EDITORIAL
PA , EA , advanced EA , legal assistant , project manager , management secretary , chief of staff … Continuing to mark 30 years of Executive PA Magazine , editor Claire Muir asks our readers what they are referred to in their high-level assistant role , and what it means to them .
Natalie Kennefick
EA to the CEO , Arriba Group
“ I think there are pros and cons to the variety of titles . A major pro is that it allows for development within the role , as well as recognition that it ’ s more than it was in the past . A major con , though , is that it allows for confusion about what EAs do – and provides an opportunity for some employers to ‘ hold down / back ,’ or put us into a very outdated box .
This then impacts the views people have of us , the value we can add to a business and our monetary worth . Admins are traditionally paid lower as we ’ re perceived negatively due to the lack of understanding around our roles .
Something that I have seen in the market is employers wanting an EA but marketing the role as something else – an admin manager or office manager , for example . This can be used to cap the pay and have us do the ‘ less desirable ’ tasks that would have traditionally been looked after by someone in a secretary role . I believe very few executives and hiring managers understand the true strategic benefits of an EA , and this is often reflected in our salary .
On looking at recent job adverts , the number I saw looking for an EA with the headline ‘ Are you my Donna Paulson ?’ ( referring to the character from Mad Men , a show based in an advertising agency back in the days when women were expected to ‘ know their place ’ at work ) was mind boggling . The fact that this strapline is consistently used as a recruitment tool in 2022 is staggering and , to be honest , a little alarming !
Also , although many of these job adverts state that they need a ‘ high calibre EA ’ to run meetings , diary and be the
“ We hold a partnership role with our executives and the job title should reflect that , instead of screaming ‘ I ’ m here to serve and assist you .’” exec ’ s right hand , they also say you ’ ll be responsible for keeping the kitchen and meeting rooms clean and tidy . This shows that most businesses still see us as less than others in the office and it ’ s sad to see that this is just accepted . I ’ ve never seen a senior leader ’ s job description stating that they need to clean a kitchen …
Ultimately , what I ’ d like to see is the title of EA being phased out altogether . The role has evolved from traditional secretary to a business / strategic partner and if you ’ re lucky enough to have an executive that sees your worth in these areas , you ’ re much more than a traditional EA . But as long as the title has the word ‘ assistant ’ in it , there will always be a preconceived idea of what the role involves – and it will always have a lower value added to it .
The titles should move in a direction that truly reflects what we do and the impact we make on a business . How about business partner ? Strategic partner ? Operations partner ? We hold a partnership role with our executives and the job title should reflect that , instead of screaming ‘ I ’ m here to serve and assist you .’” j
Summer Issue 2023 | Executive PA 19