The Power of the PA

Profile of respondents

The survey attracted responses from 923 administrative professionals throughout the UK and covered a wide range of administrative job roles including secretarial, PA/Executive Assistant, Office Manager and Administrative Manager. The respondents worked in a large spectrum of sectors, from professional practice and manufacturing, through to public sector and charity.

11% of respondents were working on a temporary basis and 89% permanent. And, in line with National statistics, 5% were male. The average age of respondents was 38.

Overview of Administrative Professionals and the Power PA

Knowing me knowing you

Over one-third (35%) of administrative professionals have worked for their current boss for three years or more and just 14% have worked for their boss for over six years. Executive Assistants however break the trend and are most likely to work for the same boss for a long period of time - over one in five (21%) Executive Assistants have worked for their boss for over six years.

Almost one-third (32%) of administrative professionals are involved in organising their boss’s personal life, over half (54%) regularly organising aspects of their boss’ personal life. By comparison, just 21% of Office Managers and 7% of Administrative Managers are involved with organising their boss’ personal life.

Contrary to popular belief, the extent that Executive Assistants get involved in their boss’ life is not just limited to organising their calendar. In fact, over a third have access to their boss’ bank account details and half believe that they know their boss’ movements better than their partner does.

The top reasons for Executive Assistants getting involved in their boss’ personal life are to:

1. Carry out personal errands (78%)
2. Update their boss’ partner on their whereabouts (49%)
3. Arrange family/personal holidays (43%)
4. Remind him/her about anniversaries/birthdays (44%)
5. Organise their social calendar (40%)
6. Have access to his/her bank account details (36%)
7. Buy presents on their behalf (31%)

A personal commitment that knows no geographic bounds

Executive Assistants have a clear commitment to organising personal aspects of their boss’ personal life – and many Executive Assistants would take this commitment one step further.

When asked if they would move to a new company with their boss, Executive Assistants were the most likely to agree – with two-thirds (66%) stating that they would if the company was right for them. This is compared to just half (51%) of the overall sample of administrative professionals.

Furthermore, almost half of Executive Assistants (49%) would relocate geographically if their boss changed jobs and they felt the company was right for them. This is compared to just 38% of the overall sample that show this level of commitment.

Professional commitment with a focus on delivering value

Not only have Executive Assistants demonstrated that they have significant personal commitment to their boss, but they also have considerable commitment to the organisation they work for.

One in five Executive Assistants stated that the part they enjoyed most about their job was adding value to the business.

Overall however, administrative professionals stated that variety was the most enjoyable part of their job (62%).

Personal drive

The personal drive and commitment of Executive Assistants is summed-up by the fact that two-thirds (66%) state that they are committed to the company they work for and developing their role there. Just 8% stated that they like to change jobs regularly to develop their career and only 12% are using their current role as a stepping-stone to a different career.

In contrast however, a significant one in five secretaries (21%) stated that they are using their current role as a stepping-stone to a different career. A further one in ten (11%) commented that they like to change their jobs regularly to keep developing their career.

Managing the manager

The survey suggests that office professionals are involved in managing almost every aspect of their boss’ life. In fact, not only are 49% confided in about personal issues, but over half (51%) have been asked for advice on business issues. This increases to 63% when broken down to just Executive Assistants.

In fact, one-third (32%) of administrative professionals believe that they know their boss’ movements better than their partner does, and this increases to over half (52%) of Executive Assistants who believe this to be the case.

Salary

The average salary of an administrative professional is £22,000 per annum. This is an increase of £1,200 on 2003, when the average salary was £20,800.

The average salary of an administrative professional has risen by 6% in the last year alone. But what can administrative professionals do to ensure they maximise on the amount of money they can earn?

Regional divide
There are no surprises on the most lucrative region for administrative professionals. Those working in London can expect to earn an average salary of £27,300, whereas those in Scotland, who earn the least, can expect an average salary of £18,600.

Below is a breakdown of salaries for each region, with the highest paying region first:

1. London: £27,300
2. Thames Valley: £24,200
3. South West: £22,400
4. Home Counties: £21,200
5. South Coast: £20,600
6. Midlands: £19,300
7. North: £19,200
8. Scotland: £18,600

It’s all in a job title:

• Administration manager: £26,100
• Office Manager: £24,200
• Executive PA: £22,800
• Administration: £19,000
• Secretary: £18,300

Salary- Fast facts
The larger the company you work for, the larger the pay packet you can expect. In fact, the survey suggests that those office professionals working for companies whose turnover is £1billion or more can expect to earn £30,200, which is approximately £9k more than their counterparts who work for companies with a turnover of less than £250k.

Industry sector

The top paying industries are as follows:

1. Banking £27,000
2. Medical £26,000
3. IT/telecoms/Finance £25,500

The three industries which pay the least are:

1. Public Sector £19,900
2. Construction £20,300
3. Charity £20,600

Pay rises
The majority of office professionals have a positive outlook for the future, with 42% expecting a pay rise of up to 3% in the coming year, and almost a third (31%) expecting a pay rise of more than 3%. Just 14% expect no pay rise at all.

Overtime
The survey suggests that administrative professionals are still being overstretched, with one in five being required to work six or more hours of overtime per week. In fact, Executive Assistants in particular appear to work overtime as standard, with just 21% stating that they never or very rarely have to work overtime.

Despite overtime apparently coming as a standard part of the role, the majority of administrative professionals (57%) are either rarely or never compensated for overtime.

Stress – coming to a town near you

Reducing stress levels is a priority for any hardworking professional – but should causes for stress be looked at dependent on where you live?

The top four reasons for stress in the workplace are:

1. Too much work (22%)
2. The people you work with (21%)
3. The type of work you do (14%)
4. Your daily commute (13%)

However, there are some strong differences in the causes of stress when analysed by regions. In London, over one quarter of administrative professionals (27%) stated that their commute caused them the most stress. Second on their list was the people they work with (25%), with the type of work they do coming third on the list. Surprisingly, the amount of work they do came fourth on their list of causes of daily stress – whereas it was top of the list for every other region.

Those in the South Coast and South West regions appear to have the easiest journey into work, with their commute coming last on their stress list.

Meanwhile, administrative professionals in the North of England, Thames Valley and Scotland appear to have the most volatile relationships with their colleagues, with one- quarter of respondents in these regions accusing the people they work for causing them the most amount of stress.

Temporary workers

There are over one million temporary workers on assignment in the UK at any one time and they make an extremely valuable contribution to the economy. The strategic use of temporary workers can be an extremely cost effective staffing solution.

Pay and overtime
The average hourly rate of a temporary administrative professional in the UK is £9.60, and they typically work a 35-hour week. However, 17% are contracted to work over 36 hours a week and 26% under 35 hours a week.

Despite working to a contracted number of hours, 38% of temporary workers work overtime on a regular basis. 14% work between one and two hours overtime a week, 15% between two and five, and almost one in ten (9%) work more than six hours overtime a week.

Unfortunately however, just 38% are regularly compensated for overtime. 8% claim that they are rarely compensated, and 22% claim that they are never compensated for overtime.

Temporary workers are in for the long-term

The myth that temporary workers are predominantly used to cover sick leave is exactly that – a myth. Just 3% of assignments last for under one week, compared to 17% that run between one and four weeks, and over half of assignments (52%) run between two and twelve months. A further one in ten assignments last twelve months or longer.

The survey suggests that temporary professionals are yearning for long-term and permanent positions.

Almost half of respondents (40%) stated that their ideal length of assignment would be between two and twelve months, and an additional 26% would like their assignment to be over twelve months in duration.

When asked if they would accept a permanent position, an overwhelming 56% stated that they would either definitely, or be likely to take it.

Stress
Whilst too much work was top of the “stress agenda” for a quarter of permanent workers, it was firmly bottom of the list for the temporary worker, where just 4% of respondents believed this to be the case. Instead, commuting was the number one cause for daily stress (24%), followed by their personal life (17%) then the type of work they do (16%).

Temporary workers are also far less stressed about the people they work with than their permanent workers are, with just 8% claiming that the people they work with causes them stress, compared to 22% of permanent workers who believe this to be the case.

Why temp?
The top reason that office professionals temp is for the flexibility (41%). Perhaps surprisingly, 10% believed it was better money, and 13% chose to temp for the variety of work.