A day at the office...
PA of the Year 2010, Debbie De Jager, describes a typical day at her office.
8 08:00: 08:15: 09:00: 11:00: 11:15:
The curiosity factor:
So what do leading PAs do all day at the office? We went to find out!
8 issue 2 • careersuccess 12:00: 13:00: 13:30: After dropping of my kids at my mom’s and making my way through traffic
to get to town, I’m finally at the office. First things first – my laptop must be switched on – it takes forever to start up. In the meantime, I get coffee and greet with my boss.
My To-Do-List seems longer every day. As I work my way through the list,
new issues are added and more staff members stop at my desk with requests. But, I’m here to assist, so I’ll do it with a smile. As they say: “If you want something done, give it to the busiest person...”
We have our monthly CFO meeting tomorrow, so all the reports have to
be formatted and distributed. I also have to upload these to our intranet website. In between I assist my boss and our CEO with their presentations. This takes most of my morning. If only the phone will start helping me by being quiet!
I confirm our catering bookings for the next few meetings and my boss’
lunch appointment for tomorrow afternoon. As I chair the PA Forum, I receive several emails per day from PAs requesting assistance. I make sure they receive the assistance they require and move to the next item on my To-Do-List.
Now I have to finalise the year-end function. Making sure that our events
run smoothly is high on my priority list. First of all, I would like the staff to enjoy the function, but as I can’t attend this year, I need to make sure that all issues are taken care of.
My last hour at the office has finally arrived. Being proactive always helps,
so I’m arranging our monthly meetings for next year. Now, all that’s left is for me to make sure my boss has everything he needs for tomorrow’s meeting.
I have to switch off now as I promised my kids I will play with them this
afternoon. I check that all the most important things on my list have been done. The rest can wait for tomorrow – the office churn, the PA function and everything else.
I’m home with my children. We leave granny’s house to go home. Play time,
bath time, supper time... 19:30:
My children are asleep and I switch on my laptop again. I have a few forms
to create for other areas in the Bank and as these take up too much time at the office, I’d rather do it at home tonight. Another 3 hours work, and then off to bed I go, hi ho hi ho!
* At the time of going to print, Debbie had resigned her position at FNB. She is now a founding member at the “John Maxwell Coach, Trainer and Speaker.” Her contact details are
debbiedejager304@gmail.com 079 498 4875
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