Working Environment: Corporate versus Private

 

The life of a Private PA is not for everyone.  I only excelled when I left the corporate world and took on my current role in a private office, which to this day is still my dream job.  I am asked so often about the main differences between the two and hence I thought I would list some key points.  These are not applicable by any means to all organisations or private offices but they are generalisations that will give you a fair idea and hopefully some food for thought.

 

Corporate

• Often more bureaucratic: rules/regulations such as Health and Safety
• Ready-made infra structure: departments to call upon: IT, HR, Accounts & Finance
• Structured in terms of routine of job, set hours 9 – 5.30 with 1 hour for lunch (in an ideal world!)
• Roles more clearly defined and delineated
• Sub-standard performers or employees can more easily be ‘carried’ by colleagues due to larger workforce hence less chance of being exposed too quickly
• Can be hierarchical with multiple layers of seniority
• Easier to take set holidays as in-house support can deputise
• Larger companies more often than not will offer on-going training
• Often more political as not just one decision maker particularly in larger Public companies
• Most companies will have their own established culture which filters from the top downwards

 

Private

• Often no set job spec – spans across business and personal evolving and expanding with time; often resulting in the PA becoming almost an extension of the family with no obvious or set boundaries
• No set hours; often on call 24/7; equipped with a smartphone to access emails and be contactable out of office at anytime
• No set routine, no day is the same – for me this is a blessing!
• Often one decision maker, i.e. the Boss hence easier to get things done fast
• Given a lot of responsibility quickly
• Often a small office, working alone
• More exposed so no room for errors or mistakes
• Dealing with household matters – from domestic staff to decorators, plumbers, gardeners etc.
• Often no departments to call upon such as IT; have to be “Jack of all trades and master of all”