6 Tips to Remain Your Executive’s Go-To Resource
Your boss may consider you to be a stellar executive assistant, but now that you have been asked to work remotely, how will you maintain your reputation as the go-to executive assistant?
Working Remotely, Your Relationship Will Be Different
At the time of writing this, a rapid move to remote work has been compelled by the response to COVID-19. Moving forward, the transition to more remote working is likely to accelerate. This means the executive assistant role is evolving, and may be more remote in the future.
As an executive assistant working remotely, you’ll have more freedom than working in an office. However, your working relationships will change. Instead of developing a close working relationship through personal contact, you must maintain your affinity through video calls, phone calls, email, and collaboration tools.
With the right working practices and systems, there is nothing that you cannot do working remotely as an executive assistant that you could not do working in the office.
With the right working practices and systems, there is nothing that you cannot do working remotely as an executive assistant that you could do working in the office. In many ways, you’ll become your own boss, with greater autonomy over your schedule and working methods.
However, to take advantage of the benefits of working remotely and remain the in-demand resource you have become, you must work differently. Routines and working procedures will change, and you’ll need to negotiate some of these with your boss. Here are seven considerations for you when working remotely.
1. Agree Upon Methods of Communication
In an office, it is easy for an executive to reach out to you – and you to him or her. You may only be a few feet apart. When working remotely, this luxury is no longer available. You should agree how best to communicate, especially should there be something urgent that must be tended to.
2. Schedule Regular Status Calls
Agree on times for regular status calls, and how they are to be conducted – for example, video calls or phone calls?
A weekly virtual meeting can help prioritize tasks, and a daily call can help to maintain momentum while giving you the opportunity to clear up any miscommunication.
3. Know Your Tools and Technology
There is a huge range of task management tools available to use. Most accomplish similar jobs, but each has its own nuances and peculiarities. To work effectively, you should familiarize yourself with the tools you will be using, and figure out how each tool integrates with the other tools of your working life, such as email, cloud-based data and files, and your calendar.
It is also wise to replicate as many of these tools as possible on your cell phone, and ensure it synchs with your laptop, to ensure that you can work when you’re not in front of your laptop.
4. Share More
In the office you are visible. Colleagues can see when you are busy, and it is easy for others to know the tasks that you are working on. Maintain this visibility by sharing your calendar with your colleagues and your executive.
5. Send a Daily Wrap-up
One of the things you are most likely to miss, but that you probably don’t realize to be part of your routine in the office, is the daily wrap: the five-minute, end-of-day conversation where you explain what you have been doing during the day, report on progress, and confirm priorities for the following day.
To replace this, send a daily wrap-up to your executive, summarizing the status of all tasks and the challenges you are facing, and give a brief rundown of what you have scheduled for the following day. This is also an opportunity to ensure that your executive has answered important emails and is prepped for upcoming work.
6. Stick to a Schedule
It is essential to remain focused on your time, avoid distractions, and work productively. Sticking to a schedule is critical to your own productivity. You’ll need to set boundaries around your physical workspace and your time – and make certain that your work doesn’t start to engulf your free time.
Remember, too, that it is also important to take breaks to stay at peak productivity. Set a timer to remind yourself to do this – it is far easier to forget to take a break when you are working from home and there is no water cooler to walk to.
Whether Remote or in the Office, Be Your Exec’s Go-To Resource
As an assistant, you are your executive’s go-to resource. You are the one to manage schedules, act as gatekeeper, help to juggle the executive’s priorities, and anticipate needs. The work you do frees up your executive’s time, and that means they are more effective.
How you execute your responsibilities may change when you work remotely as an executive assistant, but your value doesn’t.
To find your ideal executive assistant job in Chicago and Denver (whether office-based or remote), contact Lakeshore Talent today.