Staples survey: Admins are swamped
Administrative assistants are seeing increasing workloads, according to a survey by Framingham-based Staples.
But as swamped as they are, administrative assistants are generally well esteemed by their peers, the fourth annual survey by the office supply retailer found.
More than half the admins questioned across the United States and Canada report supporting more staff than the previous year, following a trend reported in previous surveys as well.
The survey — conducted in honor of Administrative Professionals’ Day on April 22 — also showed that budget and payroll (46.7 percent), human resources (43.9 percent) and helping out on social media (23.1 percent) were the top three additional activities admins take on above and beyond their normal responsibilities, Staples reported Friday.
“Staples’ survey highlights how admins are the backbone of businesses everywhere,” said Mike Edwards, executive vice president for merchandising at Staples.
These “backbones” also tend to beat the boss on several qualities valued in the workplace, according to the survey. Admins were rated as better creative problem solvers (57.4 vs. 42.5 percent) and more tech-savvy (43.4 vs. 29 percent) than their bosses. In addition, respondents said admins have a better sense of humor (58.7 vs. 46.1 percent), are better team players (61.5 vs. 44.4 percent), and were more likely to be described as friends (44.3 vs. 29.4 percent) than their bosses are.
The survey of 1,561 admins and non-admins was conducted last month.
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