Excellence In Action: Or, the Day My Boss Ignored Administrative Professionals' Day

Administrative Professionals' Day came and went with nary a whisper at my workplace. It was last Wednesday. It was just another day; same as always, with people asking me for this, that, a favor, rescheduling, time on so and so's calendar, whether the temperature of the cool water that comes out of the filter could be turned up because the cold water is too cold but they want it cooler than room temperature, oh, and the plant service I ordered for the office came to deliver and everyone who didn't get a plant right next to them wanted to know how they could get a plant (consider that I had to practically BEG the Mister President & CEO to sign off on this service because it costs a whopping $150 a month. But why can't we buy plants and take care of them ourselves? He asked. Because no one but me will, and I don't have a green thumb, I replied. But why? He asked. Because our office looks stark and unprofessional, I replied. Of course, he ordered a 7 foot ficus tree for his office, but who's noticing the irony or hypocrisy of that?).

There were no cards, flowers, lunches, half days off or monogrammed plaques saying, "God Bless our EA." No "Happy Administrative Professionals' Day". Nothing. Zip. Shit.
I bemoaned this fact to our receptionist. However, I had told her boss the week before that the day was coming, so the receptionist got taken out to lunch. The next day she came in with a tulip plant for me yelling about Happy Belated Administrative Professionals' Day. My work area is in a hallway right outside my boss' office; well, one of my bosses, as I now support no less than FOUR, count them - FOUR executives.
Mister President & CEO overheard, wandered out of his office and offered to take me to lunch. I thought it would look like I was holding a grudge if I said no, so, three hours later there I was eating a sandwich and drinking a can of ginger ale while he talked about work and treated me to "some insight into my (sic) character" . HIS character.

Wowzers!

The theme of Administrative Professionals' week this year was "Excellence in Action".