Are you working smarter or just working harder?

Over the years I have worked for many different managers and companies and this has given me a very broad view of office working techniques.

When I worked for the government in the local tax office work didn't seem very hard at all. Obviously, I was much younger then and new skills came very easily to me, but looking back I didn't even understand the word 'stress' as related to work. My line manager used to check my work and there were seldom any errors. I used to have plenty of time to chat with colleagues and still completed my work on time. Admittedly we had people doing the filing, making the tea and other necessary office jobs to ensure the smooth running of the office.

Nowadays we each have to do all these things for ourselves. There is less of a hierarchy - no junior to do all the menial tasks in most organisations. And certainly for the small business no-one to do all the administration.

Some of my earlier articles have mentioned Virtual Assistants and I feel it's important to mention these again. They are ideal for use by the small business owner who is trying to do all the admin as well as the main work of the company.

Let's take an example - the local plumber. Apart from actually going out to homes to mend pipes, plumb in washing machines etc. he/she also needs to take new telephone calls, run a diary system, keep a record of clients and tasks completed, complete invoices and do the banking. These are just the main tasks needed to run the business efficiently.

The actual amount of admin work often doesn't warrant employing someone full time, or even part time as the amount of work can vary from week to week. By employing a Virtual Assistant he/she would only pay for the number of hours worked. Also he/she would have no Natioanl Insurance or tax to worry about. Just an invoice to pay either weekly or monthly. It is up to he/she to decide which tasks the VA will do. Most VA's are fully trained in all aspects of office admin so it is just a matter of adapting their skills to each individual business.

For more information on Virtual Assistants please go to my website: www.margaretgammons.co.uk