what admin assistants really want from their coworkers

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager .
It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question — and since yesterday was Administrative Professionals Day , this is timely. A reader writes:
I’d love to talk about what other admins would like in their job to feel appreciated and perform effectively. We’ve established we don’t want flowers on Secretary’s Day, so I’d love to centralize what we do want. Number one on the list is always going to be a living wage. I recognize that’s out of some people’s control, but there is still more that can be done.
For example, actually listen to my deadlines. I set the deadline because we need it based on the procedures that you have created. At the very least, if you don’t listen to my deadline, don’t blame me when something important is delayed and I already followed up with you about it four times. The bottom line is you need to treat me with a modicum of respect, and if you ignore my messages you aren’t doing that. If you pulled this behavior with a peer, you’d be fired.
Readers who work in assistant or other support roles, want to chime in?
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