2020, most challening of association’s 51 years

CLAYTON Blackman, president of the National Association of Administrative Professionals (NAAPTT) says the onset of the covid19 pandemic has made this year’s Administrative Professionals Week (APW), which is being observed today, “perhaps the most challenging week” in the association’s 51 year history.

However, Blackman, in a press release sent on Tuesday, said one of the few saving graces of this public health crisis is that the challenges and stress local administrative professionals are experiencing would be the same challenges faced by other administrative professionals the world over.

He pointed out that this year’s APW activities were planned for Tobago, where an NAAP branch was recently re-established. However, this was scuttled after the Ministry of Health instituted strict stay at home policies to limit the spread of the virus which up to Tuesday, had infected 2.5 million people worldwide and taken 174,560 lives.

Administrative professionals have made many changes to reconcile their work lives with that of their family lives and even school lives of their children in a covid19 era. Blackman said many organisations have close their doors while others that remain open for business have most of their employees working from home. Some administrative professionals have been called upon to give more than normal at this time and in some instances, their roles and functions have changed to be almost one hundred percent technologically driven.

Notwithstanding, the NAAPTT has been busy carrying out its mandate such as being involved in a collaborated work with the National Training Agency (NTA) to certify administrative professionals in the future.

He said the association has been working on publishing a commemorative book which could be a useful source of reference.

He assured that the association continuec to serve its members and promote professionalism and good working ethics in the workplace and as president, on behalf of the Board and Chairmen, Blackman extended Administrative Professionals Week greetings to all especially members in the newly formed Tobago branch.