Transcription

00:00:06 Introduction

Welcome. You're listening to Links at Bain and Gray, a catalogue of podcasts centred on all things business support in the workplace. Our aim is to bring you interesting and relevant content that will keep you up-to-date and thriving in your role.

00:00:22 Tray

Welcome to Links Bitesize. Today I'm your host Tray Durrant. I'm joined by -

00:00:28 Emily

Emily Bain.

00:00:28 Tray

We're talking about a couple of roles and some key differences. We're talking about the difference between an Executive Assistant and a Personal Assistant, which you might be thinking is super obvious, but increasingly I think we're finding there's some blurred lines and lots of crossover and lots of organisations say different things.

00:00:47 Emily

Absolutely and, actually, out of all the Bitesize, we're doing this one I'm really excited about because we get asked this all the time, especially by companies. I think it's not a one-size-fits-all and I think that's the problem. People have their own terminology and titles for different roles at the moment, but I think to give it some clarity, and I think from sort of obviously having over 25 years’ experience in this sector, I think to really put it into nuts and bolts, I think a PA, primarily provides admin support, whereas an EA, Executive Assistant will in some ways act as a business partner.

So again, every role is slightly different, but they will be expected to step in sometimes when the senior manager is absent, and I suppose fundamentally the technical difference between a PA and EA boils down to the level of responsibility with the roles containing a lot of overlap.

00:01:42 Tray

The level of responsibility for yourself or or or for your executive?

00:01:46 Emily

Executive yeah, absolutely. And I think also something that's so obvious to us, but I don't think is obvious to the outside world that if you're talking about a slight pecking order or going up that career ladder, the PA is definitely seen as slightly more junior out of the two.

00:02:01 Tray

Largely speaking.

00:02:02 Emily

Largely speaking, yes.

00:02:04 Tray

Yeah, again it's just a caveat. You know, in different organisations, things, different things are said. But yeah, I I think that's 100% right. It's again though, that that Executive Assistant role, let's just sort of touch on that a little bit.

So if they're providing admin support, excuse me, more business partners support and then the PA is more admin support that business partner, how much or little do you think that is sort of I suppose doing a Venn diagram over their executives responsibilities for the Executive Assistant and with the personal assistant, is there none? Is it 2 sort of separate circles?

00:02:39 Emily

Mm-hmm.

Well, I think there's crossover with both roles, first and foremost, so definitely. So I think with the PA, it's more of the general admin. So you've got the dealing with the phone calls, the diary, the expenses, you know sort of admin support, travel and dairy management and I think an EA will do those, but more some. So I think typically EA sort of C-Suite. So CEO level, MD, COO. But I think an EA is far more likely to get involved in the executive’s position and projects. So things like project management, even dare I say, in some instances, making decisions so they're they're still incorporating the PA function.

00:03:12 Tray

Yes.

00:03:15 Emily

But then they've been given more responsibility, more trust, and I think developing, nurturing and maintaining some kind of business relationships is also part of a good EA's job description.

00:03:26 Tray

Mm. So really an EA, I mean, as you said it it's quite often is is a sort of promotion for want of a better word a sort of step up. They typically keep a lot of that PA duty and and responsibility and and on occasion there might be someone more junior that steps in. That's the case too, isn't it?

00:03:44 Emily

Yes, yes.

00:03:45 Tray

In terms of doing what, the more of those admin tasks.

00:03:46 Emily

Yeah, absolutely. Depending on the sort of the, the breadth of the role. But yes, we've known an executive to have an EA and then there may be a junior PA assisting the EA. Definitely if the if the role is too broad.

I think where the EA really sort of adds the value is that they're doing much more business strategy. So it's a sort of strategic role and the project management for the EA.

And I think also again a bit of a generalisation, but you don't really get a Team EA. You'll generally do one-on-one on one or two maximum, but you will get a Team PA and and I also think just a snapshot of sort of the world that we are in at the moment. If you go and look at a job board, I would say a very large percentage of business support role now as an EA, whereas I'd say 20 years ago or 10 years ago it had been PA, so I think it's just evolving with the new title, yeah.

00:04:38 Tray

Because people are more self-sufficient, aren't they? Largely in terms of their own admin and and that sort of stuff.

00:04:42 Emily

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:04:44 Tray

What do you think about if I overlay another sort of dynamic to it, the the private individuals that that sort of side of life? Which tends to be a bit more administrative and organising as well as various different elements. Would you say in a private household versus a corporate firm there's a difference and typically what one role is more prevalent in in one of those sectors and and one or the other? Or is it not as clear cut as that?

00:05:09 Emily

Do you mean in title? Yeah, I think it's, yeah, EA, the Executive Assistant mainly, is in the corporate world. And I'd say a Personal Assistant, PA is mainly for the private individual. Again, titles slightly being sort of banded about a bit, you know it could, some households are now calling it a Chief of Staff, which is a whole another area!

00:05:33 Tray

Yeah, another topic.

00:05:34 Emily

But I'd say generally the EA role is seen more in this sort of corporate office type environment.

00:05:40 Tray

So in terms of, I mean, I sort of get the point around the difference of the roles, but in terms of skill sets, do you, is there, is there a big difference in terms of the skill set do you think?

00:05:50 Emily

I think. No, I I think actually a good EA is just building on the PA. So again, they might have a strong business acumen. They may have something they've sort of studied or just from experience, be much more proficient in that particular sector. I think there is the ability to think strategically, I think -

00:06:10 Tray

Which comes with that experience, I guess.

00:06:12 Emily

Exactly. Yeah. And I think obviously PAs are masters of multitasking and thrive off their ability to adapt to everchanging circumstances. I think it is, in today's world, a promotion. People go from the Team Assistant, to the PA, to the EA.

00:06:24 Tray

Yeah, 100%.

Yeah. So how how does one make that leap from the PA to the EA role?

00:06:32 Emily

Mm, that’s a good question.

Well, a good business or a good company would be helping candidates sort of stepstone into that role, but I think it's really important to keep up-to-date with practical skills and obviously to be continued to be appropriately trained in technical skills. You know, Microsoft, Office, etcetera, etcetera. I think it's vital to develop and practise soft skills such as chairing meetings or managing upwards.

There's other things you can do. Other skills like learning languages, simply by taking on projects that enable you to show your competencies and the impact that you can have will stand you in really good stead. And I think there is definitely confusion finally between these two roles. You may feel that you're already doing an EA role, but your title is a PA.

00:07:21 Tray

Yep, yeah.

00:07:22 Emily

And I think if this is the case, it reflects negatively on the PA, but also on the executive who's being assisted. So I think you know, sometimes it's just companies don't have the Intel. Yeah, you know, they're like I said, they crossover massively, but I think what we've just discussed in the last sort of few minutes hopefully does give an indication of where the roles do slightly vary.

00:07:44 Tray

Yeah, and the slightly blurred lines between them, but but how one progresses into the other.

00:07:48 Emily

Exactly, exactly.

00:07:49 Tray

That's great. Thank you, Emily.

00:07:50 Emily

Pleasure. Thank you, Tray.