Maternity Leave Cover... Consider a Virtual Assistant

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Pregnant Business WomanWhen you hear that one of your admin staff is pregnant, your first thought is usually one of joy, shortly followed by a realisation that you’ll have to cover maternity leave which can be anything up to 52 weeks. Compared with 2 weeks of paternity leave, maternity leave is much more of a problem.

If the job you have to cover is important, then you will need a solution that maintains the quality of work. Hiring a replacement on a short term contract often takes too long – hiring period, notice period and training period included – and Agency Temps are expensive and not always satisfactory. Temps have a reputation for inconsistency, being disinterested and not delivering. You need someone reliable and committed, who can slot into your business quickly and do a good job.

The third option is a Virtual Assistant. In recent years, many women have set themselves up as Virtual Assistants, a new breed of home worker equipped with Broadband, PC, Phone and Printer/Copier/Fax. Many find it too difficult, only to give up and go back to regular job, but others establish a credible business and offer an ideal solution for maternity cover.

If you are looking to cover an extended period of maternity leave, the following sections should help you to better understand the Virtual Assistant option, what questions to ask and what to expect.

What You Stand To Gain

Let’s start with the benefits of hiring a VA. In addition to instant maternity cover you get:
  • An experienced PA or Administrator
  • A ready trained person
  • New skills and ideas
  • Holiday and sickness cover built-in
  • Efficiency, you only pay for hours worked
What managers like most, is that an experienced VA is “ready to go”. They have all the essential office and IT skills needed, and will pick up their work quickly and effortlessly. Better still, they need little supervision because they are self-motivated and take pride in the quality of their work. Managers find it refreshing that they simply give instructions and work gets done. It’s how management ought to be.

An added benefit is that managers get to see what the true work content of a job really is. Because VAs time-record and only charge for the work they do, the manager instantly gets a picture of staff productivity (less the down-time, breaks and chatting). If anything, this tends to raise their expectations and the standards of permanent staff.



 

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