[LSalem]

Hi...My company just announced a huge layoff, including paycuts across company-wide. I am the Executive Assistant to the President, and have been informed that I am not on the layoff list. (whew!) There are two other Executive Assistants - one to the CFO, and one to the COO. Unfortunately they are not going to be as lucky. The EA to the CFO was on the layoff list, and the EA to the COO will most likely be on the second wave of layoffs inevitably to take place in the future.

I was told that my role will be changing and I will not only be continuing to support the President, but will also be supervising the Receptionist/Admin Assistant I, and also the COO and CFO once their EA's are gone!

I was wondering if anybody has had any experience with supporting multiple Executives as well as a supervising lower level admin staff and if so,could offer any tips and advice?

[sallee727]

I am going through a similar situation.Unfortunately I do not have any good advice. I am deffinately going to work on getting better compensation though.Best Wishes
Sally

[Patricia]

I think I saw an article on both those subjects on this site. I have been slowly making my way around the site and they have some very useful information on it that would give you good tips.

My best advice is to not worry beforehand. They know you are only one person. Do the best you can. That is all anyone can ask of a person. I am going through something similar and I am just reading everything I can get my hands on to educate myself on some things I feel I need help on.

[susanb]

Learn to delegate to lower level support staff - don't try to do it all yourself! Make sure they realize they will have to step up and help you cover! Good Luck!

[lilysunshine]

I agree with SusanB. Delagating is going to be your lifesaver. If you will still have the receptionist and Admin I to help you, it won't be that bad! Right now I have a receptionist and two other admins supporting a staff of 10. My main concern is the owner, but I supervise the rest of the group.

The receptionist is probably my biggest asset right now. Luckily she has a very good work ethic, and is not a stickler for job descriptions. There are a lot of things that fall under my responsibility that require at least one step between gathering information or completing a task and going back to my boss. Things like preliminary travel arrangements, importing new contacts into outlook, placing meetings on the shared calendar, rsvp'ing for events and conferences, sorting, opening and labeling incoming mail, printing and binding presentation materials, confirming upcoming meetings and travel. All of those are things I have to do, but can't get to because of responsibilities that require either more knowledge of my boss' preferences than she will have, or more direct contact with either my boss or other higher-ups at client companies.

It's taken me quite some time to shoot things her direction instead of saying 'oh this will just take me a second'. Those seconds pile up, and while it took more time to explain in the beginning, now I have so much more time to devote to higher-priority items.

Good luck!

[pauline]

When supporting multiple senior level executives some are conscious of the fact that they are sharing the Executive Assistant, some will become self sufficient in some areas while in other areas will need the expertise of the EA. As time goes by you'll find it easier to juggle multiple executives, its actually not hard at all. Executives are strange individuals when they loose their right hand they actually figure out that they can function with minimum support. Somedays you will have a plate that will overflow and other days will be slow, prioritize prioritize and prioritize is one of the key ingredients. Keep focus and never hesitate to say you have enough and need an extra pair of hands. As far as supervising administrative support - be patience and understanding, it will not be easy at first but as time goes by you'll be a pro. Always remember to be professional at all times, they can also be your right hand in assisting you with your task. Good luck.

[sabrinafaire]

I would make sure that they realign their expectations. The company is tightening their belt and they need to too. They need to know they just won't be getting the level of service they had before. I would assume they would know this already, given how high up they are.

[Chrissy Scivicque]

Hi there, Looks like the OA community has given some awesome advice already. Just wanted to make sure you had seen this article on How to Handle Multiple Bosses. Hope it helps!

[pamimp]

I've been supporting multiple execs for several years and have a few tips that might help.

Make a subfolder for each person in your email inbox. Drag emails that pertain to them into the subfolders for easy follow up. You can make subfolders within the person's subfolder if necessarey (i.e. "Bob's Travel", "Bob's Expenses", etc.) Do the same with your Office files.

I have color-coded manila signature folders for each exec. It helps keep my in and out boxes a little more organized and I can tell at a glance which folders are out. I try to keep hard copy approvals to a minimum and do as much as possible via email. When I supported the CFO, I used a wire basket instead of a signature folder because there was so much for him to sign. He liked it because he could take it with him into meetings and catch up on signing things. For their expenses, one shelf of my desk organizer is designated for receipts. Each person has an expense folder and I drop the receipts into their folder as I get them.

For travel, I have a manila folder for each trip and write on the outside the dates of the event and who is going. As things get booked, I put hard copies into the trip folder. I also keep a spreadsheet to track when I have completed event registrations, flights, hotels, ground transportation, etc.

Our travel agency emails us downloadable itineraries, which allows me to download their flights, hotels (including addresses, phone and fax numbers), car service, and all confirmation numbers onto my Outlook calendar. I drag it all onto a master travel calendar so that my calendar stays clean for meetings.

For meetings, I schedule everything off of my own calendar as opposed to doing it from the execs'. It's easier for me to keep track of meetings if it's all on one calendar, plus I get the reminders popping up. I'm adamant about being copied on their meeting invitations from other people. That way I know what's coming in for each person and have reminders on my own calendar.

I've learned to rely on my Outlook Task List quite a bit. Any emails that require future follow up are dragged to the Task List (only a copy goes - you won't lose the original from your in box) and change the subject line to indicate the next action. Then I set a reminder for the next follow up. This is a huge help because you can easily refer to what's pending in the Task List.

I don't know if I've explained any of this clearly enough to make sense, but I hope some of it is helpful. It's a big challenge, but I think you'll finding new procedures that work for you and your execs.

[Unltd]

Congratulations! While it may seem overwhelming at first this is a tremendous opportunity. My advice is to manage expectations. It is absolutely essential that everyone knows what is expected and that the execs work together so you're not left to decide whose work takes priority.