If you’re a busy executive with an enormous workload, you may wish at times that you could clone yourself. The next best thing is hiring multiple executive assistants (EAs). A professional EA can take on lower-level tasks to free you up for more complex responsibilities, such as strategic planning and nurturing key business relationships. The right person can seem like an extension of yourself—an extra set of hands. But what if you need two or three additional sets of hands? Yes, it’s possible to hire more than one assistant.
C-Suite Assistants offers tailored executive assistant recruitment services, perfectly matching executives with highly skilled assistants.
How Many Administrative Assistants Do I Need?
If you’re trying to determine if you need to hire multiple assistants, there are various factors you
should consider. Your workload, the workload of your current EA, the capability, ambitions and skills of your current EA, the complexity of tasks, the amount of work you can delegate, the current and future growth trajectory of the company- all of these factors will help determine if you need more than one executive assistant to help you.
Workload
Do you attend many meetings? Do you frequently travel on business? If you answer yes to both of these questions—and you’re also responsible for managing complex projects, overseeing several employees, and reporting to various stakeholders—one EA may not be able to handle all of these duties effectively. This is especially true if you need someone to assist you outside regular office hours.
Your Current Executive Assistant
Is your current executive assistant working at full capacity? Does your current assistant have the capability to take on bigger, higher-level or different projects? Does your current EA aspire to learn new skills? Are you at risk of losing your current EA because they wish to take on more responsibility and are mired in tasks below their ability? If so, you might consider adding a more junior EA to the team.
Conversely, if your current EA is doing a good job with day to day responsibilities but not capable or interested in adding additional more complex tasks that would free you up, you might consider adding a more senior EA to the administrative team.
Complexity of Tasks
If you’re involved in large projects requiring a significant amount of coordination, or if you must assemble large presentations or reports, multiple assistants may be necessary. If these tasks and projects involve others in your organization, the level of complexity multiplies.
Team Structure
Do you manage multiple departments at your company? If you’re responsible for overseeing different teams and they have unique responsibilities, it may make sense to have an assistant focused on each business unit.
Availability
Do you require assistance outside of work hours? Whether for a large project with a tight deadline or help with some personal chores, you may need assistance at different times of the day, evenings, or weekends. If this is the case, it will likely be challenging to find someone who can be “on call” all the time. Hiring multiple executive assistants may be the only way to cover your needs. You may even choose to have one of these people be a virtual assistant.
Budget
In a smaller organization with a limited budget, you might not be able to afford more than one assistant. Or, if you can anticipate when you will need extra help, you could hire one assistant for mornings and another for afternoons, opting for two part-time assistants rather than one full-time person. But this will depend heavily on what your business needs and can afford.
Value
What is the value of having multiple assistants versus just one? Do they help the executive with more tedious tasks and improve their overall performance? Coordinating work between two assistants can be complex, and they may have different work styles that aren’t harmonious. Weigh the issues of having multiple EAs with the value they provide.
Benefits and Challenges of Having Various Assistants
What are the advantages of having multiple assistants compared to one? Hiring multiple executive assistants can provide more complete coverage if the executive needs assistance outside regular business hours. Multiple EAs can have separate areas of expertise and work from different locations. However, there are also challenges.
Some of the benefits include:
- Each EA can focus on a specific area (e.g., daily operations and long-term projects).
- EAs can work different hours (for example, mornings, afternoons, or after-hours).
- One EA can be assigned to a specific department (e.g., marketing), while another can dedicate focus on accounting-related tasks.
- Multiple EAs in an organization can greatly boost productivity.
Challenges include:
- Multiple EAs may make it difficult to coordinate tasks involving both employees.
- They may have very different work styles, which could cause difficulties.
- A lack of communication may cause work redundancies or neglected tasks.
- Smooth collaboration with the executive may be a little trickier.
Open communication between the executive and the assistants can help alleviate these issues.
How Do You Manage Multiple Assistants?
The best practices for managing multiple assistants include clear and open communication, efficiently delegating tasks, establishing well-defined boundaries, and using technology to coordinate your efforts. It’s also essential to have EAs regularly check in to ensure that you’re all working harmoniously and in agreement regarding responsibilities and priorities.
Develop strategies for handling potential conflicts, and emphasize confidentiality when handling sensitive information, and encourage a collaborative environment so assistants can work together successfully.
Strategies and Ideas for Optimizing The EA Suite
- Some executives clearly divide the responsibilities of the EA and often one will take on more personal support tasks and the other focus more on the business. There are many ways to divide up responsibilities. In this situation both EAs often report directly to the executive
- Some executives have a primary senior EA who manages the other EAs and designates responsibilities and workload in real time.
- Some executives hire a Chief of Staff to take on the bigger picture projects and strategic initiatives. If your current EA is good but doesn’t have the interest or capability to take on more strategic or larger responsibilities or your company’s growth demands more administrative help of a higher level, this is often a good approach. Most often, but not always, the EA or EAs report to this person.
Why Hire Through C-Suite Assistants
Find a top-quality assistant quickly without the stress of sifting through countless people who aren’t the right fit. Hire a specialized EA recruiting firm to find with more than 20 years of dedication to the administrative support function to help you the right EA. If you are experiencing rapid growth, we can provide advice on the best type of EA to hire and the ideal administrative structure for your organization. We have a nationwide network of professionals and work with businesses in all locations and industries to improve the hiring process.
Even with a talented executive assistant, you may need to hire another. Leave the overwhelming process of finding the best assistant candidate with the pros at C-Suite Assistants. Some CEOs have up to three assistants led by a senior assistant who coordinates them. Reach out to our hiring experts today, and let us assist you in finding and hiring an executive assistant who seamlessly fits into your team.