Introduction
Three big trends impacting the workplace are 1) the effects of the #MeToo Movement and the need to implement policies to protect workers against sexual harassment, 2) the role that AI is playing in the workplace and the impact it is having on issues such as worker privacy, and 3) the problem of politics and how there may be gaps between the type of culture the administration wants to cultivate and the socio-political beliefs of some of its workers. For instance, Google has recently come under fire for demonstrating bias against conservative workers whose socio-political views do not reflect that administration’s Left-leaning politics (Ghaffary). This paper will discuss these trending issues, how they might impact the role of the administrative professional and the support they provide and how the administrative professional can positively influence any of the changes required as a result of the current issues as they give support to workers in the workplace environment.

MeToo

The #MeToo movement changed the way organizations think about sexual harassment in a big way—particularly with respect to how upper level managers talk to and engage with lower level workers. Part of the movement was its focus on leaders exploiting their positions of power by getting lower level workers to perform sexual favors. Workers would engage in these acts even if they did not want to because they felt pressured to do so—i.e., like their jobs might be lost if they did not.

The Administrative professional is impacted by this movement in terms of the support that must be provided to workers in the sense that administrative professionals must now be more sensitive to issues in the workplace regarding sexual harassment and they must also make sure that employees know they have a safe way to report sexual harassment without fearing reprisal.

Administrative professionals also have to be more careful about creating a respectful culture in which people of all gender identities feel welcomed. They can do this by addressing the issue of gender socialization. Gender socialization is the process by which an individual learns or comes to understand the norms and expectations regarding gender within the context of the culture of which he is a part. So, for example, if one works in an organization that is traditionally considered masculine (such as the oil industry) one is likely going to feel pressured to adopt a lower level role if one is a female—and this is something that administrators have to address by promoting a culture of equality. The way to do that is to promote values regarding what the organization sees as important—i.e., values like trust, accountability, and honesty—rather than the old values of masculinity and machismo. Gender socialization impacts career choices because people will go into certain careers based on whether they perceive it to be something befitting their gender. For instance, many women tend to pursue careers in health care: they become nurses, as this is a profession that is generally socially seen as being work that women excel at. Men tend to pursue careers in engineering or in management or in information technology—professions where there is a lot of critical thinking going on. The Administrator must be conscious of this fact and work to create a culture of openness where equality is a key element to the foundation of the organization’s commitment to values highlighted by movements like #MeToo.

The administrative professional would also have to be mindful to address the sexual double standard that can exist in workplaces (Kreager, Staff). The #MeToo movement has challenged the idea that men can be sexually aggressive towards women and take advantage of their position to get sexual favors. Thus, the administrative professional has to make sure that all managers know that they will be held to a higher standard today than was the case in the past. However, this is a fine line to walk because it is not just men who are crossing the line. The 4th wave of feminism has also changed the way women and sexuality are viewed. Whereas earlier waves of feminism viewed the male gaze as toxic, today’s wave of feminists...…not being violated. Thus administrative professionals should be more willing to support workers by providing more freedom, not less, in the workplace for workers to express themselves and their views—but they should also make sure there is a culture of mutual respect and appreciation and that this no tolerance for hatred or violence just because one person’s views differ.

Nilsson, for instance, focuses on reconciling the experiential nature of human social interaction with the workplace by creating a positive institutional workplace environment in which ideals of freedom and compassion, which people cherish, can be found and expressed and embraced within the all-too-often restrictive confines of the institution, where the impersonal and mechanistic functions of the day tend to take precedence over the emotions, thoughts, and experiences of the individual. The main point of the author is that the importance of the lived experience can be embraced by the institution because responsive institutions tend to already have an “experiential orientation” as Nilsson calls it (371). The goal should be of an institution to “realize its emancipatory potential” and allow workers to embrace the idea of freedom (Nilsson 371), which insofar as it is embraced can create and nurture a culture of innovation—which in turn can lead to big, positive returns for the institution. The argument Nilsson makes is that “scholars must more fully engage with the experiential nature of normative social purpose” (371) if the emancipation process is to succeed. To that end, positive organizational scholarship can aid the process.

Conclusion

The administrative professional professional can support workers in times of change and new trends by providing them with a culture of emancipation and respect. Whether it is #MeToo, AI or politics that is forcing the change, the administrative professional can create an environment of emancipation by embracing the concept of institutional work, which allows for intentional activity in a situated environment to be conducted in a creative way. It corrects some of the potential for destabilizing forces that exist when a responsive institution has an experiential orientation.

Works Cited

Ghaffary, S. Political tension at…