Work Environment

Administrative professionals usually work in schools, hospitals, corporate settings, government agencies, or legal, medical, and other professional offices. Virtual assistants work from a home office. Their jobs often involve sitting for long periods. If they spend a lot of time keyboarding, particularly at a computer monitor, they may encounter problems of eyestrain, stress, and repetitive motion ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The majority of administrative professionals are full-time employees who work a standard 40-hour week. About 18 percent work part time, and many others work in temporary positions. A few are self-employed or freelance (such as virtual assistants). Some administrative professionals are participants in job-sharing arrangements in which two people divide responsibility for a single job.