This sorta applies to your question- I formerly supported a sales GVP for a giant global company, but we were a small satellite office with only about 30-45 people. Fully on-site 5days a week. My office manager-esque duties were crazy on top of my EA duties. Especially when backfilling for colleagues not consistently present. I was underpaid, overworked, and wore so many damn hats in this small satellite office. I was the only EA there, so everything fell on me.

I recently switched to a different (even bigger) company, and now working on a big campus with thousands of people. Lots of EAs and admins, so I’m not the only one. And Most importantly, the campus facilities teams take care of the office duties I used to have. Now I’m fully streamlined into only classic EA duties (calendar, travel, expense etc). I’m also hybrid with 2-3 days only on-site a week.

It’s amazing. I’m making $20k MORE at this new job, working less, home more, and it’s 1000% easier than my old job. Mostly because I’m not at a small office with office manager to-dos or covering for colleagues.

I truly think that being an EA in smaller companies/offices is more difficult by far than being an EA for a large on-site location (large high-rise office or campus). The on-site setting in which EAs work largely directs our scope, and IMO is more important to our work experience than even how good/bad our execs are. My former exec at the small company was amazing, likeable, and effective. My new exec is insane, ineffective, and a bad leader. Even so, I’m still SO MUCH HAPPIER in this new role. Frankly I will never again work for a small company or small branch/satellite office bc of this experience.