PA and Secretary Community - Deskdemon.com

Ok, let's be honest now.  We all secretly want to know what other administative assistants/secretaries are taking home in their paychecks.  I think it would be helpful if there were a few volunteers to answer some salary/benefits questions.  I know everyone may not agree but it would be helpful to others who are trying to present a case to their boss about how much they really should be receiving.

1.  What is your base salary?  Hourly or Exempt?
2.  How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?
3.  Do you feel that you are overworked?  Or, that your office is understaffed?
4.  Do you work for a small company or for a large company?
5.  How many people do you support?
6.  Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop?

I would really appreciate anyone who volunteers to answer even a few of these questions.  I think it's important that we stay informed of where our position stands in relation to others.  Thank you in advance.

Heather

ooooh! One more important question that I forgot to ask is about location.

Which part of the world are you located?  Please be as specific as possible as we all know different locations have different costs of living.

Thanks!

Consider me volunteered!  Salary is such a taboo subject nowadays (esp. in the company I work for!).

1. What is your base salary? Hourly or Exempt?

Base salary is £24,250 plus benefits (ie contributory pension, free healthcare, bonus (not that we're likely to see any this year )  Also, salary is not that great for my position (PA to CEO) - at least £750 underpaid, locally.

2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?

Overtime is not paid - don't generally have to work it, either.

3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed?

Overworked would be a joy - definitely underutilised and thus looking for another job.

4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company?

just under 500 in the UK, nearly 1000 worldwide

5. How many people do you support?

Officially 2, unofficially 6.

6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop?

No.

Location: near Oxford, England.

1. What is your base salary? 18.5k plus pension, healthcare.
2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this? Don't do overtime so don't get paid for it.
3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed? At times but that is a pretty good salary for a PA in Northern Ireland.
4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company? Large, global company.
5. How many people do you support? In my office, the director plus his team -  direct line support (4 people) plus 2 other project managers not forgetting 4 other team leads.
6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop? No - none of these thank heavens!

Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland

1. What is your base salary? $33000, plus benefits (health, dental, vision, 401K, a few other odds and ends), plus bonus.
2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this? I generally don't have to work overtime, but when I do, I have the choice of getting paid for it or taking it as extra time off (sometimes, that's worth SO much more than the extra money!).
3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed? Nope, but not underworked either.
4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company? Large company.
5. How many people do you support? 2
6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop? Yup! Just got a brand new one of each, in fact. They're awesome!

Location: Tallahassee, Florida, USA

1a. What is your base salary?

45K/yr; yearly bonus is between 3%-5% of salary, depending on revenues for the year.

1b. Hourly or Exempt?

Exempt

2a. How many hours do you generally work overtime?

1-2

2b. Are you paid for this time?

No

3a. Do you feel that you are overworked?

No

3b. Is your office is understaffed?

No

4. Do you work for a small or large company?

Small

5. How many people do you support?

I’m the Administrative Manager. I oversee the Admin. Dept. (4 direct reports). Technically, I don’t “support” an individual, but the office itself.

6. Are you provided with a cell phone or laptop?

Both

7.  In which part of the world are you located?

USA – Nashville, TN

A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

1.  $38K USD, Exempt with top of the line medical benefits and they match my retirement contributions.  Company-wide bonus program based on overall company performance.
2.  About one a month, usually by coming in early.  Not paid, but I can use that hour elsewhere if I want to
3.  We're a fledgling department so it's rather hard to tell.  Some days I'm swamped, some days I'm twiddling my thumbs.
4.  HUGE company.  Tiny department.  A setup like that has its benefits when I need to slip out early for a dr. appointment. Easy to fly under the radar when you need to.
5.  Three.
6.  Neither.  My boss has my personal cell phone number for emergencies, and I can link to our system from home from my own computer if necessary.  I haven't done that yet, but the thought was that since I commute over an hour each way, I could work from home in a snowstorm and not lose a personal day.

Location:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

Edited by didface on 26/05/05 09:24 PM.

Ok, so here's my info...

1. What is your base salary? Hourly or Exempt?
By base salary is $35,505 per year and I get paid $17.07/hour

2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?
I have been working anywhere from 2-10 hours overtime almost every week!

3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed?
I feel that my office is understaffed and all the work goes to me.  I could definitely use some help.

4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company?
I work for a small company inside of a large private corporation.

5. How many people do you support?
I support 2 VP's (calendar management, meetings, travel, the works)
I also act as office manager (organize all company functions, deal w/ new hires, security issues, anytime anyone has an issue about anything, they come to me)
6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop?
Supposedly I can have a laptop soon but that's not on the top of the list of priorites right now (I think they like the fact that I live 5 min away and just drive to the office for any extra work that I have to do!)

I work in the Boston, Massachusetts (US) area.

tiffanyctd -

I'm interested to know if you think you get paid more or less than others in FL.  Also, how many years experience do you have?  Do you do any office management worK?  It sounds like you work for a great company! I'm jealous! =)

Heather

Didface -

How many years experience?  Sounds like your company is great too.  I think I'm getting ripped off at my place.  I work for a big name global company and have a feeling they aren't compensating me enough.

Heather

Deleted at poster's request

Edited by jackie on 01/06/05 10:50 AM.

Ooops  -  forgot to say - based near Gatwick Airport, England

Helen  

1. What is your base salary? Hourly or Exempt?
£24,500-26,600 (not sure what exempt is) plus final-salary pension.  Also have facility for interest-free loan for annual travel pass and "useful, non-approved training" (ie where they cannot afford to fund it but see the benefit of you undertaking the training).

2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?
5ish hours per week - not paid, but flexi system in operation.  Hours worked after 7pm can be accrued and taken as TOIL.

3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed?
Always overworked - part of the "juggling priorities" culture we work in.  Not practically understaffed, but compared to equivalent offices in my organisation we would appear to be (perhaps we just work smarter?).

4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company?
Large - 20,000 staff, 7,000 within my department - all staff based within approx 20 miles of city centre.

5. How many people do you support?
one - strategic director

6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop?
Neither - have use of laptop (shared within office) for minuting meetings, etc. Have no need for mobility due to nature of work.

Location - Birmingham, UK

edited at poster's request

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If you're using dc please visit - potofgold.awenet.org:420

Edited by jackie on 01/06/05 10:51 AM.

1. What is your base salary?
21.6k

2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?
No overtime worked unless on a tight deadline and then any hours worked are taken as TOIL.

3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed?
Not overworked, just that projects always seem to run into each other without the chance of a lull period.  

4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company?
Small company.

5. How many people do you support?
2 officially (3 unofficially)

6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop?
No

Location: Rugby, Warwickshire, UK.

removed at Queenbean's request

Edited by jackie on 30/05/05 08:12 PM.

this post was deleted at the poster's request

Edited by jackie on 28/05/05 09:43 AM.

this post was removed Friday evening UK time, at the request of Dettu.

Edited by jackie on 27/05/05 09:10 PM.

Hi Heather.

All told, I've got about 10 years experience.  I also have a bachelor's in education, but teaching in the "real world" wasn't for me, sadly.  When I made the move to this new department (and new division) about a year ago, I negotiated a salary about $5K more that I was making in my old department.  I moved because our office manager had left and they never replaced her and here I was practically doing her old job and not being compensated for it.

The organization as a whole is coming to realize that yes, good administrative help IS hard to find and if you find someone good, you need to PAY them decently to stay.  Some of the senior-level executive assistants are making in the upper 40s/mid 50s -- of course they're practically "on call" 24/7 and I'm not interested in that.  I did enough carting work home and working until midnight during my two years of teaching!

Didface, your last post came in twice so I have deleted one.

Heather, I am amazed you have got quite so much information from everyone.

Personally, and this is not me with my moderator hat on, I would never discuss salary info (self employed now so it's slightly different for me) with anyone other than partner and boss.

I wonder whether any of you have remembered that this a public website, anyone can read the forums, registered or not, and in one company I worked for, it was an offence against the company if you discussed your salary with anyone.  Had you put salary ranges, it might be safer.  Also giving out quite a lot of information about your companies (especially if you have a complete profile) could lead someone to put 2+2 together and make a resounding 4.

If you feel that you would like to edit in any way your original posting, please contact me or another moderator - not Countrigal as she's about to have her baby - and we can edit as required for you.

I would definitely urge you please to revisit your posts and think again about how much information you want to share in such a public way.

And Heather, if you're doing this as an exercise to increase your own salary/check you're getting what you think you should be, then you should be comparing apples with applie - ie your own area only.  Salary ranges widely across even parts of Scotland, and parts of England, and i tcan't be that different in the US.  But you haven't said why you are doing this, unless it's a curiosity thing?

If this does come across as slightly schoolmarmy, I make no apology on this occasion.  This information is so personal to you, you need to be careful about how you share it, who you give it to (when you don't know how they're going to use it) and remember, this information will sit here ad infinitum.

Jackie, Peer Moderator
www.iqps.org

I'll share some info with you.

1. What is your base salary? Hourly or Exempt? $57,000 exempt plus the usual benefits and bonuses (medical, vision, 401K, paid time off, 3 weeks vacation, eduction reimbursement, etc.)

2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?  Honestly, as many as needed (sometimes a LOT), but they are also very flexible when I need time off, come in later, longer lunch, etc.

3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed? Nope, not at all.

4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company? Small department, large company

5. How many people do you support? One

6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop? Yes

I'm on the west coast of the US.

I completely agree with you.  I would assume that anyone who is willing to voluntarily post so much personal information should already know the risk they are taking.  In my case, I do not give out any personal informational in my profile.  If someone has reservations about giving out this information it is completely understandable.  But, thank you for making it clear to everyone that it is a risk you take.

Heather

Also...
"If you feel that you would like to edit in any way your original posting, please contact me or another moderator - not Countrigal as she's about to have her baby - and we can edit as required for you.

I would definitely urge you please to revisit your posts and think again about how much information you want to share in such a public way. "

I would suggest this also.  Forgive me if I gave the impression that I wasn't concerned about the security of others' information.

Heather

Since my posting 2 things.

I.  to let you know that Countrigal hhad her baby - a boy - this morning and hopes to be home very soon.

2.  To let you know that Dettu has asked for her post to be deleted, which I am about to do.

Jackie, Peer Moderator
www.iqps.org

Thank you, Jackie. Ordinarily I'm very net paranoid and give out absolutely no contact info, so I'm not sure why I suddenly got all free and easy with the info. EEK!

Heather,
It's hard for me to judge about making more or less, because our city is kind of skewed (mostly government jobs, which I am definitely making more than anyone there).

I have a feeling that I make less than my counterparts in the bigger cities, but I'm not complaining. I've got about 7 years of experience. I don't do any office management in this job (although I have in previous jobs).

I hate to boast, but my job is REALLY awesome! Especially compared to my last job which was in state government. It's amazing how different the private sector is! I love it!

Tif

Dettu, no problem.

Jak0215 also requested for her post to be deleted, which I have now done.

Jackie, Peer Moderator
www.iqps.org

1. What is your base salary? Hourly or Exempt?
I earn about £24,600, on a salary scale as I'm in the public sector. That's the top of scale 6 with inner London weighting - my employer is one of the better paying in the sector. We have a currently good pension scheme which is almost certainly going to be attacked severely, but as I'm just about to turn 36 that's some time off for me, and  I don't imagine much pension provision or a retirement age will exist in 29 years time (or 34 or whatever...) If I have kids there's good maternity leave provision.

2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?
Probably half an hour to an hou ra day and no pay. I would be on flexitime but my timekeeping isn't great and I got taken off, but I do stay and finish stuff, and am working on the timekeeping.

3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed?
One solicitor has just left and I think we have about the right number of solciitors now. I think I have a bit too much work but there's a question of what my job is, as I work for several people but there is a lot of dealing directly with people who ring up, problem solving, non fee earning tasks (ie it has to be done but other departments are reluctant to find money in the budgets to pay for it). Our management seem to want less secretaries to provide low level support for more fee earners - I'm not sure this is best use of the council's money (and that paid by the borough's residents) but what do I know?

4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company?
Quite a big organisation but the department is about the size of a medium sized law firm, and many of the sections we mainly work for are small to tiny. In a council the kind of joibs and areas people work in are much more diverse than anyone outside would realise.

5. How many people do you support?
3 directly, but I also have to cover if other secretaries are off, and help out with lots of little queries across the team. I've had moments of having our main clients demand stuff directly (it may not help that I was once their temp even though it was 9 years ago for 3 months).

6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop?
No! I wouldn't want the first one, as it would only be for work to chase me elsewhere  and my job really involves being in one set place, so why would they want to give me a laptop?

Luci

I make $41,000 (I have a review next month)
I would say my company is medium size (about 1500 Team Members - 4 plants & a corporate office)
I support the President and CEO (and his executive staff, if needed)
We have a 401k and insurance benefits (including eye and dental)
I can get overtime, but never turn it in.   I feel that it all evens out when I leave early or come in late.
I work in Chicago, IL - USA

Entry Level Admin. Asst
1. Hourly, 14K a year
2. 40 regular hours no OT
3. I feel underworked, I love staying busy
4. small company
5. 6 sales, 4 accounting, 3 owners and 1 purchasing mgr
6. no cell no laptop

i live in central mn

1. What is your base salary? Hourly or Exempt?
$58,000+ / Exempt as Executive Assistant to President/CEO

2. How many hours do you generally work for overtime and do you get paid for this?
work .5-2 hours overtime daily - not paid - am able to take time when needed for appts or just time out of office

3. Do you feel that you are overworked? Or, that your office is understaffed?
Don't feel overworked - have been doing work for President/CEO and two Directors for the past 6 months - have been able to get it all done so that the lose of an Executive Secretary really was not felt - just GLAD she has been replaced and there is help for the Directors - and once I have her trained - YIPPIE ! ! !

4. Do you work for a small company or for a large company?
250+ employees / in building with sister company for total of 500+ employees / for international company of 1000's employees

5. How many people do you support? Direct report to the President/CEO - as stated above have been supporting two Directors for the past 6 months.....looking forward to return to just my executive

6. Are you provided w/ a cell phone or laptop? neither - do have personal cell phone and laptop

Located in Orange County, sunny Southern California