Survey of Canadian administrative professionals shows job satisfaction remains high, even with greater workload

Purolator releases new surveys ahead of Administrative Professionals' Day (April 24)

TORONTO, April 23, 2013 /CNW/ -Purolator Inc. today released a survey that found job satisfaction among Canadian administrative professionals to be high at 83.5 per cent.

Of the Human Resources (HR) professionals surveyed, 79.9 per cent believe administrative professionals are taking on more responsibilities in their organizations. Administrative professionals surveyed agree - 63.2 per cent have seen an increase in their workload in the past three years.

These findings are part of two online surveys Purolator commissioned ahead of Administrative Professionals' Day tomorrow (April 24, 2013). The surveys, hosted on the Angus Reid Forum, polled administrative professionals and HR professionals with hiring authority separately, focusing on job satisfaction, workload, responsibilities, HR planning and work-life balance.

HR professionals surveyed believe key reasons for the increased responsibilities include:

• Administrative professionals now work for more than one manager (37.4 per cent)
• Administrative professionals' managers are busier, which makes them busier (36.5 per cent)
• Reduction in administrative staff sizes (25.1 per cent)

"Administrative professionals fulfill a critical role in the economy and keep Canadian businesses running efficiently day in, day out," said Ramsey Mansour, Purolator's Vice President, Marketing. "For Purolator, they represent one of our main points of contact and 'gatekeepers' for many of the businesses we serve each day. Over the years, our courier drivers have formed strong professional relationships with them - and we have developed many of our business solutions with them in mind."

Survey findings suggested a strong hiring outlook for administrative professionals, with almost half (49.2 per cent) of the HR professionals surveyed indicating they plan to hire more administrative professionals within the next 12 months.

"This is an encouraging sign and it may be indicative of how administrative professionals are taking on more responsibilities, with additional duties in the areas of human resources, finance and event planning," said Barbara Grogan, National Director - President, Association of Administrative Assistants.

HR and administrative professionals polled agree the top three most important skills for an administrative professional are:

• an ability to multi-task (62.6 per cent and 68.1 per cent respectively)
• organizational skills (67.7 per cent and 58 per cent respectively)
• computer skills (57.9 per cent and 50 per cent respectively)

HR professionals surveyed said they could not complete the following tasks without an administrative professional:

• organizing events (48.4 per cent)
• managing courier shipments (42.9 per cent)
• organizing files (38.6 per cent)
• catering (34.3 per cent) and
• scheduling meetings (31.9 per cent)

While administrative professionals' workloads are increasing, most respondents seem to enjoy a good work-life balance. Almost three quarters (74.7 per cent) of those surveyed do not feel they need to be readily available to assist managers outside of working hours. Forty two per cent said they are never contacted outside of normal business hours.

Interestingly, almost a quarter (23.3 per cent) of the administrative professionals surveyed have been asked to assist with tasks that fall outside normal administrative duties, including:

• booking personal appointments (9.4 per cent)
• running errands (8 per cent)
• buying presents for family, friends and loved ones (4.8 per cent)
• taking care of children (2.8 per cent)
• personal vacation planning (2.4 per cent)
• taking care of pets (1.6 per cent)

Additionally, survey findings revealed that 60 per cent of administrative professionals have never received any recognition on Administrative Professionals' Day.

"These results show just how complex and diverse administrative professionals' roles have become. Thus, we are proud to join many others in saluting all administrative professionals across Canada, including those working at Purolator and the thousands of organizations we serve every day," said Mr. Mansour.

About the survey

From April 5 - April 9, 2013, two separate online surveys were conducted. The surveys focused on job satisfaction, workload, responsibilities, HR planning and work-life balance. One survey was completed by a sample of 254 Canadian adults who are HR professionals with hiring authority while the other was completed by a sample of 502 Canadian adults who are administrative professionals. Each included a broad range of organizations across Canada.   Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

The administrative professionals who took part in the survey identified their role in their organization as administrative, clerical, or related to office management and supplies.

About Purolator

Purolator is Canada's leading integrated freight and parcel solutions provider. Celebrating over 50 years of delivering Canada, the company continues to expand its reach to more people, more businesses and more places across the country and around the world. Purolator is proud of its Canadian heritage and is positioning itself for future growth and success. Ranked the fifth Canadian brand out of 100 ranked brands in the 2012 Marketing /Leger Corporate Reputation Survey, Purolator is growing globally in a sustainable manner while contributing to the well-being of the communities where its over 12,000 teammates live, work and play.

SOURCE: Purolator Inc.

Media Contact:

Courtney Reistetter
Manager, Corporate Communications
Direct: 905 712-1084 ext. 23851
Cellphone: 416 407-5424
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