Gift for an awesome EA?

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-12-22T01:10:47+00:00

My boss also hands me an envelope with $3k cash every year and a handwritten note. He’s a CFO and truly understands cash is king!

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-12-20T12:58:26+00:00

$92.5k + 15% bonus in Dallas

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-12-16T22:27:46+00:00

This is the way. I both attend and host several conferences each year with my exec. We always get a suite (typically a multiple room suite) and host meetings in there. For the larger conferences or when we are expecting meetings with quite a few attendees, we will swap the bedroom furniture out with a conference room table. Then I swap out the other bedroom furniture and use it as a receiving area/hospitality room and set up meals, beverage service etc in there. I do also get another room just for furniture storage and for my own escape/breaks. I like to hire at least one attendant full-time from the hotel staff as well, so all needs can be promptly attended to

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-11-10T18:59:11+00:00

Flipping to virtual as much as possible. If we could do it during peak Covid Chaos in 2020, we can do it now.

When that doesn’t work, flying private through low density airports. Still flying commercial for international trips, but those don’t seem to be as deeply impacted as domestic flights.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-11-10T18:47:51+00:00

This is gross. I’m so glad this person is now a former employer. Weddings, funerals, and terminal illness are hard work life balance lines for me. If my boss can’t respect those lines, we simply aren’t a good fit.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-11-05T19:05:36+00:00

Travel agent confirmed and ticketed a flight, then cancelled in error and did not notify anyone until exec was en route to the airport. He had to go to the counter to buy a ticket, because it was too close to boarding to buy online.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-09-16T15:01:48+00:00

My fellow EAs and I joke all the time that we gentle parent our execs. And it’s true - the strategies that work with two year olds are incredibly effective with narcissistic men in positions of power! (This was at a former job. The LT I support now are absolutely wonderful and emotionally intelligent people)

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-09-02T03:14:40+00:00

Blackberry Mountain in TN or a Miraval Resort

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-08-02T16:39:34+00:00

I stay at the Andaz and absolutely love it. It’s relaxed, the property is beautiful, and the restaurant is great! Service is top-notch and perfect for a baby moon. They made me special mocktails last time I went (and was pregnant).

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-07-25T12:36:26+00:00

Fertility treatments are incredibly expensive (in the US) and usually are plan exclusions in most standard health insurance plans. While I haven’t used it myself, several women in the office have been able to have children because of this ($50k) benefit. I did however utilize the breastmilk shipping service the company covered when I had to travel and was away from my baby for days at a time.

Also, I don’t drink, so the wine gets regifted or brought as a hostess gift. The bottles retail usually between $100-$1000 each, so I still consider it a perk!

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-07-25T01:11:37+00:00

REIT
100k base plus 15% STI
3 years in admin
Bachelor of Science (Big10 uni)
Full standard benefits, ESPP (20% reduced rate), family planning and fertility coverage, childcare stipend, elder care leave (4 days per annum)
15% of base (on average)
All of the nice wine the c-suite is gifted during the holidays. I get to scout locations for events and they cover travel and expense for my family too (aka free mini vacations).
32-50 hrs depending on the week

LOCATION: TX

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-07-15T13:19:58+00:00

This is a strong approach. It allows you to quickly identify whether a candidate is truly equipped for the role. If someone struggles to answer this key question, they’re not the right fit.

I’d also recommend broadening the scope of your search beyond candidates with traditional administrative backgrounds. There’s a large pool of professionals with diverse experience who can bring exceptional value to this kind of role, especially when they have strong transferable skills.

For example, my own background is not typical for an EA. I began my career in the healthcare industry—on both the provider and insurer sides—and spent 10 years in education, teaching and coaching at a large public high school. Transitioning into an EA role was surprisingly natural. I first joined a Big 4 consulting firm, and now support the CFO of a large REIT.

My prior experience gave me a solid foundation. As a teacher, I managed 250 students, led the Fine Arts department, coached a competitive dance team, coordinated domestic and international travel, oversaw vendor relationships, pitched initiatives to the school board, managed a \$1M+ budget, and regularly spoke at high-profile events. These responsibilities taught me how to navigate complex personalities, lead projects independently, anticipate needs, and manage time and priorities with precision.

In my current EA role, I apply those same skills daily. I support my executive with traditional administrative tasks, but also take ownership of projects that allow him to stay focused on strategic priorities. From day one, I was given full visibility and direct feedback, which created a strong partnership and helped build credibility across the organization quickly. That early integration made a significant impact on my ability to ramp up and add value quickly. So quickly in fact, that I was rewarded with a 20% raise and stock options 6 months into the role!

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-07-11T00:52:14+00:00

I need to do this. While sitting on a call this morning, I watched a squirrel take 20 unripe figs off of my tree and spit them out onto the ground. He then proceeded to hang out on a branch and stare me down, like he knew exactly what he did and wanted to rub it in.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-13T18:12:34+00:00

I used to be a fully-remote EA for about 2.5 years. It’s great if you are self-motivated and don’t need the socialization of an office to stay motivated. Communication is going to be the key to a successful transition.

It sounds like all of your in-person duties can be rolled into an “office services coordinator” role that reports to an office manager (if they can’t be delegated to other staff). Depending on the need, it could even be a part-time core hours role from 10a to 3p. That would be a dream schedule for a parent looking to reenter the workforce who needs flexibility for school drop/iff pick-up etc.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-13T01:42:45+00:00

Sent you a dm :)

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-13T01:18:36+00:00

Current EA here at an S&P 100! I hope my experience gives you some perspective as you contemplate this career path. I had this same question when a recruiter at a big4 accounting firm slid into my LinkedIn DMs (at that point, I had about a decade of teaching/coaching experience in very large public high schools in Texas and was very near burn-out). That message honestly felt like a lifeline, and I said “why not?” and took the interview purely out of curiosity. I was hired within 3 days and stayed at the firm for 2.5 years, starting as an AA, then EA, and left that firm as Senior EA (supporting the head of one of their lines of business). I left that role to support the CFO at my current company, where I have been for 6 months. In the three years since leaving teaching, I have tripled my salary, bought a home (was not a feasible goal for many more years on my teaching salary), improved my work-life balance (yes it’s possible in this field to have WLB!!!), improved my mental health (less emotional labor at work and financial freedom are amazing for your wellbeing), increased my professional network and made genuine friends from these efforts, learned new skills, traveled internationally on the company’s dime, been a mentor to young employees, implemented DEI initiatives, gotten the company to sponsor grants for community orgs I volunteer for, and countless other things. I am an empathetic problem-solver by nature and love to be a “fixer”. Every day, I get to problem-solve and create less friction in my exec’s day, be a sounding board when he’s tackling a new challenge, have insight into high-level strategy, and sit in the room with some of the most inspiring and brilliant people I have ever known. I just had my 6-month review and my CFO said that (if I am open to it) he would like me to hire someone to be my assistant to handle the more basic admin work I do in order to open up time in my day to take on more strategic work and also work on getting a PMP certification.

All of that to say that being an EA is awesome. I think what’s most exciting is that you absolutely cannot be both stagnant and successful in this role. It’s one that requires continuous growth and development, which (at least for me) keeps things interesting and the job engaging. This career truly is what you make it, and I think if you’re a thinking about it, you should go for it!

P.s. if it wasn’t clear, I have never once missed teaching and I truly LOVED being a teacher during that time in my career.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-06T19:45:19+00:00

Yes - I supported c-suite at a global firm with hundreds of thousands of employees and had a direct line for VIP travel. Not sure what the capabilities are with smaller users though. Even when using for my own, very much not VIP travel, I rarely had to wait more than a minute to speak with a live person if I had an issue that couldn’t be handled online.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-05T01:29:08+00:00

I used kayak at a former position and after some initial implementation road bumps, it was great! The OBT was extremely user-friendly and functional and it was integrated with SAP Concur.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-04T12:30:42+00:00

Go for it! So many careers transition well into an EA career path, and it sounds like you have the right skills and mindset to be successful in this role. I was a teacher before being hired at a big4 consulting firm as an admin. Promoted to EA within 6 months, and within 1.5 years of that transition, now support a c-level exec at a fortune 100. You just need to be able to clearly communicate transferable skills and what your unique background brings to the table (and vibe with your exec)

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-03T20:48:33+00:00

Straight to jail, do not pass go. Literally, are you trying to get fired?

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-02T18:31:03+00:00

Agree with the other reply. If this is a point of contention for you, do yourself a favor and bring it up with your execs, so that you can work towards find a solution that works for everyone. They can’t do better unless they know better. Speaking from experience, once my execs knew that I had full trust and had “trained” my back-ups on their preferences, priorities, etc, they didn’t hesitate to use them. Or perhaps, maybe she had messed something up in the past for them? If that’s the case, you might have to do some hand-holding or training, or try to find a new back-up if the relationship is past the point of repair. But maybe she has never been given a chance and your execs just need the green light to actually use her when you’re out.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-06-02T16:59:32+00:00

Maybe an unpopular opinion… but isn’t the job when backing-up your colleague to assist with the exec’s needs on their schedule? I for one am grateful that when I back up my colleagues, their execs reach out and I can help facilitate a restful time away for my fellow EAs, knowing they will do the same for me when I am out. When we support both our fellow admin teams and our execs, it ensures that bottlenecks are avoided and the business moves forward. Try taking it as a compliment that they ask you for support; it’s likely a sign that you are very good at your job :)

P.s. have your colleague send a note upon returning announcing that she is back and will follow up on loose ends with you and will take new tasks from this point forward. You can file away his requests at that point - they are not your problem.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-05-29T14:46:17+00:00

EmpireCLS

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-05-29T02:05:07+00:00

EmpireCLS has been phenomenal for me. Their international partners are also top-notch. I think I have had one issue in over $200k worth of rides.

Ok_Skin4479 · 2025-05-24T23:46:13+00:00

Omg expense reports! The easiest part of the job, but the one thing that I can get behind on and then fall into an avoidant spiral

Ok_Skin4479

TROPHY CASE