Over the years, the duties, responsibilities and the benefits of a visual assistant have changed. Thanks to the technological revolution and the digital age, the game for them has improved significantly. Gone were the days when an online assistant is treated like those in the movies- obeying tyrant bosses without being compensated fairly. It is time to say hello to the new face of an online personal assistant.

Online Personal Assistant Yesterday Vs Today

Working as an online personal assistant for years now, I have noticed a great shift in the way that we are treated and in the way we are needed in a company. So, for all of you who are planning to get one or apply as one, below are some of the things that changed over past few the years.

Assistant before, Key Player Today

Have you ever watched the movie The Devil Wears Prada? Do you remember how you used to make fun of the personal assistants who follow even the humiliating tasks that their employers asked them to do? Can you recall how you felt sorry for them for spending almost every single hour with their employers without being compensated fairly? That was how an online personal assistant is treated before. They were more of a slave than a key player in the company they work for.

Luckily today, they are now viewed as one of the most powerful people imaginable. Imagine being able to possess power over your employers’ lives. You get to meet the people he transacts with, the deals he makes and those he doesn’t. Likewise, you know how his day will go, the meetings he has to attend to and things that concern the business. All these sensitive and personal information is in your hands and within your reach. This just means one thing- your employer trusts you. With that trust comes all the training, making sure you’d be the best personal assistant you could be.

Today, you are not just someone who follows orders and do menial tasks. You are now someone they trained to do the job. Someone they are afraid to lose, and someone who is part of the success of the team.

Cheap Labor Before, Efficient Employees Today

Having experienced virtually working for $2 per hour, I have realized a lot of things as I continue my stay in this industry. One of the most noticeable changes for an online personal assistant’s point of view is the way virtual employers see you.

During the years back, employers would often refer to outsourcing virtual assistants as a cheaper option to finding help. They look for people from countries with a lower cost of living and offer them the lowest salary possible. However, offshored online personal assistants have proven their worth over time.

Status quo, virtual assistants are now seen to be 3 times more efficient than in-house personal assistants. In fact, employers are starting to treat them as part of the team. This is so evident that the image of virtual assistants have shifted from being “cheaper laborers” to “overseas key players”

Compensation Before, Perks Today

If I am to mention another significant change in a life of a virtual online assistant, that will be the compensation. During the earlier years, compensation is all that matters. How much will you get paid an hour? How much will I get in a month’s time? All these and questions alike.

It is not beyond our knowledge that as a starting virtual assistant, we get the lowest possible offer, given that we still need to undergo training to adapt to the working culture of the company. However, the great demand for virtual office assistant increased the minimum salary offered to each applicant. This being said, virtual online assistants started to receive fair compensation rates.

As happy as the news sounds to be, compensation is now the least concerns of longtime virtual assistants. They are more into the perks and the benefits that they will get if they decided to be part of your company. More often than not, it is also their deciding factor for staying in a company.

Perks for your Virtual Online Assistants to enjoy

As a business owner, do you have perks to offer your applicants? If none yet, below are just some of the perks that virtual assistants might want.

Virtual Parties

Thanks to the power of the internet to bring people closer to each other. Distance and geographical location is no longer a problem for people from across the globe to meet. Likewise, thanks for the more advanced technological and digital devices. People can see each other face to face and communicate real time. Given all these privileges, what reason can you provide for not giving your virtual online assistants a virtual party that they would remember?

Conceding to the fact that virtual work requires no physical interaction, it did not say that virtual interaction is not necessary as well. There is still a fact that a team will be able to perform better if the people that make up the team gets along with each other. One way of making this possible is through virtual parties and virtual meetings that you have occasionally. Doing this, you are not just honing a successful team, but you are making each member happy as well.

Personalized Compensation

Virtual or not, our compensation varies. There are general increases, performance-based increases and the like. One factor that will perk up the performance and satisfaction of your Virtual Online Assistant is to provide them with the compensation that they deserve.

Have they performed well? Have they been consistent? Do they beat deadlines? Are there team members who deserve an increase? Do some of them deserve a bonus? These are just a few questions you can ask to help you decide how to personalize your Virtual Office Assistants’ compensation.

Appreciation

There is no greater feeling than knowing that you are appreciated by your peers and by your employer as well. Getting a virtual tap in the shoulder from the boss increases the drive of every employee to work harder and to maintain the quality of their work.

As a business owner, you should know that compensations do not just come with money. Your employees don’t just need monetary values. They also yearn for your approval and appreciation. So next time your Virtual Office Assistant does something beyond what is expected, do not forget to appreciate what they have done.

Now, with my many years as a virtual assistant, I have found my home with HOPLA. They are a virtual staffing agency which makes sure their customers are happy by providing them cost-effective remote solutions for their every recruitment needs. They offer only managed dedicated remote staff which gives the customers the freedom to pick from their global talent pool without the stress of management as well as enjoys employee loyalty. More importantly for me, they care about their employees as much as they care about their customer. I have learned with my experience being with HOPLA that happiness does have a domino effect on people and employment. It starts from the company, producing happy employee which in turns creates happy and satisfied customers.

So, if you are looking for a happy, dedicated remote employee, call HOPLA today.