Is there still a need for the traditional PA?

When you think about the role of a traditional PA (Personal Assistant), the images that are conjured to my mind are of a competent keyworker, directly working (one-to-one) for a Director (MD or CEO) to provide administrative support. They are highly professional multitaskers and have a general ability to ‘get things done’ and anticipate the needs of their employer before they have even realised it themself. They potentially work unsociable hours (they maybe ‘on’ whenever their manager needs them) and are adept at managing the schedule of their ‘charge’ to ensure they arrive where they need to be and on-time. They are appreciated for their expertise and their level of compensation usually testifies to that.

Ultimately a great PA, otherwise known as a personal secretary, is worth their weight in gold. Realistically there are so many strings to the bow of an executive personal assistant, that each employee can tailor their skills to meet the requirements of their employer. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all role, and many people who find themselves working as a private secretary originally come from a business administration or clerical background. This gives the personal assistants a multitude of essential ‘soft skills’ developed over time, meaning a personal assistant can organise just about anything and prioritise their own (and others’) workloads. They are resilient in the face of adversity; problem solvers; and have the flexibility to go from taking minutes at stakeholder meetings to coordinating flights and arranging a catered lunch at a moment’s notice!

So, when I think about the question - Is there still a need for the traditional PA? - I need to consider the wide variety of tasks performed by personal assistants:

● Managing an email inbox

● Creating and responding to correspondence

● Taking telephone calls

● Managing a diary

● Scheduling appointments and organising meetings

● Planning and making travel arrangements

● Organising events and creating attendance lists

● Collating information and creating reports

● Creating presentations

● Managing databases and data entry

● Managing expense accounts

● Acting as a go-between for other staff members

● Researching and planning for ad hoc projects

● Arranging business lunches and dinners

● Running personal errands (such as lunch, laundrette etc)

● Corporate (and personal) gift buying

This is not an exhaustive list, naturally each business will have its own requirements along with the PA having their own boundaries too. Although the scope of the role may differ, these services are still very much in need - the traditional job titles, such as ‘assistant private secretary’ or ‘private personal assistant’ may be redundant, but the skills and workmanship required are critical to the support of senior management or directors who are paid to hit targets and get results. Whilst the personal assistant to a director is working autonomously to managing their email inbox or intercepting telephone calls, corporate decisions can be made without interference and the management of operations can proceed smoothly without having to set time aside to book flights (or remember to phone and confirm dinner reservations for a meeting with a new client!)

I need a personal assistant!

When a senior executive or director reaches a critical point, usually it is because they have found themselves overwhelmed with trying to balance their workload, along with their expectations. Is there still a need for the traditional PA? - of course there is! But, it has evolved along with the skills and tasks associated with it. No longer perceived as a throwback to misogynistic practices (when a man would hire a female secretary to undertake what they considered to be their menial tasks), a Virtual Assistant is the new elite benchmark for all business support services. Staying true to the diverse and fluid nature of their origins, a virtual personal assistant (or a Virtual PA as they are sometimes known) can effortlessly take care of all these tasks and then some! With professional qualifications in business administration and expert knowledge of software packages, these remote personal assistants are not bound by their gender, desks or a 9-5 lifestyle (click here to read more about what services a Virtual Assistant can offer).

What’s the difference?

If you consider the fundamental difference between an office personal assistant and an online personal assistant (the clue is in the name) - the cost of operating an office space could vastly be reduced, as the need for this expenditure potentially becomes obsolete. The next observation is when you look past the traditional costs of employing a full time member of staff (with the associated outlay of pension contributions, sickness benefits, holiday and maternity/paternity pay etc) and select an ‘on demand personal assistant’ service instead. Here the benefits of flexibility can suit a smaller business, who perhaps can’t yet support a full or part time personal assistant - the experience and knowledge are available on an ‘as and when’ basis ready to hire.

I find it encouraging when a Director of a company reaches out to me to enquire about hiring a personal assistant to cover holiday, parental or extended leave periods. This has the double advantage of ensuring continued clerical support for the ‘boss’ and means the ‘assistant’ does not have a demoralising backlog of work to tackle on their return. It also gives confidence to the staff member that they aren’t being replaced with another employee on a contract, as an outsourced personal assistant is under no illusion that there is a permanent job of employment on offer. I offer an affordable solution as a temporary personal assistant and find a lot of my business can be repeat customers looking to fill this short-term skills gap.

Adapt and overcome

The best virtual assistants understand the requirements of the traditional PA role and have adapted to meet the challenges that many businesses now find themselves facing. For example, staff have the right to request flexible working now; and, following COVID restrictions, more employees prefer to work remotely (read my previous blog post on the benefits of this here). With fewer people needing to be desk-based, the requirement for companies to pay costly rents for office space, council charges and utility services can be reduced. Employee sickness is always an ongoing concern for managers, and with the UK reporting a shortage of qualified staff and increasing wages, it’s not always easy for a business to recruit or find cover for these gaps at short notice. Utilising the skills of a Virtual Assistant can be a cost effective way of ensuring your business performance doesn’t take a dive.

If you’re looking for a personal assistant, or realise that you can benefit from the wider skills and experience that a remote Virtual Assistant can offer, a package can be tailored to your specific requirements or skill gap. Hiring a Virtual Assistant online can cost less than a full time employee, and through an extensive on-boarding service, I ensure that a bespoke service can be delivered to each client.

I offer a free consultation to analyse your needs and discover how I can positively impact your business, so contact me today to see how I can support you.

Thanks for reading!