What Does A Secretary And Administrative Assistant Do?

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants are people who help a company’s or institution’s top staff. They are primarily focused on corporate governance, effective administration, and regulatory compliance, but they also involve a broad variety of legal, ethical, and corporate duties. However, there is a difference between their specific roles and responsibilities. 

Secretary

A secretary is a person whose sole work is clerical. Secretaries operate in a variety of settings. In small businesses, secretaries may spend the majority of their time dealing with mail and answering the phone. An executive secretary may work in a large corporate office building in a spacious office. Entry-level secretaries may work in a big room as part of a team. Medical secretaries may work in high-traffic doctor’s offices. Most secretaries interact and collaborate with a wide range of people. A secretary will not have any other key responsibilities, and he or she will not have the authority to make choices on his or her own. 

The Secretary is responsible for:

  1. Schedules agendas and timetables for meetings, conferences, and other activities as provided
  2. Ensuring that meetings are effectively arranged and minuted
  3. Keeping accurate data and administering them effectively 
  4. Performs other related duties as assigned

Administrative Assistant

An administrative assistant has more responsibilities than a secretary. The work of an administrative assistant is well above that of a clerical position. An administrative assistant has the authority to make independent decisions. Administrative assistants manage other employees, plan meetings, and examine submissions, memos, and significant reports. It is the administrative assistant’s role to schedule meetings between the executive members and the various committees. Some administrative assistants are also tasked with the preparation of statistical reports, something secretaries are not permitted to undertake.

Administrative assistants play a critical role in organizing, managing, and administering an office. Most administrative assistants are in charge of clerical and organizational responsibilities such as file management, appointment scheduling, supporting other staff members, and writing mail or communications.

The Administrative Assistant is responsible for: 

  1. Filing, preparing reports and presentations, setting up meetings, and restocking supplies are all examples of office chores
  2. Booking appointments and resolving issues in real-time to provide real-time scheduling help 
  3. Arranging travel preparations, such as booking flights and renting automobiles, as well as making hotel and restaurant reservations
  4. Monitoring phone calls and forwarding them to relevant people 
  5. Create reports, transcribe meeting minutes, prepare presentations, and conduct research using computers

The Importance of Having a Secretary and Admin Assistants

Administrative assistants and secretaries are the backbones of almost any organization. Their roles are critical to running a small business, they will play a critical part in ensuring that the business’s processes run smoothly. A secretary’s or admin assistant’s responsibilities are no longer limited to general tasks but can differ considerably depending on the type of organization in which he or she works.

Administrative assistants and secretaries are needed in every field. The time you spend on administrative activities and scheduling may be far better spent building the business. 

Benefits of Hiring a Remote Professional: Secretary and Administrative Assistant

A virtual assistant can provide you with more time and flexibility to accomplish the things you value. You may focus on your company plan, establish stronger relationships with your clients or consumers, or even spend more time with your family.

  • Cost-saving. Because a virtual assistant works remotely, you may save a lot of money on expenses. Most virtual assistants work from home, so you won’t need to pay for extra office space, coffee, or supplies.
  • Increase in Productivity. Virtual assistants are responsible for a variety of tasks, including monitoring your email and maintaining spreadsheets. Doing your daily tasks like data entry, answering phones, contacting suppliers, clients, and payroll all contribute to your increased productivity.

In need of a Secretary or Administrative Assistant? Workergenix is here to help you. 

Whether you require assistance with scheduling and answering the phone, or with other clerical work, hiring an assistant to assist you with the administrative side of your business is a wise decision.

Workergenix connects you to successful individuals and organizations with the focused remote professionals they require to perform all of their responsibilities. Our committed remote professionals relieve you of all the tasks you’ve been meaning to delegate while enhancing your accountability to do more.


To know more, you can reach us at workergenix.com

How Much Does an Administrative Assistant in Chattanooga Cost?

As your business grows, you might have more inquiries, inbound sales, service requests, and many more. All these things are going to grow which are manual, repetitive, and reactive. When that time comes, you may need a new set of eyes to support you with your business functions which will help you focus more on gaining your competitive advantage.

According to Randstad, the average base salary of an Administrative Assistant in Chattanooga, Tennessee is $19.12 per hour. The salary ranges from $16.34 to $22.15 per hour depending on various facets, which include educational attainment, experience, qualifications, and additional skills.

Typical Administrative Assistant Tasks

Administrative assistants play a key role in your business operations which helps you maintain your business run smoothly. They perform a wide range of tasks depending on the field of the business. Administrative assistant roles oversee a range of tasks, helping not just the staff but also provides a better customer experience. They are also making sure of the efficient operation of the business and a good work environment.

Depending on the field and the tasks assigned, an administrative assistant can also help you with sales & marketing, human resources, and content creation.

No matter how helpful an administrative assistant may be, most small businesses and startup businesses do not want to hire an administrative assistant mainly because of the hiring costs. Aside from the hiring costs, salary, and bonuses, businesses also have to pay for taxes.

This has been the major reason why employers are reluctant to hire people even if they need to. According to Investopedia, the cost of hiring an employee grows further than just paying for the agreed salary including recruitment, training, benefits, and more. In 2019, small companies spent an average of more than $1,500 on providing training for every employee.

The table below shows the average salary of an Administrative Assistant in Chattanooga, TN by the highest paying companies and industries according to zippia.com.

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
10th Percentile$27,000$2,250$13
25th Percentile$31,000$2,583$15
Average$36,352$3,029$17
75th Percentile$42,000$3,500$20
90th Percentile$48,000$4,000$23
Average Salary of an Administrative Assistant in Chattanooga, TN.

Money is just the concern of a small business in hiring a new employee. Incorporating a new employee into the business also requires a lot of time spent from the hiring procedure up to the training course.

What many employers and recruiters fail to consider when hiring an employee is the money you have to spend on onboarding and providing training for them. These include IT equipment such as computers, phones, software licenses, and the like. 

Better Alternative: Workergenix Remote Professional

According to Indeed, a hiring alternative is a technique used by businesses to acquire a labor force without the need to hire long-term employees. When using traditional hiring methods, organizations go through recruitment, onboarding, training, and pay a salary and benefits to an employee.

But with the use of the hiring alternative technique, you don’t have to go through all the hiring procedures. Hiring alternative methods will save you time and money. Employers can prevent all the recruitment costs and the negative effects of absenteeism, turnover rate, and low productivity. They can also keep away from spending more money on the benefits linked to regular employment.

Workergenix provides our clients with dedicated, college-educated, motivated, remote professionals (RPs) to handle our clients’ business and personal tasks.

Workergenix is the best hiring alternative where clients enjoy all the benefits of dedicated professionals without the overhead of hiring, human resources, benefits, payroll taxes, work culture maintenance, basic IT infrastructure, high employee turnover, and skyrocketing labor costs.

The good news is that Workergenix is currently on Spring Sale. You can enjoy all these benefits at a much lower cost!

Follow the link below to schedule your free consultation: workergenix.com

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