It’s that April holiday I don’t know what to do with. So here is my Administrative Professionals Day cartoon and a tribute to my computer.
Don’t get me wrong. Administrative professionals have very important jobs in many companies. But to me, technology has blurred who is an administrative professional and who isn’t. I tend to agree with an article at Slate saying the “holiday” is doing more harm than good. The title is quite blunt and says the holiday needs to die.
My day job is as a Graphics Manager. Occasionally, I will see a job come through that looks fantastic on screen, but it doesn’t print well. If the graphics stayed on the screen, there would be no problem. But when it comes to printing, it defies the physical limits of a printing press.
Bright colors that take advantage of the screen’s vibrance can print dull. An image may have all the needed resolution to look great on-screen. But it can look pixelated and rough when printed. It looks great in the virtual world but put it on paper, and it falls short.
There is a difference between the virtual and physical worlds. The virtual world can look bright and shiny. But when that world meets the physical world, it can be dull and rough.
Beware of comparing the virtual world to the physical one. The highlight reel of social media doesn’t show the troubles someone is going through. A video game may make you look like a fantastic driver… until you get behind a real vehicle! The virtual world can be fun, bright, and shiny. It has yet to replace the real world we live in on a daily basis.
It’s too easy to have a bad virtual meeting. We’ve all had to learn how to frame ourselves in a camera. Some have learned to adjust. Others have had some major faux pas.
A few weeks ago, a Texas lawyer had such a problem. He couldn’t figure out how to turn off a cat filter during a legal hearing. Many parents chuckled about that one. Yet many also secretly thought, “When I share a computer with my kid, I hope she doesn’t do that to me.” Perhaps the kids are getting back at us for times we’ve used technology to spy on them.
You may know how to have a bad virtual church board meeting. But what are some ways to have a good meeting?
Two more tips; pay attention to how close or far away you are from the camera… and keep your nose clean!
I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.
This year is a different kind of Administrative Professionals Day. Many administrative professionals are working from home thanks to the coronavirus. Some are working the frontlines of essential businesses and keeping visitors from entering a facility without the necessary health precautions.
This year, Earth Day and Administrative Professionals Day fall on the same day. So if you have an administrative professional, this would be an entirely appropriate time to get them some flowers or a hearty plant. We all need a little nature as we stay huddled together in our humble abodes.
So thank you to all the administrators that make things happen behind the scenes. And thank you to a planet that needs some tender loving care. We couldn’t make it without either one of you.
Yes, I am also tired of staring at screens. If it’s not a computer screen, it’s my phone, tablet or television. If you are working from home, odds are, your screen is the window to your workplace. If you are not working right now, a screen may be your entertainment, a diversion or vital information about the outside world.
I am thankful we have this technology. It gives us insight and helps us to be productive. Yet, it can cause our eyes to glaze over. I don’t know about you, but my eyes feel tired by noon. And there are days when the connection is slow and it feels like I spend more time waiting for the network to catch up than doing work. Yes, it can be frustrating.
Yet, this has been good for us. We are all now finding ways to work we didn’t think were possible at the beginning of the year. We were very paper-based in my office. Now we know it is possible to eliminate the paper. And in some cases, it is actually speeding up the workflow.
As we get through this screen-filled era, remember to take some time to look away for a while. Perhaps read that paper book you’ve been meaning to get to. Call a coworker or friend. Or close your eyes on your break and listen to some uplifting music or an informative podcast. Your eyes will thank you. And perhaps your mind will thank you for the break as well.
