UK EA/PA Profession - Perception is everything, so why are we getting it so wrong?

I always have to start my blogs with the statement, that I do not comment on international matters and everything we do and say at EPAA, is directly to do with the UK profession.

This blog is all about perception and I have to say I am deeply disappointed as an EA professional, at some of the people who are representing our profession and wonder at the logic in which they operate? Well it is obvious but let's lay this out in more detailed terms.

If this profession wasn’t in the precarious position it is now finding itself in, then fair enough, run around the City of London half dressed for all I or anyone cares but we are not and this is serious. BUT the most pointed remark to make is that we are not viewed as a profession in the UK, and perhaps people want to ask themselves why?

Despite all the hard work and effort that has gone into the profession over a long time period, why have we taken ten steps back? Because this is what it feels like to me and so many others. 

It has certainly been reflected in how employers feel more generally about this population. We know this, with the feedback they have given us when we have contacted them about our Time to Train campaign. More feedback will be given to our members over the coming months from this. 

Just in the last six months alone, we have seen UK PA events (selling meeting space) taking part in a strip club, lingerie stores, sexist adverts from recruiters, sexist newspaper articles decimating our male and female population, selling of ladies lingerie to PAs (male and female) - the list does not appear to end. 

We do not appear to be valued or understood as a profession by some of the people who represent us. Largely they are non PAs, and have never had experience of being in the role. I actually don’t mind this to an extent, as it’s good to get some thinking from outside of the profession but there is now a very commercial side to this profession, which unfortunately is bringing forth these types of events/articles/job adverts.

I appreciate people need to make money from our population and fair game, but can this not be done with the notion of ‘professionalising the profession’ at the same time?

Just think for one moment on the strip club event – are you telling me as EAs and PAs you would seriously book your bosses for a board meeting into a strip club? Given the Times up and Me too campaign – would any self-respecting CEO want a meeting or event to take place at these kind of establishments? Male or female? I totally get the ‘old boys club’ on days gone by but…

In fact I asked my CEO if he wanted to host a board meeting surrounded by strippers or lingerie. His response was “are you trying to get me sacked Vic”.

I thought part of being an EA was to protect your boss’s brand? So how can you do that by potentially suggesting a strip club is an appropriate place to host a business meeting?

How many other professions are taken to these types of venues and settings? Why is it acceptable for PAs? Other professions would be up in arms about this.

Not to mention the entirely sexist slant towards Male PAs. All the good work we do on the Not Just a Girl’s Job campaign is knocked down, every time a firm puts on a PA event, which is deliberately showcasing items for women. 

When I have challenged some of these event organisers on this and why they are not being inclusive, their stock response tends to be “the majority of the profession is women”. That is it and no further discussion on the matter. That may be so, but can you imagine for one moment, if we said that to potential female CEOs? "Sorry ladies but most CEOs are male, so we need to ensure that everything we do and put on is representative of men, as they make up the majority".

You don’t win diversity and gender debates with this mind set.  I can only imagine the uproar if situations had been reversed. This debate is not one sided and equality is for all. Sadly our professions representatives don’t appear to get this. I can only apologise to all our Male EAs and PAs on behalf of the whole profession - there is so much of this going on and only one organisation really promoting the male side.

At EPAA we are certainly working hard to change this and make events and the profession more inviting to men, but I can’t say the same for the majority of the industry and it is sad and frustrating.

I don’t expect to see on any event agenda or conference programme session with the word women in it at all. There is nothing within the PA role, which is unique to being a woman. Again all tied up into the perception piece.

Thousands of PAs who were made redundant last year at the click of a finger and with the accelerations of automation and artificial intelligence, isn’t it now time to take the profession and really future proofing our careers a little more seriously?

One of my competitors made a remark about me on a public stage recently that I was bordering on negative about job losses in the profession. Fair enough and you are entitled to your opinion.

I would disagree though; it is not negative to point out something that is plainly there to see for all. We call that realism. I also spent over seven years working for one of the world’s largest recruiters, which is well known in the profession. I think our members would expect their national body to be plugged into recruitment and helping in any way we can to future proof their careers. Challenging the norm and stereotyping that has so often held us all back.

So if I am negative, that is a crown I wear with pride, because as I said I am a realist. Being the leader of any firm, is not about hearts and flowers all the time and waving motivational quotes around. Sometimes you have to deal with the ugly truth and get to the heart of matters.

Another incident and example I raised in EPAA’s Facebook Group recently – a European conference organiser contacted me to ask EPAA to promote a conference for them.

This was an eye watering £1500-£2000 in conference fees. I thought to myself, this has to be an impressive conference programme, charging this amount!

When I looked through the programme, I found 15 odd speakers, only 2 of which were professional trainers and speakers (with the right credentials) and the rest were PAs sharing stories. 

I will state I am a big champion of hearing real PA stories and having organised events for PAs, for the last 14 years, many Assistants have worked with me and presented on stage. Alas, we have always been careful to position it at this.

However, we must appreciate that this is not the same as professional training and speaking. Delegates of any event must be informed if a speaker does not have professional credentials, especially charging eye watering fees such as above. For this kind of mark up on price, I would fully expect 75% of the programme to be professional trainers and the rest story telling.

I have been public speaking for over a decade. Until recently I used to start pretty much all my speeches saying, “I am not a professional speaker and just here to share a story and some tips”. I am now qualified and know what my offering is.

This is another firm who clearly does not value us at all in any shape or form, aside from the commercial aspect. Around the world the above cost may not be a lot for your employer to pay out, but the above conference charges would be seen as obscene here. Why? Because for that same cost in the UK, you can undertake a proper qualification with professionally trained teachers/tutors.

A qualification that will ensure academic rigor and also be weightier on your CV. A British employer will hardly pay any attention to a £2k conference but they will do a Diploma, certificate etc.

Again, I go back to representatives/event organisers just thinking of the dollars/euros/sterling and not necessarily what is right for us and going to help in the long run. I could not promote this conference to my members, as I do not feel the programme content met the eye watering charges.

With all of this in mind, I can’t change my competitors, I can’t change the fact we have this kind of representation, but I can control what EPAA represents for our members. That’s why we say we are niche in the profession. 

I can assure you all, that despite charging the lowest membership fees in the country and running our association on a volunteer basis, we would never, ever lower ourselves to walk this line – for any amount of money.  I have turned down countless ‘sponsorship’ opportunities for the reasons above.  

I may end up dirt poor in life for money; EPAA may always survive on little cash flow, but rather that any day of the week, over misrepresenting my profession for money or commercialism.

Best regards

A Millennial business owner and UK EA professional