You ’re probably reading this because you are likely curious about how a virtual assistant can fit within your team. One of the most common questions asked about virtual assistants is the difference between one and a regular employee. Let’s take a look at how virtual assistants differ from traditional workers as well as what they’ve in common.
Status
The most common difference between a traditional employee and a virtual assistant is their working status. A traditional worker is someone that you’ll have on your payroll. They will be a member of your company and you’ll issue them a W- 2.
By comparison, a virtual assistant is an independent contractor. They aren’t a member of your company and are issued 1099- NEC forms rather than W- 2s. A virtual assistant may only work for your company, or they may work for several companies.
Cost
Another big difference is the cost. When you have a regular employee, you pay their salary/wages, paid leave, and benefits. That’s why, you end up paying much more than just the cost of the hours that they put in for your business.
Still, with virtual assistants, you only pay them for their time worked and nothing further, If a virtual assistant works 80 hours for you in a month, that’s the only cost you will pay them.. In other words, virtual assistants are a cost-effective choice than traditional employment.
Location
Generally, regular workers will be working on site at your company address. They may also be remote, particularly with the increase in remote work brought upon by the pandemic. Or they could have a mixed/hybrid arrangement.
Meanwhile, a virtual assistant will work from a home office. Unlike in- person assistants, virtual assistants can work anywhere and can be reached through different technology platforms, like over the phone or the internet.. Some virtual assistants will work simply online, while others will work in combination online and in- person, similar to meeting with guests in- person once a week.
Term of Employment
When you have a regular worker, you’re mostly always hiring them for ongoing employment. This means you plan to have them on your staff going forward. This is great for numerous arrangements but not always what your business requirements.
You can readily hire virtual assistants for short term, seasonal, or design-specific work. You can also have an ongoing relationship. This is great because it adds flexibility into your business ’ approach. It’s easy to gauge the work to your requirements and stay within your budget.
Knowledge & Skills
When hiring a new assistant, you may have someone that comes in with specific skills needed for the job or you may end up engaging in a lot of training. It really depends on the pool of aspirants. Indeed if someone has the knowledge, you may need to train them in how to work in your association. Each company has their own ways on how they do things, so it’s important to train your new virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants generally have a lot of experience coming into the company and easily adapting to their ways of doing the tasks/things. Also, virtual assistants tend to come with the major skills you need formerly in place and well developed. This can lead to lower training time and an easier on boarding process.
What Do Virtual Assistants and Regular Workers Have in Common?
With all of the differences between virtual assistants and traditional workers, it’s still important to note that there are a number of things that they do have in common.
Accountability
Eventually, both regular workers and virtual assistants are responsible for the quality of work they produce. This means you’ll have supervision to both; However, for experienced virtual assistants they function well without the need of intense supervision and constructive criticism are relatively accepted.
Dedication
Obviously, regular workers tend to be devoted to the work they do and the association for which they work. It is understandable that most people who haven’t hired a virtual assistant before are worried about losing this quality. Fortunately, you ’ll find that virtual assistants take great pride in their work and are relatively devoted to their jobs and the company that hires them for a temporary timeframe.
Teamwork
With regular workers, cooperation is highly important. Regular workers will develop teamwork with other members in the office and frequently discuss the projects. This can also be the case with virtual assistants, depending upon the work they’re hired for. Virtual assistants will tend to make connections with the people they most constantly work with. While it may develop a bit slower, you ’ll see strong teamwork skills from virtual assistants as well. Communication plays a great deal when it comes to teamwork and although a VA works remotely, talking through any means makes them part of the team too.
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