The way we do business has changed in ways we have never imagined.
Brick-and-mortar offices are changing, or should I say slowly disappearing.
The way people communicate has never been so revolutionary.
Distance is no longer a problem anymore.
And the way we work with other people now, and vice-versa, was totally unheard of years ago.
You have an assistant right now, but then he or she can be thousands of miles away from you.
You may not speak the same way.
You may have different time zones.
You don't even see each other face to face.
In fact, you may have never really seen each other yet.
Yes, a lot of businessmen and entrepreneurs are taking a different route and hiring virtual assistants to help them run their businesses.
But then, many are still hesitant to join the bandwagon.
They would still rather have someone who is physically present during the regular office hours.
They'd rather prefer having someone like the good old days.
But then the myth about workers' productivity has been busted, and all the other stuff that go with it.
Here's why: • Availability doesn't necessarily translate to productivity.
You may have an assistant that works in your office 5 days a week, 8 hours per day - but then is he or she really that productive? Do they really give you value for money by doing the job that is expected from them? Or do you need to watch them 5 days a week at 8 hours a day simply to get the result that you want? • Workers or employees don't really work for the full 8 hours that they should.
You pay someone by the hour, but then, are you really getting your money's worth? • Firing people involves a lot of legal consideration.
Yes, it is definitely hard to find the right person the way you have envisioned that dream assistant to be.
But in real life, legal implications prohibit you to fire someone simply because you find him or her as not a good fit.
Plus, emotional considerations can also get the better of you.
Training entails additional costs, can you really still afford to give that? • You have to provide all the logistics and an office in order for them to do their job.
Supplies, materials, utilities, food, rentals, office or building maintenance can cost you lots of money.
The thing is, overhead costs need not get a bigger slice of the pie in your finances.
• Your work is overwhelming you but you don't have a budget to hire someone full time.
There is the whole recruitment and hiring process that can actually make you spend more time and money.
Are you still ready to go through that? So if you think you don't have a choice, you got it all wrong.
I certainly believe that virtual assistants will be the new norm in the way we hire people for different jobs.
Hiring a virtual assistant is how we'll do office work in the years to come.
Have you hired your own virtual assistant? How is it going?