By now, you’ve probably heard about virtual assistants and how they do their job. If you are curious whether which can help you more, virtual assistant vs employee, this article will help you find the answers you’re looking for.
(If you haven’t, perhaps the simplest description of virtual assistants – they are people who provide their services remotely. As for the type of work they perform, most often it is about various administrative tasks, but virtual assistants can also specialize in providing other services, such as e.g. sales or marketing.)
And do you know the differences between a virtual assistant and a classic employee?
I will list the main ones in the rest of the text in order to clarify them for you, and perhaps help you in making a decision about what kind of help to hire for your business, if you are at the stage of your business where you need help and have decided to hire it.
Costs
Virtual assistant – when you hire the services of a virtual assistant, you only pay for the work actually done, according to the needs of your business, for a certain number of hours per week/month or for a specific project. In this way, the costs are much lower than if you were to pay a full-time employee.
Employee – an interesting study shows that the average worker is productive for less than 3 hours a day, regardless of how much time they spend at work. Most workers do about 3 productive hours, and the rest of their working time is spent on social networks, talking with colleagues, on the phone or even looking for a new job. And you pay him for a full 8 hours of work. The math is clear, isn’t it?
Place of work
Virtual assistant – a virtual assistant works from his own space, with his own resources, so when hiring the services of a virtual assistant, you don’t have to worry about an office, a place to work, a computer, office supplies.
Employee – you are obliged to provide and equip the workplace for the employee, as well as to provide means for work, which certainly increases costs.
Working time
Virtual assistant – virtual assistants have flexible working hours, according to the agreement with the client.
Employee – the employee will do his work during his working hours, regardless of possible emergency situations or circumstances in which you need help immediately, but outside of working hours.
Simplicity
Virtual assistant – the whole procedure of hiring a virtual assistant is very simple, after you agree on the part of the work that you want to outsource to the virtual assistant and agree on the terms and sign the contract, the VA can start working. Likewise, if you are not satisfied with the cooperation, for any reason, you will simply terminate the contract on business cooperation.
Employee – the entire hiring process, from posting an ad, reviewing CVs, interviewing candidates through the first, second, and third selection rounds, requires a lot of time and energy. In addition, there is always the worry of salary, contributions, vacations, sick leave, etc.
Efficiency
Virtual assistant – since the virtual assistant runs his own business, it is important for him to perform his tasks efficiently, and that his clients are satisfied with the service provided.
Employee – the employee is paid for full-time work, regardless of his efficiency.
Professionalism
Virtual assistant – virtual assistants are mostly experts in their field of work, with many years of experience, so when you hire their services, you can be sure that the work will be done expertly and professionally.
Employee – often an employee needs additional education or training to perform the work at the workplace where he is employed, which creates additional costs, and it takes a certain amount of time for the employee to gain enough experience and knowledge to perform the necessary work independently.
If we take into account everything stated in this text, it is easy to conclude that it is far more profitable to hire a virtual assistant than to hire a worker, and thus save money, time and energy, and at the same time get the necessary help to do business more productively and profitably.
Do you agree?