When it comes to knowing what you want in a new role pay has taken a back seat, with the majority of PAs and secretaries stating that an engaging and interesting career is their top priority. The results come from a joint survey from Executive PA magazine and Hays Secretarial which asked those in the administrative profession what the most important factor in a new role was. Following an interesting and engaging job (83%) was base salary (87%) showing a generous pay packet isn’t everything despite rough economic times.
And when it comes to perks, what PAs really want is those that offer improvements to their life/work balance, although it seems the most sought-after benefits are not always forthcoming. Eighty five per cent of PAs said they valued 25+ days holiday – but only 62 per cent are luckily enough to receive this generous amount. Similarly 65 per cent rated paid overtime as being a top perk, while just over 70 per cent stated flexible working as being important. In reality though only half of the recipients benefit from paid overtime and a mere 41 per cent have the option of working flexibly.
