Job titles are changing to reflect the increased responsibilities of today’s office support professional, according to a survey by La Crème.

It found that almost a third of those questioned who were in what would historically be described as a PA role had the title of executive assistant – a reflection of the fact that many of these positions are now more akin to a junior management role.

It found that co-ordinator or assistant is now replacing the historical secretary title in many roles. 
UK director Jo Stuteley says: “Employers have really woken up to the fact that office support professionals are the backbone of an organisation and are no longer there to just keep diaries and deal with correspondence. 

“Office support staff are professionals and are in high demand. In order to attract talent and give the recognition deserved, some employers have developed a range of more modern and, arguably more glamorous titles to reflect the true nature of the roles on offer.” 

The survey also found that 67% of PAs and office support staff had responsibilities usually associated with other managerial functions, including facilities management, project planning and management, event production, hiring staff as well as marketing, HR and presentation planning.

It found that only 4% of respondents used shorthand in their day-to-day activities and with the increased trend for managers to carry out their own basic typing and e-mails, only 12% cited copy or audio typing as a main part of their role.

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