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In our recent Talent Trends survey of 5,000 office employees across multiple industries and seniority levels, we discovered that just one-fourteenth (7%) of clerical and executive assistant-level employees feel hugely passionate about what they do. This is based on the 1,200 respondents falling into the category of “executive / clerical / other worker with no managerial responsibility”.
This figure of 7% compares poorly with the average UK office worker, one-quarter (24%) of whom described themselves as hugely passionate about their work. Employees in this category were also far more likely than the average respondent to view their work as a way to pay the bills, with two-thirds (63%) agreeing with this sentiment, compared to half (49%) of all UK office workers.
On the face of things, this paints a bleak picture of employee engagement among executive assistant and clerical-level staff. To find out what really matters to these key employees and how employers can attract star candidates, we asked respondents questions ranging from their preferred non-financial benefits, to their satisfaction with current salary levels. Here are some of the key findings:
As part of our survey, we asked respondents to consider their current jobs and pick out their three most important criteria for job satisfaction from a list of eight common priorities. In the category “executive / clerical / other worker with no managerial responsibility”, the top five looks like this:
Compared to the average UK office worker, clerical and executive assistant-level employees were far more likely to prioritise free time outside of work (68%, vs. 55% of all respondents) and job stability (65%, vs. 51% of all respondents).
On the other hand, just one in 14 respondents in this category cited “growing my level of responsibility” as one of their top job satisfaction priorities, compared to one-sixth (17%) of all employees surveyed.
Around two-fifths (37%) of executive assistant and clerical-level employees said they feel dissatisfied with their current salary, compared to one-quarter (24%) of all respondents. A similar proportion (36%) said they are satisfied with their pay, compared to more than half (54%) of all UK office workers.
Despite this, employees in this category were less likely than the average office worker to say they don’t feel fairly paid for the hours they work: 42% of executive assistant and clerical-level employees agreed, compared to 49% of all employees.
What’s more, only one-third (32%) said they know or suspect that colleagues at the same job level are on higher salaries (vs. 45% of all employees). A similar proportion (33%) said they are aware of the average salary for their role and industry, and know that it’s higher than their current pay, compared to 47% of respondents across all job roles.
In short, it seems that while a majority of executive assistant and clerical-level employees are unhappy with their pay, their grievances are somewhat vague. They are less likely than the average UK office worker to feel that their peers are out-earning them, or that their salary is beneath the benchmark for their role.
Want more insights like this? Explore our salary guide resources to find out what you need to be paying your staff for the best employee satisfaction and retention.
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Compared to employees at all seniority levels, those at executive assistant and clerical level are far less likely to think a gender pay divide exists within their organisation.
Just one-fifth (21%) think there is a gender pay gap at their companies, compared to one-third (36%) of all respondents. What’s more, almost half (45%) said that no such gap exists, compared to one-third (36%) of all office workers.
We know employees in this category are broadly unhappy with their pay. But how do they feel about non-financial matters? Specifically, which non-salary benefits are most important to them? We asked executive assistant and clerical-level workers to name their top five non-financial employee benefits from a list of 12 common perks, producing the following list:
The list correlates with the top benefits named by the average UK office worker. However, respondents in this category placed even greater emphasis on annual leave (cited by 75% of executive assistant and clerical-level employees vs. 59% of all employees) and flexible working (66% vs. 55%).
Although our survey highlighted grievances around pay and engagement, half (53%) of respondents in this category said they are happy in their current role and aren’t looking to leave (vs. to 48% of all employees).
In contrast, just one in five (19%) said they are unhappy but aren’t doing anything about it, and only one-sixth (16%) were actively looking for another job.
What are experts say
“It's becoming increasingly important for organisations to show how much they truly value their business support teams. Those teams work really hard but are often overlooked and their pay reflects this. It's not just about financial reward though. Increase in annual leave allowances, flexible working opportunities and other health benefits such as private healthcare for families are really popular with the candidates we work with in this sector. A general increase in pay is important for talent retention and attraction, but any additional perks like these will keep an employee where they are.”
- Frankie Glarvey, Business Manager, Page Personnel
Want to attract the best candidates? Read our guidance on how ESG can drive success in the new business landscape and learn about four ways to optimise your hiring process.
Ready to hire? Get in touch with Page Personnel today to start the conversation.
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