Virtual VS Traditional
Hire virtual assistants versus full-time employees? is a question that more and more businesses are asking themselves. Cost and following traditional work arrangements can deter some employers from choosing virtual workers. As a result businesses often feel like they are succeeding when they have a growing roster of employees. What that really shows is the growth of overhead and the commitment of resources that are not driving revenue. The hidden costs of on-site employees.
Reality of Traditional
Yet, the hidden costs of on-site employees are far greater than a business might expect. Office space, furniture, equipment, utilities, benefits, PTO, breaks, unproductive time to name a few. Add human resource needs to the mix, liabilities, and the current procedures necessary in letting someone go if they are not working out and we can see it’s not an apples to apples comparison.
The Virtual Assistant Networking Association provides a cost comparison:
| Full-time Employee | Virtual Assistant | |
| Hourly Rate of Pay | $20.00 | $35.00 |
| Fringe Benefits @ 35%
(Health/Dental/Life Insurance, Retirement Plans) |
$7.00 | None |
| Overhead Rate @ 50% (Office Space, Equipment & Office Supply Expense, UI Insurance, Worker’s Compensation, Overtime Pay, Administrative Costs) | $10.00 | None |
| Total Effective Rate of Pay | $37.00 | $35.00 |
| **Hours Per Year | 2,080 hrs | 480 hrs |
| Total Annual Labor Cost | $76,960.00 | 16,800.00 |
**Remember, with a Virtual Online Assistant, you only pay for the time on task by the minute. No more paying for socializing, hour long lunches, or frequent trips to the washroom.
Drastic Difference
Even if you want to quibble with the virtual assistant service rates above, the cost difference is so drastic, over 450%, that halving them would still prove to be a significant cost saving. The other advantage is a virtual employee is a contractor. This provides the employer with flexibility over hours and, termination with no strings attached. In addition, terminating a traditional worker can become complicated. The wrong employee is a burden that no company wants to deal with for any length of time. This added benefit of a virtual employee could prove to be priceless for your sanity and the company’s moral.
Other Perks
On a more positive note, virtual workers are often more experienced, more efficient, and more project oriented than a conventional employee. Virtual workers don’t approach tasks in the manner of how to make the task last across the provided time restrictions, they want to clock the hours and get it done since they are only being paid for the actual time worked.
On-site employees have a tendency to drag out the process until it is due destroying productivity. Furthermore, a company is also the client of a Virtual Assistant, not their direct employer, and we all know people typically like to keep their clients happy by providing good service.
These are merely a few of the general advantages of hiring virtual assistants. The deeper you dig into the cost and efficiency, the more advantages you will find.
To learn more about if a virtual hire is the best fit for you and your organization schedule a FREE Discovery Call with us so that we can answer your questions.
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