If your business is suffering from a lack of skilled workers, you are not alone. It is a pandemic, an arterial gift from COVID-19. As a small business owner and Managing Director of a recruitment firm, I am well accustomed to our hiring agony. Small businesses feel the magnitude of economic or external pressures tenfold. Lose one employee from a staff of 10, and that is 10% of your workforce. Add the pressure of managing the operational minutia, let alone the ongoing genie-like strategies required in combatting such business conditions, and it is never-ending.
Equally, we cannot accept the situation as a fait accompli. There must be alternate options. And there is. Your administration support… never underestimate their value.
Untapped skills. Your administration team has a plethora of uncovered skills. Often, we limit our view only to the prism of their working life with us. Forgotten are past experiences and skills acquired. Administrators enjoy the luxury of working across industries. Your accounting firm’s office manager having worked at a software company previously can be key to successful implementation projects.
Administrators are multi-functional, across various briefs and disciplines. They may not fill amply the shoes of your departing Human Resources or Marketing Director, however, as a temporary measure, some of the job requirements may be satisfied. The prolonged cost of empty seats calls for compromise and different ways of working. Having an open mind and embracing change is foremost in today’s world.
Hidden potential. Administrators often fall into their roles following university or school and as a first job, the administrative profession makes the transition easy. What of their original dreams and capabilities? Perhaps at university, they were talented writers or had a knack for numbers. This is your opportunity and theirs to discover the possibilities. Perhaps it is mentoring, a course, a degree or training. Either way, you are expanding the flexibilities, skills and opportunities for your business while securing your existing talent.
Key player. No matter the role, whether it be as a team administrator, office manager, or executive assistant, administration professionals make your working world work. Typically, they operate surreptitiously in the background, anticipating needs, pitfalls, and at the ready with backup plans. They are your helicopter, eyes, ears, cheerleader, and advocate.
Many of the administrators working at a senior level are privy to all that is going on. They hear your conversations and witness the handling of every situation, the nanoscopic to monstrous. They know how you think and your decision-making patterns. Best of all, they do not compete but collaborate with you. How to utilise better such an incredible confidante and asset?
Reframe your view of the administrator. If you think of administrators as lower-skilled roles, you may want to re-examine your assumptions. Highly skilled, technically savvy, smart, often degree qualified and flexible. The role of an administrator has evolved and continues to morph, shift, and adapt. They are the jack and jill of all trades. In a fast-paced, ever-changing labour market, adaptability is in equally high demand as the expert skills of a one-dimensional profession.
When COVID-19 first hit, in managing costs, businesses quickly reduced employee working hours and made redundancies. Higher-end salaries were hit hard. Because of their lower cost base, the mid-tier administrators were relied upon to fill business gaps. And they did so. In the EST10 2022 salary guide, team assistants received the largest salary increase at 35.7%, reflecting the upskilling and value.
We do not need another COVID-19 to discover talent right under our noses. Similarly, we do not require the ‘great resignation’ and talent shortage to value the contribution of any role or individual. Our current time is an eye-opener for us all, employees and employers alike. Uncover and explore the team and skills you may already have!
Written by Roxanne Calder.
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