Opinion
Issue: July / August 2015

Make Space for the Future

By - July 25, 2015

This year there have been many Anniversaries celebrated from Wars to Weddings. As time goes by we acquire many memories as well as objects that remind us of those happy times we have experienced in our lives. Be it a memento from a successful project, a much loved book, photographs of a special moment, we... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: November / December 2014

Your Future is In Your Hands!

By - November 25, 2014

They say you can’t have it all! The question is do we want it all? No one asks us that question – they just assume that they know how we feel. But do they? I have always believed that every one of us is made in our own unique form.   A lot has changed... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: March / April 2014

Children and the Boardroom

By - March 25, 2014

As a cognitive neuroscientist and business psychologist I believe it is unattainable to achieve a 50/50 gender mix in all senior management positions in UK businesses by 2020 because women innately want to be the primary care-giver. It goes without saying that there are many women who prefer or need to work full-time, however, women... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: January / February 2014

Make Just One Person Happy!

By - January 25, 2014

A while ago I started an article with “Time is the only issue we have absolutely no control over” and saying how relentless it was and how disconnected we were becoming from other humans due to computers, mobile phones etc. That is the case in many spheres of our lives but there is something that... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: September / October 2013

Corporate Art and its Role

By - September 25, 2013

With hundreds, if not thousands, of companies building a personal gallery for the office, it seems businesses are becoming a modern day Medici to the art world. Banks, call centres and law firms are furnished with paintings nowadays, yet corporate art has become so much more than just a conversation starter at the water cooler.... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: July / August 2013

So What Was Your Last Challenge?

By - July 23, 2013

It’s the weekend and the sun is shining. You’ve cleared your desk, had your meetings and circulated the action points, your “To Do” tray is cleared and the weekend is beckoning. So will it be a family weekend – meeting your parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles you haven’t seen for ages at your long lost... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: July / August 2013

A Modern Day in the Life of a PA

By - July 23, 2013

Over the many years we have focused on secretarial recruitment we have watched their role within businesses shift dramatically. Today, we are seeing two very distinct new directions evolving alongside the traditional PA requirement. “On the one hand we are seeing the growth of the PA as company “hub” within an increasingly virtual, mobile, self-sufficient... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: July / August 2013

Plan B

By - July 23, 2013

When we, the 60s generation, began working we were absolutely sure that the job we were going to choose would last all our lives. “Even if we might have decided to change companies, (though in Italy this is not common), we were able to do what we studied for and had a real possibility of... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: November / December 2012

Why Every Assistant Should be a Touch-Typist

By - November 25, 2012

Typing is an old-fashioned skill, but is still crucial for your success as a modern PA explains Adam Fidler We’re gradually losing an important skill in the Administrative field – an old skill which so many new Assistants no longer learn. A skill that is so crucial to the Assistant’s role I cannot understand why... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: July / August 2012

The MA Stockholm Syndrome

By - July 25, 2012

Have you ever felt trapped in an abusive workplace relationship? So have others, and it may now become a recognized problem For six months I worked for a luxury fashion brand and I have lived a terrible experience. I felt like I was trapped in a circle of negative thoughts because the people around me,... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: May / June 2012

‘Mad Men’ and Powerful PAs

By - May 25, 2012

There is an office career revival afoot – and Secretaries are leading the way.   Whilst I’m a big believer in looking forward, not back, I’ve had good cause to reminisce over the past few months as we’re currently celebrating 175 years since Sir Isaac Pitman invented shorthand. As part of these celebrations we’ve asked... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: May / June 2012

I Am So Organised Because Of A Bump In The Road

By - May 25, 2012

One Assistant wonders why all has gone quiet on the office front. “Well, that’s another job done”, I think to myself with some satisfaction. It has been ages since I had time to sort out the hard files and archive older files. Electronically, my files are all organised so I can always find documents. Anything... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: March / April 2012

A Job for the Girls?

By - March 25, 2012

We start our journey down memory lane looking at the changing role of women in the workplace In previous articles I’ve talked about the changing role of Executive Assistants and Secretaries and how the future seems to hold involvement in, and responsibility for, a wide range of business functions, including marketing, finance and HR. This... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: January / February 2012

Where have all the PAs gone?

By - January 25, 2012

Adam Fidler sets out the case for teaching office skills at pre-employment, or post-University There was a time when a school leaver, having completed their exams, at the age of 16, could hold their head up high and state that they were going to college to study secretarial skills. They were proud and enthused to think... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: January / February 2012

Create the Life You Deserve

By - January 25, 2012

Carmen Macdougall examines why we may hold ourselves back from creating the life we want in 2012. ‘Everyone imposes their own mental limits. We tell ourselves we can’t possibly do things. But if one pushes those limits just a little bit further and breaks the boundaries, anything is possible.’ Debra Searle, Transatlantic Rower, and Author... Read more »
Opinion
Issue: November / December 2011

Working with new technology

By - November 25, 2011

‘In a recent discussion within various PA/ administrative LinkedIn groups, I asked what changes in working practice over the last 10 years had been the most challenging.   ‘There were varied replies, however the most commonn reply was the impact of new technology. Trying to keep up with new systems and packages and the speed... Read more »