Reference no: EM132853675

Heard but Not Seen - The Virtual Assistant

In this age where the debate is all about working in your home, office, cubicle, shared space or the nearest cafe, one underlying concern is how much face time we need with the people in our organisations. With recent technological innovations, organisations across all industries are beginning to re-think the way they structure jobs and workflows.

How about no face time at all? According to some employers, even the dynamic, complex, often personal role of the office assistant can be effectively accomplished by someone in another country whom you'll probably never meet in person. Many of those employers report that such assistants are efficient, valuable and multitalented. From finding a perfect office-party venue to designing a website, virtual assistants can handle just about anything someone in-or around the corner from- the office can.

'We've been very surprised at the breadth of capabilities of virtual assistants,' said Adam Neary, Profitability.com's founder and CEO. 'In fact, we've started using oDesk [a virtual assistant website] for all sorts of highly technical and specialised skills.' Marc Plotkin, a software entrepreneur with 25 employees, agrees. Rather than find a local employee to handle his overloaded email inbox, he used the Zirtual site to hire a former English teacher. Ben and Lydia Choi hired a virtual assistant to take over 'an endless list of to-dos that neither of us wanted to tackle' for their house move while they maintained their executive jobs. Virtual assistants also handle paralegal work and architectural or engineering support. Shirley Garratt, owner of Manhattan Skin and Laser Clinic in Victoria, was very pleased with her virtual assistant: 'Virtual Assistant Australia has provided a service that has made a real difference to my sales. Great work!'

Part temporary employee, part apprentice, the virtual office assistant can be cost-effective. While fees paid to the matchmaking company range from $6/hour to $90/hour based on skills employed, employers can also pay monthly for a specified number of hours. The virtual assistant isn't offered benefits, office space or other compensation, but the employer's biggestsavings may be in upfront costs. Employers are encouraged to hire more than one assistant initially and offer each the same task; because the assistants are paid by the hour, the employer can simply terminate the arrangement with lower-performing candidates.

But don't think the virtual worker doesn't need managing. The good ones need feedback, acknowledgment and extrinsic rewards. Virtual assistants are like any employee: they need to be engaged and to have challenging assignments, and they also have a high regard for mutual respect. The virtual assistant is a recent innovation in the way organisations are structuring themselves. In the United States, for example, while postings by candidates on clearinghouse websites have grown exponentially, with a recent increase of 44% (to 50 000 assistants) on Elance alone, so has the number of employers seeking virtual assistants.

Virtual office assistants are undoubtedly here to stay. Will your next co-worker report from India, the Philippines, China, Poland, Singapore, Manila, Hong Kong, Australia or even from your neighbourhood?

References

Baxter, A 2013, 'You could need a virtual hand', Geelong Advertiser, 13 March 2013.

Shellenbarger, S 2013, 'Get me a hair appointment and empty my inbox', The Wall Street Journal, viewed 8 November 2017 .

The Virtual Assistant n.d., The Virtual Assistant Website, viewed 8 November 3017,

• Develop a list of advantages and disadvantages of using a virtual assistant to replace an in-house office assistant
• How can you offer feedback, acknowledgement or extrinsic (tangible) rewards to a virtual assistant?
• Could you be or use a virtual assistant and how does that link back to your personality type?