This past month, ASAP brought the voice of the administrative profession to Workhuman Live, one of the largest conferences focused on workplace culture, employee experience, leadership, and the future of work. Held in Orlando, FL, the event brought together HR leaders, talent development professionals, executives, and workplace strategists from across industries to discuss how organizations are navigating rapid workplace transformation.

In addition to hosting a booth on the expo floor, ASAP also led a breakout session attended by more than 400 conference participants, where ASAP’s very own Senior Content Manager, Leah Warwick, joined conversations surrounding skills-based development, organizational change, and the evolving role of administrative professionals in modern workplaces.

“Workhuman draws the HR and talent development leaders who have direct influence over how administrative professionals are supported, developed, and positioned in their organizations,” Leah said. “ASAP’s research is pointing to a real gap between what admins are capable of and what organizations are investing in them, and Workhuman Live was the right place to have that conversation.”

The Future of Work Already Includes Admins

Throughout the conference, themes surrounding AI adoption, organizational agility, and doing more with fewer resources surfaced repeatedly across sessions and discussions.

According to Leah, those conversations felt especially relevant to administrative professionals because many admins are already operating at the center of workplace transformation.

“The through-line across the whole conference was how organizations are doing more with less and moving faster through AI-driven transformation,” she explained. “Admins are already living that reality, and they’re often the ones holding operational continuity together while the org is figuring out what comes next.”

At the ASAP booth, many conversations centered around findings from ASAP’s 2026 State of the Profession Report, particularly the disconnect between how quickly administrative professionals are adopting AI and how undervalued many still feel inside their organizations.

“Many conversations began with the State of the Profession data, especially the finding that admins feel undervalued even though they are among the fastest adopters of AI in their organizations,” Leah said. “From there, we discussed the confidence gap, expectation gaps, and how structured development through the ASAP Career Stages Framework can help close them.”

The Profession Is Evolving Faster Than Many Organizations Realize

One recurring theme throughout Workhuman Live was the growing disconnect between how organizations traditionally define administrative roles and the reality of the work many professionals are already doing.

According to Leah, many HR leaders were surprised by the increasingly strategic nature of modern administrative work once they began learning more about the profession.

“HR professionals were most interested in role evolution, skills-based progression, and what Administrative Intelligence™ looks like in practice,” she explained. “Once they understood that admins are already functioning as organizational infrastructure, the question became: how do we build that capacity intentionally rather than leaving it to chance?”

She also noted that many organizations still underestimate the scope and complexity of administrative work today.

“The most common misconception is that admin roles are mainly task-based and entry-level,” Leah said. “In reality, senior admins manage executive workflows, cross-functional operations, and increasingly, AI tools across their teams. Job titles haven’t kept pace with what the work actually is.”

From Support Staff to Systems Leaders

In addition to booth conversations, ASAP also participated in a breakout session focused on how organizations can rethink rigid job structures and better align work around skills, systems, and operational impact.

“Our session made the case that rigid job structures are no longer the right unit for how work gets organized, and that administrative professionals are already one of the most capable and embedded entry points for change management transformation,” Leah said.

Following the session, attendees approached ASAP to ask about frameworks, skills-based development models, and how organizations could better support administrative professionals as workplace expectations continue evolving.

For ASAP, those conversations reinforced a larger point: administrative professionals are not sitting on the sidelines of organizational transformation. In many cases, they are already helping drive it.

“Admins are the neural network of your organization,” Leah said. “They’re already accelerating AI adoption, holding institutional knowledge, and connecting the dots across functions. The question isn’t whether they’re valuable. It’s whether your organization is building the infrastructure to develop that value on purpose.”