Count complexity as well as volume
Occupation data describes the administrative tasks that often sit inside an executive assistant role, including scheduling, documents, records, and correspondence. [1][2]
Two executives with simple calendars may create less workload than one founder with investors, hiring loops, customer escalations, travel, and confidential planning. [3]
Planning inputs
Useful inputs include meeting hours, calendar changes, inbox volume, travel frequency, document deadlines, stakeholder sensitivity, hiring activity, and number of recurring operating cadences. [2]
Compensation and labor data can support planning, but companies still need a local map of the workflows the assistant will own. [4]
When to add coverage
Add coverage when response windows slip, preparation is late, the assistant becomes the single point of failure, or strategic follow ups depend on heroic memory. [5]
The page should help readers decide whether they need one assistant, fractional support, a coordinator, or a broader executive support team. [6][7]
Sources
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, O*NET OnLine.
- Dear Manager, You Are Holding Too Many Meetings, Harvard Business Review.
- Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
- 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, Microsoft and LinkedIn.
- Creating helpful, reliable, people first content, Google Search Central.
- Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, Google Search Central.
- Business Formation Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau.
- Nonfarm Business Sector: Labor Productivity, Federal Reserve Economic Data.
- Productivity Statistics, OECD Data Explorer.
- World Development Indicators, World Bank DataBank.
- ILOSTAT Labour Statistics, International Labour Organization.
- The economic potential of generative AI, McKinsey Global Institute.
Apply the research
Use the finding to frame one question for your own team: which support work is currently invisible, and who should own the next step? A scoped consultation can turn that question into a practical role.
Turn the finding into a support scope.
Bring the workflow that feels hardest to see. We will help define the role, the evidence it should maintain, and the decisions that stay with leadership.
Talk through the role