Virtual Assistant vs Employee: Which is Right For You?

The debate revolving around virtual assistants vs employee is Virtual Assistant vs Employeeever-going but one without a conclusive winner. Over the years, this discussion has become more serious and important for business owners. Employees and virtual assistants both carry out many tasks such as administrative tasks, basic social media tasks, and office management tasks.

But how do you decide which option is better and better suited for you? As a business owner and consumer, you need to be well aware of the pros and cons of both your options; it is important to know all the key facts before deciding so that based on your goals, whether short-term or long-term, you make a benefitting choice.

Virtual assistant vs employee: the key difference

One of the key differences between virtual assistants and full-time employees is cost. When you look at the cost factor, you realize that a virtual assistant is far cheaper than hiring a full-time employee.

Another key difference that plays a deciding role is the location. A virtual assistant is not bound to a certain location such as your office and can be based anywhere in the world; sites do not offer any hindrance as VAs work remotely but so is not the case with a full-time employee. An employee usually works at your office and works in person.

And so, it is quite normal that the working time to differs. VAs and their employers work in different time zones; some employers like their VAs to work regular business hours regardless of the time difference, whereas some offer flexible hours for their VAs. Virtual assistants may also do the occasional weekend or holiday work; however, so is not the case with full-time employees who stick to their 9-5 working hours; there might be some exceptions.

Advantages and disadvantages of virtual assistant

Advantages

• Most virtual assistants come along with a wide skill set. Their skillset includes more than just the basic administrative duties; most VAs are experts in SEO marketing, photo and video editing, social media marketing, and so much more.

• Employers don’t always require a full-time assistant, so VAs are the perfect option for them. Depending on the needs, a VA can be employed with flexible working hours.

• VAs is best for an as-needed basis. During peak season, if you wish to complete a certain task full time or need the VA to put in more work hours, they are always game.

• With VAs, you get a bigger pool of selection, more options to choose from. Since location is not an obstacle, you can select a highly skilled VA from anywhere.

Disadvantages

• The work done by VAs can either be quite accurate or massively unreliable. You can never be too sure of productivity and work hours unless you have a great tracking platform.

• Another major disadvantage of employing a VA is the lack of communication. Since the work done is regular remote communication can be an issue.

• Technical issues at the VAs end are out of your hand, so if such an issue does happen, it will affect your productivity.

Advantages and disadvantages of employee

Advantages

• Meeting a potential employee in person is a great way to access the potential and character of the employee.

• Many employees prefer interacting with their employees in person to cultivate a healthy working environment.

• With employees, it is easier to keep track of productivity and work time.

• Sometimes it is best to have an in-house assistant because it leads to more effective communication leaving no room for miscommunication.

Disadvantages

• Not all businesses have funds for office space and providing benefits or may like to avoid such costs, so hiring a full-time employee is out of the question.

• The company or employer is also responsible for providing any additional training an employee may require.

• An employee isn’t always open to last-minute changes and cannot accommodate more work hours.

• With a VA, you can fix the pay according to work done, but with an employee, you have to pay a fixed monthly, some regardless of the job done.

• Finding another employee in case of termination can take a while wherewith VAs, this is not the case.

Conclusion

There you have the advantages and disadvantages of both VAs and full-time employees. It is always good to be aware of the facts before diving into something. Hiring a VA requires some work and research, but there are numerous companies such as Ossisto.com which provide VA services with the least hassle. So before you dive into the world of VAs, make sure you take a look.

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