As a C-Level executive, your success depends on preparedness and execution. Far too much rests on your shoulders to let calendar planning, telephone calls, travel booking, and other administrative responsibilities interfere with your performance.
One of the best ways to delegate those responsibilities is by hiring a personal assistant. Personal assistants keep C-level executives at peak performance, no matter the workload. But how much does a personal assistant cost? And what should you expect when you hire a personal assistant?
Are Personal Assistants Worth It?
With tools such as email, voicemails, and mobile devices, you may wonder whether personal assistants are worth the cost. But for a personal assistant to be valuable and cost-effective, they only have to save executives five hours in a 60-hour workweek.
Good assistants save their bosses much more than that. They save time on prepping material for meetings, creating travel schedules, and enabling executives to make remote decisions.
Nowadays, companies may have gone too far by cutting personal assistants to save money. Since 2000, More than 1.6 million secretarial and administrative assistant jobs have disappeared. But without these jobs, many executives are left to create their travel plans, file expense reports, and schedule meetings.
You don’t want executives wasting their time on administrative duties. Personal assistants allow executives to focus on their most important responsibilities.
Personal Assistant Cost
Calculating your personal assistant cost depends mostly on where you are in the United States and how much you’re willing to invest in your C-level executive’s success. New York and California have the highest salaries for experienced personal assistants and can range from $95,000 up to $120,000 for a high-level PA. In Los Angeles specifically, the salary for a personal assistant is on average 44% higher than the national average. And remember that national average figures don’t take into account the quality of the personal assistant. An assistant who can increase productivity is worth their weight in gold.
If a senior executive makes $1 million in salary, and her/his assistant makes $100,000. The executive must only be 10% more productive to justify the personal assistant cost.
Just as important, however, in measuring an executive’s increase in productivity is recognizing that a good personal assistant can make your life so much less stressful and give you the time you might want to dedicate to your health or other personal pursuits.
What Justifies the Personal Assistant Cost?
Executives who wonder, “how much does a personal assistant cost” should ask themselves how much increase in productivity they want from their executives. They should also decide on whether they need full-time assistants or part-time assistants.
But no matter your particular need for a personal assistant, choosing the right candidate provides numerous benefits that justify the cost.
Clear Responsibilities
As an executive or business owner, creating a healthy team culture is essential for success. It’s crucial for entry and mid-level employees to see their leaders contributing. Employees from every level should feel valued.
But that doesn’t mean C-level executives should be completing menial tasks or spending valuable time creating travel schedules.
From an economic standpoint, companies are best served when they delegate work to the lowest-level employee who can do it well. A recent study showed that 55 percent of business owners believe they could improve their business by more than 20 percent if they delegated 10 percent more of their work.
By hiring a competent personal assistant for executive assistants, you create a clear hierarchy for your company. For personal assistants to be useful, however, C-level executives have to communicate what they’re comfortable delegating.
To maximize productivity, make sure you’re upfront with the personal assistant about their responsibilities. Personal assistants can only increase productivity if they clearly understand their role. Being unclear about whether personal assistants can perform specific tasks is an easy way to lose the return on your investment.
Keeping Tight Schedules
Running a tight ship is another essential benefit of hiring a personal assistant. Automated scheduling software can incur high costs and be less thorough than having an assistant. Most software is better installed on the company premise and requires large installation fees. They also have dependability issues.
Adding the human element to scheduling creates the ability to improvise, which automated systems generally lack. As a C executive, you need someone who can shuffle your schedule for the most optimal arrangement. Skilled personal assistants offer that ability.
Hiring a Personal Assistant is Worth the Cost
Personal assistants give your company a valuable productivity resource, but it’s essential to hire the correct candidates.
At C-suite, we make sure to pair your company with the right candidates who boost your company’s productivity and allow you to keep focused on what matters most.
See how we can help find your perfect candidate today!
