By Rob Hosking, Executive Director for Administrative and Customer Support, Robert Half
Administrative professionals understand how work gets done. They see where delays happen, how communication moves across teams and what keeps projects on track. Yet many remain outside the discussions that shape the decisions they carry out every day. Strengthening administrative leadership starts with making those conversations more inclusive.
The 2026 Salary Guide from Robert Half for administrative and customer support professionals shows why this matters. Salaries for administrative and customer support roles are projected to grow about 2.5% year over year, and 83% of hiring managers offer higher pay for specialized skills. These roles are becoming more strategic, and organizations that elevate administrative voices gain a real operational advantage.
Robert Half research also shows that the top factors that help administrative professionals earn a stronger seat at the table include:
Demonstrating measurable impact on productivity and efficiency
Developing business and leadership skills
Building stronger cross-functional relationships
Managers play a key role in supporting all three and helping support professionals contribute more fully to administrative decision making.
Here are ways leaders can put inclusion into action:
Administrative leadership: Elevating roles in decision-making
Treat administrative roles as strategic contributors
Administrative work is often viewed as task-driven, but these professionals carry deep operational insight. They understand team dynamics, workflow challenges and where misalignment creates friction. Bringing that perspective into planning helps managers avoid delays and reduce unnecessary rework. It also supports stronger workplace inclusion by recognizing the strategic value administrative roles bring to daily operations.
Inclusion speeds decisions. Inclusion prevents avoidable friction.
Bring administrative staff into planning earlier
Administrative professionals are often told about decisions after they are made. By involving them earlier, leaders surface timing conflicts, resource gaps and cross-team impacts before they cause slowdowns. This early involvement fosters inclusion and strengthens administrative leadership by ensuring the people closest to the work can help shape the plan.
If a decision affects schedules, workflows or coordination, the administrative professional managing those areas should be part of the discussion. Their visibility helps teams plan realistically and execute cleanly.
Tie administrative work to business outcomes
To elevate administrative roles, connect their work to measurable results. For example:
Aligning schedules protects productivity
Coordinating meetings reduces decision delays
Managing documentation reduces errors
Streamlining communication improves clarity and alignment
These outcomes reflect productivity and efficiency gains and make administrative contributions more visible. They also reinforce the impact of administrative leadership in strengthening daily operations.
Invest in business and leadership skill development
Across the administrative and customer support landscape, leaders increasingly value skills like customer experience, team coordination, AI-supported data work and the ability to interpret information clearly. Supporting development in these areas not only strengthens day-to-day performance but also builds the confidence administrative professionals need to take part in higher-level conversations and decisions.
Expand cross-functional visibility
Administrative professionals do their best work when they understand how different teams operate. Cross-functional exposure builds relationships, improves coordination and supports more inclusive decision-making.
Managers can support this by involving administrative staff in cross-team planning, offering temporary project work or arranging insight sessions with leaders in other departments. These experiences broaden perspective, strengthen relationships and help administrative professionals build credibility across the organization.
Give ownership that demonstrates trust
Inclusion is not only about being present. It is about being trusted. Giving administrative professionals ownership of meaningful work helps them demonstrate leadership and measurable impact. Ownership opportunities include optimizing workflows, managing onboarding processes, coordinating vendor support or leading small process improvement projects. These responsibilities showcase capability and deepen engagement, helping build stronger administrative leadership within teams.
Avoid common mistakes that limit inclusion
Leaders should watch for habits that unintentionally hold administrative professionals back, such as:
Assigning only task-based work
Making decisions without operational input
Overlooking training opportunities
Treating administrative roles as static rather than evolving
Addressing these habits strengthens alignment, improves execution and supports a more inclusive culture.
The payoff: Smoother execution, better alignment and higher retention
When administrative professionals participate in decision-making, teams communicate better, plans run more smoothly and leaders gain insight into how work actually happens. Engagement and retention rise because administrative staff feel trusted and supported. This is the practical impact of workplace inclusion at its best.
Administrative roles are becoming more specialized and more valuable. Leaders who elevate these professionals tap into insight that strengthens planning and reduces operational risk.
Inclusion is not a cultural extra. It is a leadership habit that delivers real business value. For managers who want stronger teams and smoother operations, elevating administrative professionals is one of the smartest moves they can make.
