The most powerful person in the office

THEY have unrestricted access to the boss and earn up to $200,000 a year. Are executive assistants the last bastion of true power in the modern-day office?

If only my EA would tell me what to do. Picture: Thinkstock.

IN A world where everyone has an email address, Twitter account and sits in an open-plan space, there are few people who hold true power in the modern day office.

The Executive Assistant (EA) is one of them.

They're responsible for everything from managing the boss's diary to booking travel, accommodation and meetings. Whether it's billion dollar profits or mass redundancies, chances are the EA knows all the information and is steering things behind the scenes.

"It's probably the most profound relationship of any relationship in business," said Jonathan McIlroy, managing director of the Executive Assistant Network.

"Most executives say it's the most profound relationship with anyone outside of their spouse.

"If you imagine the levels of trust. If they don't respect each other, trust each other and have each others backs it doesn't work out."

Mr McIlroy said while 20-30 years ago the EA had a feared and jealously guarded position, the nature of the modern office means it's a very different job.

"[In the past] the senior executive in C-suite got there through seniority. Basically they were the most senior secretary and their job was to protect the executive."

"People feared them for very good reason, you could not get access to the executive if the EA did not like you," he said.

However nowadays, modern EAs play a crucial role in planning and prioritising, as well as acting as a "corporate thermometer" to take the temperature of office morale.

"They're still focused on event management, organising travel, transfers and movement, coordinating the executive's time," he said, but added that they're also across everything else that goes on in the company.

"They're at the coffee machine, at the water machine getting a true sense of what is going on in that organisation that the executive might not know."

If only my EA would tell me what to do. Picture: Thinkstock.

Good EAs are also worth their weight in gold.

Mr McIlroy said remuneration depends on the industry and size of the company, but in the city can be between $90,000 to $130,000 plus bonuses. He also knew of one who earned $200,000 a year plus a rental allowance.

Sam Spence worked at Westpac for 22 years and said being an executive assistant can be like steering a high performance car.

"I don't feel like the one in charge but I'm the one who knows what to do, what's expected and what needs to happen to get the job done."

She said trust is crucial as they can be privy to certain information which makes workplace relationships difficult.

"I've had a friend I knew was going to be made redundant the next day, I wasn't able to give her a heads up. When she did find out I was one of the first people she called. That's when you have to put your friend hat on and say 'think of the bigger picture'."

In Australia there tends to be a strong distinction between the role of executive and personal assistants, something that doesn't often occur overseas.

Christine, who asked for her last name not to be included, worked as an EA in Dubai where she was on call 24/7 and not just for company purposes.

"I once got a call in the weekend in the cinema and [the boss] said 'my wife is about to come to Dubai but she's stuck in London, Heathrow, she needs a blanket, can you get her a blanket?" she said.

"I had to drive to his house to deliver documents, had to hire a private jet for him. It's not like Melbourne to Sydney where the flights are easy, we had to arrange a private company, the money is just never ending."

Christine said it's also tough when the boss isn't perfect and the EA ends up in a difficult situation.

"It's hard when they favour someone in the office you know isn't pulling their weight. I couldn't tell my boss what I saw. Sometimes they choose to believe what they want to believe."

The industry is growing rapidly, particularly with the rise of virtual assistants who work for a number of small companies who may not need to employee an EA full time.

Jodie Hodges has owned her own company for seven years and does everything from booking travel to social media to sending birthday cards for a huge range of companies.

"It's becoming really popular. It's quite big in the United States because you don't have to pay sick leave, super, we build it in to hourly rates."

Does the EA hold the power in your office? Continue the conversation on Twitter @NewscomauHQ | @Victoria - Craw

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