The ROI of Hiring the Right Executive Assistant

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Table of Contents

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced business environment, every decision you make as a leader impacts your company’s bottom line. One often-overlooked decision is the value of hiring the right executive assistant (EA). Far from being a mere cost center, a skilled EA can become an invaluable asset—saving you time, streamlining operations, and amplifying your impact across the organization.

Hiring the right EA isn’t just about offloading tasks; it’s about creating leverage. Let’s break down how the right executive assistant can provide a measurable return on investment (ROI) and help your business thrive—with real-world examples to quantify the impact.

Time Is Money: A Case Study in Saved Hours

As a business leader, your time is one of your most valuable resources. Yet, studies show that executives spend up to 16 hours per week on administrative tasks such as scheduling, email management, and routine reporting. Let’s put that into perspective:

  • If your hourly rate is $200 (a conservative estimate for most executives), those 16 hours equate to $3,200 per week spent on tasks that don’t require your expertise.
  • Over the course of a year, that adds up to $166,400 of your time—redirected toward tasks like planning, strategy, and growth when an EA takes them over.

An EA with a salary of $80,000, for instance, would free up your time at less than half the cost of doing it yourself.

Streamlined Operations: Scaling Impact Across the Team

A skilled EA doesn’t just save time; they create efficiencies that ripple across the organization. Consider the following:

  • Meeting Optimization: An EA ensures meetings are scheduled with purpose, participants are prepped with agendas, and follow-ups are tracked. For a team of 10, reducing wasted meeting time by just 30 minutes per week per person saves 300 hours annually. At an average hourly rate of $50 per employee, that’s $15,000 in saved productivity.
  • Workflow Automation: Let’s say your EA introduces a software tool that automates travel reimbursements and saves your team 10 hours per month in manual processes. Across 12 months, that’s 120 hours saved—valued at $6,000 based on an average admin hourly rate of $50.
  • Improved Morale: By taking administrative burdens off team members, an EA allows them to focus on their core responsibilities, increasing job satisfaction and reducing turnover. Lower turnover rates alone can save tens of thousands of dollars in rehiring and retraining costs.

Enhanced Professional Image: The Priceless Factor

Your EA is an extension of your brand. Whether it’s crafting professional communications, managing stakeholder relationships, or coordinating flawless events, the right EA ensures your reputation remains impeccable. Here’s a scenario:

Imagine your EA coordinates a high-stakes client presentation, preparing materials, scheduling rehearsals, and managing logistics. This professionalism impresses the client and helps secure a $1 million contract. Without the EA’s attention to detail, critical elements might have been overlooked, risking the deal.

Hard Savings: Real Dollars Back in Your Pocket

While hiring an executive assistant requires an upfront investment, the long-term savings far outweigh the costs. Here’s an example of potential ROI:

  • Scenario: You hire an EA with a $90,000 annual salary. This EA takes over financial reconciliations, saving your accounting department 5 hours per week. At $75/hour for your accountant, that’s $19,500/year saved.
  • They also optimize your travel booking process, reducing airfare costs by 15% annually. For a company spending $100,000 on travel, that’s another $15,000/year saved.
  • Total savings: $34,500/year, making the EA’s net cost just $55,500—and that doesn’t even account for the value of your regained time.

The ROI Formula for Your Business

If you’re considering whether hiring an EA is worth the investment, use this simple formula:

Annual Value of Time Saved + Operational Savings + Revenue Opportunities Gained – EA Salary = ROI

For example, if your EA saves $150,000 in executive time, $25,000 in operational costs, and helps secure an additional $50,000 in revenue, the ROI is substantial even after subtracting their salary.

Conclusion

Hiring the right executive assistant is one of the smartest investments you can make as a business leader. From saving you time and money to enhancing your professional image, a talented EA transforms the way you work—allowing you to focus on what you do best.

If you’ve been debating whether to take this step, the numbers speak for themselves. The right EA doesn’t just help your business run smoothly—they help it grow exponentially.