Balancing your personal and professional life is tough in all jobs, but for PAs, it is a particularly difficult task. You work to your boss’s schedule and are expected to be available at almost any time. This can affect your social and family lives in a big way. Working in temporary and permanent PA jobs is very demanding, but there are things you can do to strike a balance. As a leading PA recruitment agency in London, we like to ensure all of our candidates get a good balance.
Set boundaries from the beginning
As a PA, you’ll need to set boundaries from the start if you want to balance your professional and private life. One way to do this is to agree on suitable out-of-hours response times. For example, you could suggest to your boss that they email you tasks that can be dealt with during business hours, but that they can call you in the event of an emergency. It’s also important to be honest about any other commitments you have, such as taking care of your children.
Use your time off wisely
Making the best use of your time off can be difficult to achieve, especially if you travel a lot as part of your PA job. You should still be given time off, but make sure you use it for yourself. For example, if you’re travelling with your boss, it can be tempting to have dinner with them during your personal time, but be sure to tread carefully. Your boss should be just that—your boss, rather than your best friend. If you forget this, your work life will become your only life.
Delegate when possible
If there are other staff members in your department who are available to carry out tasks, don’t be afraid to delegate. Sharing out responsibilities can be the key to finding a work-life balance. It can be difficult to put your trust in others, but it can help you to avoid spreading yourself too thinly. Be clear about what you expect from those you are assigning tasks to and let them get on with it. You’ll probably find that they are more than capable of completing the work to a high standard.
Make time to recharge and relax
Don’t forget to make time to recharge and relax. This can be difficult in PA jobs, as you’re on call much of the time. That’s why using your assigned holiday is so important. If it helps you to feel less stressed about taking time off, why not see whether you can match your holidays with your boss’ holidays? This will allow you to switch off more easily knowing that they don’t need you. Take off the time you’re owed—and you’ll return to work feeling refreshed and super-productive.
For advice on finding permanent and temporary PA jobs, executive assistant jobs, or receptionist jobs in London, get in touch with our team at Love Success. As a leading PA recruitment agency, we specialise in placing the very best candidates in roles within companies of sizes within the capital.
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