Is working remotely possible as an administrative assistant?
The answer is definitely YES!
During the current pandemic, many of us are still working remotely from home. This has happened to me as well.
You would think, however, that you have to be physically present in the office to manage administrative tasks. Yet, it is possible to adapt to remote work, even in your role as an administrative assistant.
Technological benefits...
We are lucky that technology has evolved a lot in recent years. It has allowed us to work from home as efficiently as if we were in the office.
In the beginning, it might have seemed impossible to do. And millions of people felt the same way. It takes "baby steps" though, and no one expects that you will be an expert from day one. Call your colleagues if you are not certain about something, and communicate with emails. The meetings are happening on platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Skype. It really makes you feel like you are physically present. Create chat groups to replicate the benefits of informal work conversations that play an important role in sharing professional-related information (sometimes referred to as “water-cooler learning").
Personal benefits...
An administrative assistant needs to make many calls each day. An open space office, however, makes it difficult sometimes to focus, especially when you have to write down quickly many details from a phone call. And background office noise is disruptive for the person you are talking to. At home, this problem won’t happen because you can have your own quiet space to do your work.
Personally, I enjoy working from home. Of course, I miss seeing people, but there are ways to overcome this problem. Firstly, a big advantage of working remotely is that you are not interrupted, you can fully focus on what you are doing, and you can organise yourself as you want.
Secondly, you have more time in the morning as you don’t have to run to commute to the office. Also, you can wear comfortable clothes (though remember to wear a good shirt for those online meetings!). On top of that, you can take better care of yourself, and have more time to exercise, cook, or do house chores. In fact, nearly half of employees working remotely said they were taking more walks or breaks.
According to the New York Times survey, 86 percent of remote workers are satisfied working from home. Only 1of 5 people want to go back to the office, and the stress levels went down overall.
We must accept the fact that this new normal can become permanent as we don’t know how long this pandemic will last. Companies have to change their strategy, and their employees must find ways to adapt.
Further Reading:
Assistant(e) de gestion de fortune : un métier passionant by Gabrielle Depery, Geneva Business News.
The Office Will Never Be the Same, New York Times, August 20, 2020.
Pros and Cons of Remote Work: Is it as Great as it Sounds?, Miro, March 2020.
How Covid-19 contributes to a long-term boost in remote working, Deloitte.
Image: freepik.com
