In the wake of Marissa Mayer?s controversial blanket ban on Yahoo! employees working from home, Barnaby Lashbrooke makes the case for virtual assistants carrying out their role remotely.
Huge advances in technology have made working away from the office easier than ever before, as an increasing number of small businesses start to embrace the concept of remote assistants. Over the past five years, almost ?1.5 billion worth of tasks has been processed by freelance marketplaces such as Upwork and PeoplePerHour.
Google Drive and Dropbox enable multiple users to file share easily and edit documents in real time, regardless of where they might be geographically, while instant messaging and video calling services such as Skype have fast become integral to business operations.
Sophisticated technology means a traditional 9 to 5 working day is no longer a necessity. This can be a major advantage for virtual assistants (VAs) who may have gone freelance for the flexibility the role offers, perhaps to cut out childcare costs, fit in the school run or to leave the city for a bigger house and better quality of life.
The irregular hours many SME owners invariably keep can suit VAs who?d prefer to work early mornings and late evenings. This is perfect for those businesses with international clients in other time zones.
Going freelance can be a big decision, due to the lack of job security, although many would argue that even full-time permanent employment isn?t secure these days. For this reason many VAs will choose to attach themselves to a personal assistant service to top up their existing client base.
There?s no doubt that office-based PAs are invaluable ? fronting an organisation, acting as a confidante and sounding board for the CEO, meeting and greeting clients and attending board meetings. But a virtual assistant plays an equally pivotal role in a company, albeit in a slightly different way.
VAs are the voice of a company and will take on any task, from answering calls and liaising directly with clients to credit control and market research. Many will also attend meetings on request.
Being a homeworker does not mean you?ll be working without support ? though you may miss the office banter and camaraderie that comes from working face to face with a team. If you choose to work with a reputable virtual PA company you?ll be backed up by a supporting team who take over if you are ill, if you go on holiday or if you?re simply unable to answer the phone.
VAs are free to negotiate their own rates and those with niche skills, such as SEO copywriting or marketing, can command higher pay.
How to be an invaluable VA
Becoming a freelance VA means that a degree of entrepreneurialism is vital. Network, talk yourself up to prospective employers, perfect your CV and LinkedIn profile and have a list of referees.
Be organised
If you have several clients, keep their files separate to avoid emailing the wrong people or experiencing any slips of the tongue.
Communicate clearly
Ask your client how they would prefer you to correspond with them, be that via email, IM or telephone. Daily or bi-weekly activity updates are particularly helpful for VAs and their clients.
Decisions, decisions
Decide with which kinds of businesses you?d like to work. Do you want to be niche or diverse? Do you want to specialise or work with a broad spread of clients across different sectors?
Routine
Working from home is not for everyone, and may not suit social butterflies who thrive on the water cooler culture of the office. Set routine working hours, even if they aren?t the customary 9 to 5.
Barnaby Lashbrooke is the CEO and founder of virtual PA service Time Etc
Virtual PAs brought to life
The virtual PA service worker: Rachael Sutherland
?I have been a virtual PA for Time Etc since 2011. After graduating from university I embarked on a career in the media and became a production assistant for the BBC. It was there I discovered an aptitude for organising and co-ordinating projects and realised that intelligent assistance is crucial for the smooth and successful running of any business.
?At the start of 2011 I was ready for a new challenge and made the decision to leave the media industry. I was searching for jobs based in the Midlands and came across the ad for Time Etc. It appealed because it promised a fun environment and that no two days would be the same ? that description was spot on.
?I work from 9am until 5pm at the Time Etc office in Birmingham and I have five clients, all entrepreneurs who have built businesses from scratch. One is in the cake-making sector and supplies tools for sugarcraft, another is a GP, and one sells Wellington boots. The other two are in the recruitment and technology industries.
?The best part of my job is the element of surprise. I never know what?s going to happen when I arrive at the office in the morning. I also love the influence I have on clients? businesses ? I get to grow with them. The worst part is the workload when all my clients are busy at once. Then the phone is ringing off the hook and my multitasking skills are tested to the extreme.
?The ability to do more than one thing at once is essential in this role. Often I can be found researching potential destinations for global conferences while simultaneously creating exciting blog entries for another client?s website.
?The strangest request I?ve ever had is still ongoing. I organise private dance lessons for one of my client and three of his male friends, so they can impress the ladies on their forthcoming trip to Las Vegas. Right now their dance teacher Angelo is teaching them a routine they can use in nightclubs.?
The freelance home-worker: Rachael Pielow-Spratt
?Having been a PA for more than a decade,I turned freelance after I had my baby, who is now 15 months old. Although having my son was the motivating factor, the drive to work for myself has always been there. The idea of freelancing and having the flexibility to choose my hours ? and to a certain extent, my clients ? appealed to me.
?I work from home in Putney in south-west London and have four clients that I look after: three contracted through Time Etc, plus another one in the property sector who I worked for full time after I left university in 2003.
?In a typical day I?ll work four to five hours but I can more or less choose when I carry out my client work ? unless there are deadlines looming, of course. I often work evenings, once my little boy is in bed, rather than during the day. When my son goes to nursery in about six months? time, I?ll have the opportunity to take on more clients but I?ll continue to work for myself, as opposed to going back to the office.
?Working from home can be a bit lonely at times and I do miss the office banter and camaraderie but I?m not chained to my desk. I pop into central London on occasion to meet clients and get a taster of what it?s like to be a commuter again.
?The best bit of the job is the sheer variety of tasks I get from working for four different clients ? there is never a dull day. The strangest task I?ve ever been assigned was to help one of my clients find a wife. I had to post his profile on dating websites, sign him up to agencies and sift through the responses. He was just too busy to devote the time himself.?
