AMP Life – a company with over 4000 female employees – has developed an innovative campaign to lift the profile and recognition of personal assistants, giving them a voice and empowering their roles within AMP. 

Recognising the Inequality

“Through consultation around AMP, we realised that PAs weren’t getting the same opportunities as other employees,” says Belinda Curtis, AMP’s then Corporate Diversity Manager. “Their roles can be undervalued, invisible and typically PAs don’t enjoy robust career support.”

Revaluing the PA Role

AMP Life undertook a job evaluation process that involved describing and articulating the role of PAs with a focus on the business strategy. “We discovered that there were about 55 really poorly defined job titles for similar roles within the organisation. No wonder the roles weren’t well understood and career paths ill-defined!” says Curtis.

The Outcome

The number of PA job titles was refined to five, with two to three different job levels created within each title.

“One important part of the process was making sure the roles were well described and then determining that they were appropriately paid,” says Curtis. “We did external bench-marking to make sure these jobs were properly valued and remunerated correctly. We also made comparisons with other jobs with similar work value and skill requirements, such as IT or customer service roles.”

The result of all this information gathering and assessing was the PA Work Value Project. “We created a PA Job Family, like the many other job families at AMP, and involved 200 secretaries,” adds Curtis.

The PAs were happy to be finally recognised as an integral and formal part of the business.

From Recognition to Future Prospects

AMP didn’t stop at redefining PA roles.

“While we were at it, we developed a program of work-based learning for PAs which gave them the opportunity to develop key skills, build business acumen and value their own contribution to the business. They can choose to work towards formal external qualifications with recognition of on-the-job learning and prior learning,” says Curtis. “So far 115 women have attended the two-day PA conference and to date, three people have completed Certificate IV in Office Administration.”

“It was the first time we’d gone into such structured development for these employees; anecdotal evidence suggests it has improved their performance, increased their confidence and given them a clearer connection with the business.”

It has certainly improved the promotion prospects for many PAs, as these success stories testify:

• Formerly a PA, Christa Boulos’ is now a Client Account Manager for an AMP subsidiary. Christa worked both full-time and part-time while studying for her Bachelor of Commerce degree, and majored in Marketing. She also held some senior PA roles on a job-share basis. Without the support of her PA family, she believes she would not have persevered with her studies, applied for her current role or (she believes) been seriously considered for the promotion from PA to Client Account Manager. 
• Alison Nicholls is another PA who has graduated through the ranks to a more senior position. Now Executive Assistant to the CFO, Alison has moved countries and made several career moves, all the while developing her skills through attendance at the AMP PA Development Conference and the one-day programs. 

Flow-on Benefits for Employees and the Business

And as a bonus to the business, the group of 200 PAs have formed an official network. “They co-ordinate regular networking events with speakers on topics ranging from financial planning and career development to work/life balance and menopause. They’re building a strong network of support at the same time as learning about the business and other issues,” says Curtis.