20 Administrative Professionals’ Day Gift Ideas

Administrative professionals are the unsung heroes of the corporate world. They keep your company operating like the well-oiled machine that it is: organized, productive, and enjoyable. Naturally, you want to give these hard working individuals the perfect gifts for Administrative Professionals’ Day.

Of course, wanting to give perfect gifts and actually finding must-have items are different things. Never fear; we’re here to help with our picks for the top 20 Administrative Professionals’ Day gift ideas of 2024. From gift baskets to spa days, there’s sure to be something your team will appreciate.

20 Gift Ideas for Administrative Professionals’ Day

You want to thank your secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, and other admin professional for their hard work, but you don’t know how. We’ve got your back!

A great place to start is by planning an Admins’ Day celebration, but including a present can make your appreciation last. Here are 20 celebration gifts to make sure your employees feel recognized and valued on Administrative Professionals’ Day this year:

Digital Administrative Professionals’ Day Gift Ideas

Depending on the unique personalities on your administrative team, a digital gift might be a great option for Administrative Professionals’ Day. Here are five options to consider:

1. A Digital Card

Keep it simple and celebrate Administrative Professionals’ Day with a digital card. If you’re looking to have fun and get the team involved, Kudoboard is a fantastic option. All you have to do is create a virtual Administrative Professionals’ Day board for your admin assistant, invite coworkers to leave thank you messages, images, GIFs, or videos (plus Admins’ Day memes); and send the finished product to the specific employee you want to recognize. Trust us, your assistants will really appreciate the love.

2. An Online Course

Some administrative professionals are more ambitious than others. If you employ a real go-getter, consider giving them an online course to let them know they’re appreciated. Obviously, this corporate gift needs to be personalized to the person you give it to. (You wouldn’t want to give an accounting class to someone who has no interest in finance, for example.) But if you know that one of your team members has their eyes set on a future career/position, help them get there with a relevant online course.

3. A Fitness Membership

There are a thousand ways to exercise—but everyone has their preferred method. Some ride their Peloton bike every morning before work. Others hit the local Crossfit gym after they clock out. Still others pay for running apps to help them track their miles, calories, etc. If a secretary on your team is a fitness buff, pay for their preferred fitness membership. They’ll love it!

4. Entertainment Subscriptions

Do you know anybody who doesn’t watch football on Sundays, stream buzzworthy shows on Netflix, or listen to Spotify on their way to work? Probably not. We all want more entertainment in our lives, and entertainment subscriptions are a fun, inexpensive way to get it. Surprise the administrative professionals in your company with a year’s worth of their favorite audio and/or visual programming.

5. A Video From a Favorite Celebrity

Administrative Professionals’ Day only comes once a year, so why wouldn’t you pull out all the stops for your beloved admin team? For example, you could give them a personalized video from their favorite celebrity via Cameo. If there’s a certain actor, musician, or athlete your employees admire, they’ll love this gift. In fact, it might be one of the most cherished appreciation gifts they ever receive. Win!

Physical Administrative Professionals’ Day Gift Ideas

Maybe you’d prefer to give your administrative assistants a physical gift to show your love. From gift baskets to engraved coffee mugs, here are seven awesome appreciation gift ideas:

6. Gift Cards

We’ll admit, this isn’t the most creative gift idea. But who wouldn’t want a gift card to their preferred store or restaurant? More money in the pocket is always a good thing, right? Find out where your admin assistant shops, then buy them a gift card to that place so they can purchase more of their favorite things. (Pro tip: combine this idea with a digital card to make your gift feel personal.)

7. Office Plants

The experts tell us that office plants can improve employee productivity levels by 15%. Want to recognize your administrative team for their hard work and help them work more efficiently? You need to buy them plants, my friend. Luckily, you have plenty of options. Succulent, ferns, palms, and small ficus trees are low-maintenance plants that will brighten up your staff’s workday on Admins’ Day and beyond.

8. A Book (Or Two!)

Any bookworms in the office? Support their love of reading with a book (or two, or three!) You have a bunch of options here. You can get your administrative professionals a business book if they want to develop new skills, or a best-selling novel if they’re into fiction. Here’s a wild idea: give them a Murdle Book, so that they can solve new mysteries every day and keep their minds sharp.

9. A Coffee Basket

Modern business (life?) runs on coffee. Hook your admin team up with an Administrative Professionals’ Day gift idea that they’ll truly appreciate: a gift basket or gift box full of everyone’s favorite rocket fuel. Then fill out the rest of the basket with sweet or savory treats, an engraved thermos (more on this below), or any other coffee-adjacent item. (Note: gift baskets can be assembled with many other items, not just coffee. Want to recognize the cheese lover on your team? How about a wine aficionado? A quality gift box will do the trick.

10. A Subscription Box

Subscription boxes have exploded in popularity over the past decade or so. Awesome goodies shipped to your front door every month? Sign us up! We bet your admin employees will appreciate a subscription gift box, too. BarkBox is great for dog owners. Loot Crate is ideal for gamers and nerds. Stitch Fix is perfect for fashion-conscious individuals. And Hunt a Killer will add an element of mystery and intrigue to any party-planners next shindig.

11. Various Desk Doodads

Most admin professionals spend a lot of time at their desks. So it makes sense to spruce this area up a bit. Lend them a hand and give them a set of picture frames, scented candles, a personalized desk organizer, a fancy flip calendar… You have a ton of options here. (Just don’t tell your administrative assistants that you got them a “box of desk doodads”. Tell them that you put together a “collection of personalized gifts for their desks”. It sounds much better.)

12. Something Engraved

Speaking of personalized gifts, why not buy your administrative professionals something handy; then have it engraved with their name and/or a sweet message? Notebooks, pens, thermoses… Heck, we’ve seen employee appreciation mason jars engraved with people’s names, written in eloquent script.

13. Wearable Technology

The right technology makes life easier and more enjoyable. The right wearable technology does these things for people on the go, like your hard working administrative professionals. This begs the question, “What’s the right wearable technology?” It depends on your employees, but most people would love to have a pair of Apple AirPods, a FitBit fitness tracker, or a Meta Quest VR headset. Think about getting your team members one of these things to celebrate administrative professional day.

Experiences for Administrative Professionals’ Day

Sending a digital item or gift set is great, but you can’t put a price tag on real-world experiences. With that in mind, consider one of these four Administrative Professionals’ Day gift ideas to thank your administrative team:

14. A Spa Day

According to the American Institute of Stress, 55% of Americans experience stress on a daily basis. You know what can help combat these feelings? A relaxing and luxurious day at the spa. As an added bonus, this administrative assistant gift will leave your team feeling refreshed, which will help them avoid burnout and perform better at work.

15. Concert Tickets

Do you employ a music buff or two? Then you can’t go wrong with concert tickets. Simply find out who their favorite artists are and buy tickets to their next show in your area. This will help them relax and recharge for a few hours and give them memories to last a lifetime.

16. A Wine Tasting Excursion

Looking for a more sophisticated experience to give your team on Administrative Professionals’ Day? A wine tasting excursion might be the perfect gift. This is especially true if the recipient lives near a world-famous wine country like Napa, CA or Charlottesville, VA. If there aren’t any wineries in the area, you can always give virtual wine tastings instead. They’re often just as fun and can be attended in sweats and a t-shirt. (Does your team hate wine? Plan an excursion to a local bar for happy hour. To each his or her own.)

17. A Fancy In-Office Meal

Few things say “thank you!” like gourmet foods. With that in mind, consider hosting an in-office luncheon for the administrative professionals in your employ. You can pick up food from a top-rated local restaurant or hire an experienced chef to cater the meal. Either way, make sure you include both savory treats and rich desserts to satisfy every pallet and sweet tooth. 

Other Administrative Professionals’ Day Gift Ideas

You might look at the gift ideas above and think, “Those options are nice, but they aren’t right.” No problem. Choose one of the three gifts below to show appreciation for your admin team:

18. Stock Options

If you own your own business, give your administrative employees stock options to celebrate Administrative Professionals’ Day in 2024. This will give them the chance to share in your success should your company ever make it big. As such, it’s a great way to recognize hard working employees.

19. Help With Daycare 

Do your administrative assistants have kids? Do they put their kids in daycare while they go to work? Have you seen the astronomical prices of daycare in most states? Let your admins know they’re appreciated by offering to help pay for quality daycare services.

20. Extra Time Off

Last but not least, surprise that special administrative professional in your life with extra time off. You could go small and allow them to leave the office a few hours early on Friday. Or go big and give them an extra week of paid time off to thank them for their service. It’s up to you.

How to Choose the Perfect Gift for Your Administrative Employees

You know you want to give your admin team thoughtful gifts on Administrative Professionals’ Day. That way they feel valued and appreciated for their hard work. The question is, how do you choose the right corporate gift to celebrate this important occasion? Just ask yourself these three questions:

• What do they like? Your gifts should be personalized. Buy them something you know they’ll enjoy. If you don’t, your appreciation efforts in this area will be wasted, and may even backfire.
• What’s my budget? Your administrative assistants are awesome; you’d love to get them great employee appreciation gifts so they know you care. But don’t go bankrupt. Pick a budget and stick to it.
• What’s my time frame? Administrative Professionals’ Day 2024 is one Wednesday, April 24th. If you’re reading this on April 23rd, don’t get your admins engraved thermoses. They’ll take too long to arrive. View production and shipping times before you buy gifts, or consider planning a simple springtime employee appreciation event to recognize your team during the season.

Make Sure Your Admin Team Feels the Love With Kudoboard

There’s never a bad time to thank a hard working administrative professional. But Administrative Professionals’ Day on Wednesday, April 24th is one of the best times. So, don’t delay! Find the perfect gifts for your admin team so they feel valued by your company.

Whether you’re going big with a gift or simply offering thanks, digital Admins’ Day cards are a great way to make sure your employees feel the love. Simply create a card for the occasion, invite the office to leave thoughtful admin appreciation messages, and send automatically on the right day. You can also easily combine them with any of our other Administrative Professionals’ Day gift ideas. Imagine how special your team will feel if they receive an office plant and a digital card. (Hint: pretty dang special!)

Even better, Kudoboard can be used to recognize all employees, not just a secretary or assistant, for any occasion. Whether you’re sending as a birthday gift, work anniversary shout out, or Employee Appreciation Day card, the platform is built to help you celebrate the moments that matter.