Bosses want more PAs with the right attitude - but they could do more to help

According to SecsLife, the annual Gordon Yates/the Guardian report, 30% of employers are finding it more difficult to recruit senior PAs. They say they can't find people with "the right attitude".

The importance of attitude is even prompting some employers to ask specifically for antipodeans who are perceived as positive, dynamic and flexible.

Anne-Louise Harbutt, a top PA at events company The Bizniz, thinks employers may have a point. "”More and more, staff think, 'If you pay me well, I might come and work for you'. It's a generational mindset."

But are PAs really at fault? The SecsLife survey found that over half of support staff felt their job was less satisfying than a year ago, saying they were undervalued, under-utilised and underpaid. So employers may have to take some responsibility, too.

Des van den Brink, a temp for Integrity Business Connections, thinks that some management may have an attitude problem. "I’m very happy in my job, but in some companies there is incredible complacency at management level. They invest very little time in you. And there's more stick than carrot."

Anne-Louise Harbutt adds: "Companies class top PAs as 'just' admin staff, but forget their skills and experience, and that PAs can have a huge amount of influence over things like morale within the company.”

Although salaries have gone up, money is still an issue and some companies may not be prepared to pay for the right attitude and right skills.

So do employers need to shoulder some responsibility?

Richard Grace, joint MD of Gordon Yates, says. "I think it's a big ask to say to PAs that the employer doesn't value you that much, so therefore you must change. Employers have more capacity to reframe a situation and sometimes it is quite hard for employees to be heard - particularly if the boss doesn't want to listen."

Many employers have made improvements, such as revisiting job descriptions and increasing responsibility. But further changes may be needed to give PAs a voice and make them feel more like an integral part of the business.