To start describing the difference between employees and virtual assistants we first need to look at the definition of each:
A virtual assistant is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely from a home office.
An employee is anyone, other than an independent contractor, who works part time or full time for another person or who assists in conducting the business of an employer.
The above is important to understand as hiring an employee brings a lot of other regulations that employers and business owners need to fulfil. There are various differences between a VA and employee, and this has positive and negative outcomes for the employer/business owner.
In the table below I have highlighted some of the most relevant differences between the two:
Virtual Assistant | Employee |
No extra payments including employee related taxes, paperwork, insurance, or benefits | UIF, benefits, SARS, PAYE, the list is extensive |
No cost to create office space or any equipment, including laptop, desktop, or stationary | Office space / workspace is a must |
Only pay for the time the tasks take | Hourly or monthly salary payments required |
Tasks completed on schedule | Time at work not always productive as interruptions happen |
Available to assist during seasonal or peak times | Must be hired and train if additional staff is needed |
Support on “as needed” basis with quick turnaround times | Support only during office hours and limited to trained employees or staff available. |
Specialized skills available | Limited to skill set of staff (and costs involved in additional training). |
As seen from the above table, there are a lot of advantages of using a Virtual Assistant, but that is not always the best option. Should a business owner be extremely busy and have the need for a full-time personal assistant, a VA would most likely not fulfill their needs as they do have other clients. However, for business owners and entrepreneurs that have the difficulty of doing their own administrative tasks – a Virtual Assistant can save a lot of time and then of course in turn – save money. A virtual assistant is a convenient contact to have, especially when those unexpected tasks come to light at the most inconvenient times, as most business owners know by now.
At Virtual 24-7, I can assist in any administrative tasks that business owners face nowadays. Contact me to discuss your needs and we can work out how I can assist you.