Administrative Professionals Still Love Electric Typewriters

Admins embrace new technology, but are nostalgic for old office equipment

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The electric typewriter may be gone, but it's not forgotten.

With the approach of the 60th anniversary of Administrative Professionals Week April 22-28, the International Association of Administrative Professionals recently surveyed admins about office innovation. Their answers revealed a surprising nostalgia for an old favorite.

When asked which extinct technology they'd bring back, about a quarter of the respondents picked the electric typewriter. That was followed in popularity by the Rolodex, Dictaphone, adding machine, microfiche and mimeograph machine. Other nominees included rotary telephones and carbon paper.

Nostalgia aside, the survey also revealed that admins are savvy when it comes to current office technology. About 96 percent of the 3,549 survey respondents say technology is very important when doing their jobs. Roughly 93 percent are either early or second-generation adopters of new or updated office technology and software at work. Combine this with the fact that IAAP members will be responsible for about $33 million in corporate spending for office equipment this year and it becomes clear just how important they are to modern business.

Technology has become an integral tool for admins who have seen their job responsibilities and challenges increase significantly over the last five years. About 70 percent of the survey takers say updated technology and software makes their jobs easier by helping them juggle more tasks at work. That echoes recent findings from IAAP's 2012 Administrative Professionals Skills Benchmarking Survey, which revealed that keeping up with changing technology, increased workloads and doing more with fewer resources are the biggest challenges admins face.

IAAP, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is the world's leading association for administrative professionals, with over 500 chapters and more than 22,000 members worldwide. IAAP sponsors Administrative Professionals Week®, held the last full week in April and Administrative Professionals Day® on Wednesday of APW. Further information about IAAP is available at www.iaap-hq.org.

SOURCE International Association of Administrative Professionals

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