IYOTSA initiative gains momentum

PAs should be regarded as an extension of the management team and need to gain more official recognition of the pivotal role they play in connecting a manager to both his staff and his clients. This is the message from Ana-Maria Valente, the founder of the International Year of the Secretary and Admin Assistant 2014 (IYOTSA), which is being championed by South African industry body PAFSA (the professional association for secretaries and administrative assistants).

IYOTSA will incorporate a series of global events such as webinars and other educational programmes that aim to raise the profile in the workplace of today’s personal assistant. More than 100 associations representing admin professionals worldwide have signed up to the initiative and IYOTSA’s vision is for companies to back their call for greater appreciation of the role carried out by the PA, which it describes as “the backbone of commerce”. Its stated aim is for industry to view assistants as strategic business partners rather than a mere support mechanism.

The project is calling on PAs in the UK to get involved by organising local events that help spread the word. Any admin professionals who wish to find out more, or who are looking for practical advice on how to celebrate the year-long scheme, can contact the secretariat by emailing iyotsa2014@gmail.com, or via its Twitter feed @iyotsa2014; a dedicated website is planned and there is also a LinkedIn page of the same name.