5 Ways a Virtual Assistant is More Cost-Effective Than Employing a PA

You’re a busy business owner and so a PA is vital to you being able to run your business effectively, and not getting bogged down in the admin yourself.

Obviously, you are going to have to pay them a salary, which could easily be anywhere between ￡20,000 and ￡35,000 pa, and often more. But you know there are other costs to employing a PA, both financially and to productivity. These costs include: 

Employer Insurance, NI and Pension Contributions

Employing a PA on a PAYE basis costs more than their ￡20k to ￡35k salary each year.

As an employer, it is your responsibility to deduct tax and NI contributions. You also need to pay for hidden extra’s like pension contributions and NI. These are all costs that add up over the year.

IT Equipment, Space, Heating, Lighting etc.

Of course, your PA will need somewhere to sit, a desk to work at, a computer and possibly two screens!

They will also need enough space to work comfortably as well as heating and good lighting. If you want them to work close to you, there might be some compromises that have to be made about the space!

Holiday and Sickness

This is a double whammy when you are employing people.

You continue to pay their salary when they are away on holiday or off sick… even though their productivity falls to zero.

Maybe there is someone else in your company who can cover for them while they are away, but the person covering can still only do one thing at a time, slowing them down from doing their own work.

The other option is to hire an expensive temp.

Interruptions e.g. phone, other staff, personal, chatter

We all know that there are constant interruptions working in an office. Phone calls, people walking past and stopping for a chat, be it business or personal, or just office banter. Without sounding like a killjoy, all of these interruptions mean less time they are working for you!

Lunch, coffee and Restroom Breaks

No matter how conscientious your PA is, they will still need time away from their desk.

It goes without saying really that lunch and refreshments throughout the day are a necessity, but you are still paying for time that they are not working.

Now for the age old question… “How do you increase productivity for less money?”

Answer: By hiring a Virtual Assistant!

The beauty of hiring a Virtual Assistant to do your PA work is that you are simply paying for productivity.

While there are times when a Virtual Assistant can come to your office, e.g. taking meeting minutes, they will do most of the work at their home. This means that:

• They are self-employed so you are not responsible for deducting their tax, NI and pension contributions or paying employers NI and pension contribution.
• You do not need to make space for a desk and chair, or provide them with any IT and telephone equipment, not to mention have the IT dept. on call to fix any technical issues.
• You are not paying for them while they are on holiday or off sick.
• They are not interrupted by internal phone calls, work colleagues who want to discuss other work-related matters or last night’s TV. Any interruptions they get at home will be in their own time.
• Lunch, coffee and any refreshment breaks are taken in their time, not yours.

What you are getting is a professional, experienced assistant, who will carry out the tasks that you need completed, who uses their own PC, desk, chair, lighting and heating, where you simply pay for the work done and you can choose whether to pay a straight hourly rate, a monthly retainer or by the project, depending on the tasks your VA undertakes.

If you have any questions about this article, please message me through LinkedIn and arrange a chat.