The Transition
You’re about to go through a transition period, and
it is making you very nervous.
It does not really matter what the specifics are, except to you.
Your assistant, the person you have had a comfortable partnership with
comfortably for long enough that you fear losing it, is leaving. She’s going on maternity leave. He is moving to another city. A wonderful promotion was offered, and she
has accepted. She is retiring.
“Replacing my assistant” is an item that always tops a busy executive’s
list of “Things I Hate About My Job.”
You do not know how your assistant does what she does, so how do you
choose her replacement? You will be
forced to rely upon a recruiter’s recommendations. You will try to read between the lines of resumes that list work
performed for someone you do not know, with no way to know what the quality of
the partnership was. And ultimately,
you will make a choice, largely based on the “vibe” you feel during the
interview.
Seeking Comfort
In your eagerness to get back to that comfortable level of security you
felt with your current assistant, as quickly as possible, you are thinking only
of getting a new permanent assistant.
Ever since you have known about the impending change, you have been
taking careful breaths. Now, you are
impatient for things to get back to normal.
But things are going to be different from now on. And all too often, moving too quickly will
only provide you with a permanent new headache.
It takes most people 3 to 6 month to become completely comfortable in a
new position. Interestingly enough, the
more stable someone’s job history is, the longer it will take before they are
comfortable in a new position. And
during the first 30 to 90 days, you will have no frame of reference to help
determine whether any problems are the product of nerves or ineptness.
Opportunity Knocking
One of the most common pieces of folk wisdom given to those who lose a
job is “A door never closes without another one opening.” It is also appropriate to apply this truism
your situation. Although change is
often challenging to face, you have an unprecedented opportunity to establish a
new level of control regarding how your office functions.
First, take that deep breath you have been waiting for. You know, the way you used to breathe a
couple of months ago, when it was you and your assistant, taking care of
business as usual. Now, make a list of
all of the things that are important for you to keep from that time, from the
way that you and your current assistant worked together. With a minimum of effort on your part, you
can ensure that your new assistant will fulfill these important needs.
As we go forward, don’t forget to breathe. Now, make a list of any thing you did not understand, or would
like to change about the way you and your current assistant worked. Remember, being honest is not being
disloyal. Everyone makes concessions
when working with other people because we know that no one is perfect. That is just part of doing smart
business. But now that the old
partnership is coming to an end, these areas represent the clearest
opportunities to improve the functionality of your office.
And you will have a partner through the transition period to help you;
not only by fulfilling your current support needs, but also by ensuring the
“best fit” in your new assistant, and finally, by providing new tools that will
improve processing and provide comprehensive reference materials.
Enter Assisted Transition
Part of what makes Werecat’s services so unique and valuable are the
personality and work ethic traits that we observe in our associates that are
different than “the norm.” We emphasize
quickly learning the In’s and Out’s of each job. We enjoy the challenge of working through situations we have
never encountered before. We do not
spend any time thinking about how things work at other places, with other
people. We focus on your environment,
on the people, places and tools surrounding YOU.
We believe in team, Team, TEAM!
As well as absolute professionalism and respect. It is possible to work through the most
awkward of situations if everyone keeps “getting the job done” their number one
priority.
And we acclimate very quickly.
We have a proven system, involving many of our products and systems, to
quickly become familiar with how-things-work-here. Within the first month we work with you, new or temporary
employees and guests will think that our staff have been at your company for
many years.
Werecat will provide you with excellent support, from the first day
that we begin working with you as your assistant. Our goal will be to ensure that this transition period will be
extremely smooth, and to offer you the opportunity to maximize the growth
potential with regards to how your office will function in the future.
During the First Quarter
During the first 90 days, one of our associates will act as your full
time assistant while we learn your company’s systems and procedures. We will analyze all administrative processes
with an eye towards improving their function.
At the end of the initial 90-day period, we will make recommendations
for process improvements and a list of deliverables for a new 90-day contract. The list will include:
Finalizing any process improvements that you approve
Assisting in hiring your new assistant
Training your new assistant
Preparing a procedures manual as a reference for
your new assistant
The Future’s So Bright
At the end of the transition, not only will you have the security you
are seeking with your new permanent assistant, you will have improved methods
and processes for getting your job done - EVERYDAY. The procedures manual will provide a reference for your office;
that means not only for your new assistant, but also for use by temporary staff
whenever permanent staff goes on vacation or must be out of the office for any
reason.
Comparing the Cost
The following comparison of the cost of immediately hiring a permanent
assistant to an assisted transition plan demonstrates that assisted transition
is a cost-effective option which will provide benefits well into the future.
|
|
0-90 days |
90-180 days |
Total |
|
The Permanent Route[1] |
$31,154 |
$31,154 |
$62,308 |
|
The “Werecat” Solution[2] |
$26,000 |
$39,000 |
|
|
|
|
Difference |
$8,292 |
Contact Werecat System Consultants at mailto:werecatsys@hotmail.com today to schedule an appointment to discuss your assisted transition needs. Back to the Top