in the yard (with appropriate social distancing, of course) so that I could have some fun time while on a work errand. It really lifted my spirits!
My coworkers have been extremely helpful with sharing useful information to help with remote working.
I have been paying it forward by shopping for one of our admins that lives near me when I get out to grocery shop so she doesn’t have to get exposed.
A colleague sent me a little extra funds as my husband is currently unemployed due to the virus situation. She knows we may be struggling a little as a family of four. It was a major surprise and truly appreciated. I will think of some kind of token of my appreciation to give her when we are back in the office.
One of my co-workers knows how much a love sports, everytime she is at the store she grabs something sports related and i find it on my desk on monday mornings.
A fellow ninja that is my coworker is always helping me and “having my back”. She always goes above and beyond. Such as, she will set up meetings for me without even asking. She always gives me credit even though I ask her to take the credit. She goes to bat for me each and every time.
I received an uplifting, encouraging e-mail from a colleague who knew I was struggling with the isolation of being away from the office. She then scheduled a happy hour (something I’ve usually handled) to pull us all together. It was great to have a friendly shoulder to lean on and then get back to it!
One of the fellow Ninjas in my office knew that I had been going through a rough few weeks, so she gave me a piece of artwork that she had made in her spare time. I was so flattered that she had thought of me! I plan to pay it forward by checking in on my fellow Ninjas during these times and making sure I can help them if need be.
I share tips and tricks with other Exec Admins in my non-profit world.
I received a pack of lifesavers candy with a note that read “here is a lifesaver for a life saver. Thank you for always being so helpful.” I paid it forward by sending out a list of free admin resources, including Office Ninjas information to all of the Admins at my company.
Not gonna let this mess dampen our appreciation level of Admins around here! I started a “Secret Admin” gift exchange this year. Paired up 11 other admins within my organization, encouraged local shopping (delivery or curbside pickup), and the sending of positive memos or even a card throughout the week. Many of these admins have NEVER received recognition during admin week, so this was a fun and exciting way to support and love on each other…and who doesn’t like an unexpected delivery!
When we moved to remote work, I found that a lot of the systems admin work fell to me. I told one of my coworkers that the extra work had really been stressing me out, and she sent me a note and a little gift in the mail! That inspired me to start sending little notes to different coworkers every week, and I plan to keep doing that as long as we’re WFH.
I’d love to say that anyone I work with even wishes me a happy Admins day, but sadly they don’t. However, I plan to share this raffle and wish my fellow admins a awesome week!
My coworker bought me elastic for masks. I made 200 masks that were donated. I wouldn’t have been able to finish making them all had it not been for her. I gave the left over elastic to a friend making masks too
I belong to an engagement group at work and was pleasantly surprised that one of my colleagues (more manager than admin) brought up Admin Prof Day as something to celebrate this week before I mentioned it. Made me feel special!
For me, I share various admin postings in my LinkedIn group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1850031/) so that everyone is aware of the many training and learning options available to us.
One of my coworkers helped me with new software issues. I plan to check with our other admins to make sure they know how to use the new program.
The admins in my area are holding weekly virtual happy hours. It’s a great way to unwind and stay connected.
My best friend made several masks for me to wear during this pandemic – I work as an “essential” employee in a specialty medical office. Her thoughtfulness meant more than words can say. I try to pay it forward every day by bringing a smile to my colleagues, as well as our patients, with a smile of my own, a kind word, a kind gesture. These are very trying times, and oftentimes, just looking someone in the eye and saying a heartfelt “Thank you” means more than you will ever know.
One of my bosses surprised me with an appreciation gift today! While in quarantine that is extra special with the extra difficulty of: 1)shopping 2)delivering to a different office. I hope to find an opportunity to make someone else feel just as special or provide encouragement.
Happy Administrative Professionals Week!
My generous co-worker covered my lunch for me the other day. I paid it forward and paid for a strangers lunch the next day!
A marketing colleague recently designed a graphic that was specific all the things I bring to the office and life. She and I are collaborating on a way to do that for every staff member.
My fellow Ninja and I scheduled a FaceTime catch up last week since I was feeling a bit isolated in my apartment! We caught up, shared what we were watching on Netflix and chatted about staying connected with work!
Unsolicited feedback that was very complimentary. They included my manager too so that she was able to see how I had a positive impact on this person’s team.
In an office full of men, one of our coordinators had his coaches wish me Happy Birthday early in the morning via text. This was a first and much appreciated! I always make a point to recognize coworkers’ birthdays!
One of my coworkers has been doing Costume Friday every week and sending out pictures for herself to cheer everyone up! This inspired me to send more gifs and memes out of the blue to give people a boost!
I received a card in the mail from a colleague thanking me for taking time to chat on the phone and check in on her. It was sweet and thoughtful and really made me feel good that she appreciated my time. I was happy to do it and I was glad to know she appreciated it. I’ve got a box of cards at home and there’s no better time to use them and to support the US Postal Service by mailing them!
Becky S – Recently, it was my sons birthday, and with all of the social distancing practices and place, there wasn’t much of a party. A colleague heard about his birthday and sent a card to my house for my son. How kind! I’ll be paying it forward this week when I head to another colleague’s house for a drive-by birthday party for her daughter.
The admins from my division are holding a virtual happy hour Friday evening so we can still celebrate!
A former co-worker asked for my home address because she “may or may not” be planning to send me something for Admin Week. This was especially encouraging because she’s an admin too!
There are several people at my office who make it a point to check in with me regularly to intentionally see how I’m doing mentally/physically/emotionally while we’re all working from home. That always means so much to me, so I have begun intentionally reaching out to a list of people myself, just to make sure they feel loved and cared about as well.
Our office recently completed a temporary move so that offices could be renovated. The Admins in the office did a lot of the grunt work for this move. Our staff came together and made each of us self-care baskets! It was completely unexpected and very appreciated. I’m hoping when we are all able to work in our offices again I can bring in the home-baked cinnamon rolls that I’ve perfected while working from home. Partly to thank everyone and partly because I miss them all so much!
A childhood friend of mine has been making masks from fabric and she made me some free of charge. During this quarantine I’ve been keeping busy by baking and cooking, and to pay it forward I’ve been sharing my food creations with those in the building who aren’t leaving the house as often to do food shopping (free of charge of course!).
During the COVID-19 stay at home order, my boss sent me cupcakes with a thank you note!
A former colleague, named Jenna, (also an EA) reached out to me and we caught up over VC. Since moving from the US to the UK, I’ve been missing my former teammates a lot. It was nice of her to check-in with me. I plan to pay it forward by re-connecting with others.
Last admin day I wasn’t going to be in the office, I was headed to China to do work with our office there. But my wonderful coworker met me at the airport with gifts of treats, facemasks, etc. to say thanks and it meant so much to me!
My supervisor always makes sure I feel appreciated. She loves to give gifts, the latest being a Kate Spade wallet! I would love to be able to take a fellow EA to lunch when we are able to return to the office.