How to Measure and Increase Assistant Productivity
The job of an assistant is not easy at all. For operations to be successful there is then a need to measure and increase assistant productivity.
A lot of people may think it is easy being a personal assistant or secretary. However, this position is not as easy as it may seem. True, assistants merely comply with the instructions given by their superiors. But you can never discount the fact that there just may be tasks assigned or delegated by superiors can be quite difficult to some extent. Plus, there is also the fact that if you have superiors with busy work schedules, your very own work schedule as a personal assistant can very much be busy as well. Thus, you have to be ready to meet the demands of the job, and this can require you to be a multitasker at times.
So, how do you measure and increase assistant productivity? The concept of measuring the productivity of your personal assistant actually entails a number of aspects. First and foremost, you have to determine if your assistant has certain qualities and that very important positive attitude towards his or her work. Look at your assistant and try to assess his or her qualities. Is your assistant flexible enough that he or she can deal with the inevitable changes that would sometimes arise in any ordinary work day? And when there are so many changes to be plotted out in a day, is your assistant still able to work all of these out efficiently? If you can answer these questions with a strong “yes”, then your assistant is indeed flexible and productive in this aspect.
Another thing to look out for is the quality of initiative. Now, assistants do rely on the instructions that are given to them by their superiors. These instructions actually plot out their work schedules as well. Still, it would really help to have an assistant who has enough initiative to act on his or her own. Imagine being the superior and you would have to dish out every single task to your assistant. Working very closely with each other, your assistant should be able to develop a certain pattern in the tasks and responsibilities that come with the job. There should be particular tasks wherein your assistant would no longer need you to give out that particular instruction anymore. After months or years of plotting monthly meetings with board members or suppliers should give your assistant insights on how he or she can do the job more conveniently for both of you. This spells out much initiative.
Time management is also an effective tool to use in determining just how productive your assistant is. Your assistant does not just attend to the demands of her own job because he or she also attends to that of the superiors. Thus, it would be very important to have excellent time management skills at hand. If your assistant can work very efficiently when under pressure, then this is a strong indication of productivity.
Increasing assistant productivity is an easier concept to grasp. All you have to do is offer your assistant enough incentives and motivation, and things will surely run more smoothly for the both of you. This way, your assistant would be motivated enough to want to be more productive in every aspect of the job.
Tags: assistant productivity, Increase Productivity, measure productivity
