I have written several newsletters now about dealing with virtual assistants having multiple jobs. I’ve done this because many of you asked me to write about this, and many of you have also shared your thoughts on how to deal with them.
We have so much content on this, I think it’s time to write a guide so you guys can have all the information in one go.
Why do they take on multiple jobs?
Let’s start with the reasons why your Filipino virtual assistant (VA) would want to have multiple jobs.
1. They’re not making enough money from their part-time job. That’s why they’re looking for more part-time work.
2. They’re not making enough money from their full-time job. Most of these workers would say they’re only available for part-time work. If you want to know what a good starting salary would be for your OFS, check out our salary guide:
https://blog.onlinejobs.ph/comprehensive-guide-to-virtual-assistant-salaries-in-the-philippines/
3. New Filipino workers often underestimate the amount of work required to maintain a full-time job. They keep applying for jobs and eventually get overwhelmed by the amount of work.
It all boils down to needing more money. Who can’t relate to that?
They need more money to cover the basic needs.
They’re not making millions of dollars doing this.
They’re not doing this to piss you off.
They’re doing this because they’re the breadwinners. It’s likely that in addition to supporting their spouse and kids, they’re all helping their parent, parents-in-law, their siblings, their families, their siblings-in-law, and their families, etc, etc.
If they’re the only ones in the family who have a good-paying job, they’ll be pressured to find a way to make more money.
#1 and #2 are circumstances you can work with. It is hard to live on a part-time salary. If you’re hiring someone part-time, it’s almost impossible to expect them to work for you exclusively. I think an OFS having a couple of part-time jobs is okay as long as they manage their time effectively, deliver on their work, and don’t overwhelm themselves.
Issue #3 is typically a result of the inexpensive or free “VA Training” that is proliferating in the Philippines at present. It preys on desperate Filipino job seekers and creates unrealistic expectations about online work.
How do you deal with this?
There are 3 ways to deal with this:
#1 You can be super strict and have them on a time tracker.
Monitor every hour they worked or didn’t work. Stalk them on social media. Check their Onlinejobs.ph to see if other employers approached them, etc.
#2 Just make sure they did their work.
Have them submit their daily reports. Assign them the tasks you want them to do. Don’t spend every waking moment obsessing over whether they worked or not.
I’m not a fan of #1.
If your VA consistently delivers good work with minimal mistakes, does it matter what they do the rest of the time?
You’re paying for productivity and quality work. If you’re already getting that, what’s the point of obsessing over hours?
You already have so much on your plate.
Micromanaging your OFS just to make sure they’re not working for someone else is another task that’s not worth your time or peace of mind.
BUT
If their work is suffering, that’s when you call them out.
Ask them these questions,
– Who else are you working for?
– Are you having problems that are affecting your work?
– What can I do to help them focus on working for me?
Make your OFS take accountability for their work.
Prioritize quality work over quantity and hours logged.
If you’re really intent on making sure that your OFS only works for you, make it worth their while.
Encourage them to take more responsibility and incentivize it.
Give them a better title, a bonus or a raise or benefits (or all of these).
Last but not least,
#3 Check if you’re paying them enough.
If you know they’re not making enough money but they’ve been doing good work and you feel like you can afford to give a bit more, you should.
Next, ask.
Ask questions.
Ask if they’re working elsewhere. Ask why.
They may need help managing their finances. I have done this one with some of my VAs. We talk, and sometimes, this does result in them getting a raise. Sometimes, I help them figure out how to budget better, so they don’t need another job.
They may have family members with skills that would also enable them to work online. This might be something they’ve never considered before! Encourage them to sign up those family members to Onlinejobs.ph.
We hire family members all the time. We see many VAs refer their skilled family members because it helps reduce the financial burden on them if the rest of their family is also working. That’s why on our YouTube playlist featuring VAs, you’ll see many of them training their spouses, siblings, and children to work online.
Avoiding VAs who have multiple jobs
If you browse through Onlinejobs.ph, you’ll see some workers with a “HIRED” mark. This means that these VAs are already working (full-time or part-time) for someone else.
We still allow them to apply for jobs because, as we mentioned earlier, a part-time job isn’t going to be enough.
You can choose to avoid these workers when making hiring decisions. However, if you still wish to hire them, please remember that you are doing so at your own risk.
Another thing I do is ask to see their resume or CV. Usually, people stuff a CV full to show how good they are. I use it to see how many times they’ve worked 2 jobs at the same time, or to see if they currently have a job listed (often it says “July – Present” as the dates of the most recent job)
Now, let’s say you found someone who doesn’t have any other job and you hired them full-time through Onlinejobs.ph. Make sure to mark them as “HIRED”.
You can do this with a Pro or Premium account.
I know many of you downgrade to a free account once you’re done hiring. No worries. Even if you downgrade your account:
– that mark will stay,
– will still receive email notifications if your VA is hired by someone else through the Onlinejobs.ph, or
– remove the mark and “Unhire” your worker if you want.
If you have been outsourcing for years and notice that you are attracting people who hold multiple jobs, examine your hiring process.
Look at your management process.
Ask yourself why your job post is attracting these kinds of workers. Stop hiring workers with high D personalities for jobs that call for high S and high C (onlinejobs.ph/disc)
If there’s a personality mismatch, they’re more likely to find other jobs that would fit them better before leaving.
Encourage them to find work-life balance
I want to share this email because the way Luca handled this situation is just amazing.
Like some of you, Luca found out that his OFS is working multiple jobs.
Did he fire her? No.
Did he scold and berate her? No.
What he did instead was show that he cared. He showed his OFS that she can trust him.
His OFS quit her other jobs and is now working exclusively for him.
I’ll let Luca tell you the whole story.
—
Hey John,
regarding your article about the VA having more than one job at the same time
IT’S A REAL PROBLEM. below is what I did about it.
i had the same issue with my VA. she started working for our company, and everything was okay. right from the bat we put her on full-time salary. there was not a huge amount of work to do in the beginning, and this is what led (i think) to her looking for extra work elsewhere.
But then the workload got intensive… and problems began to appear.
So we had a chat. and i simply asked her: “do you work for other companies?” she said “Yes”.
In part I was mad. “I pay her FT salary, why is she not doing a FT job?”
And then I realized that it makes no sense to calculate productivity in terms of hours. Also the truth wa that, for the most part, I was happy with her work. It’s just that occasionally… it was of a poor quality.
i did not want to lose her, nor making her feel guilty for working hard or wanting a better life. So this is how I approached her: “What do you think would happen to your family if you suddenly had an accident, of fell ill, or wouldn’t be able to work anymore? That would be bad wouldn’t it? I know that you want more in life, and that’s good, but if I give you a wage for 40 hours of work, and you finish in 30 hours, then you should take time off. resting is important for your health. i need you to be healthy, and strong and always super fresh for my job. So after my job I don’t want you to do another 20-30 hours of work. because then the quality of your work is not good, and you will feel tired, and things will be bad for everyone. Finish my work, take the time off. spend it with your family and build happy memories. I want you to have those happy memories. when you are happy and rested, your work is better. I am paying you FT wages so that you can do that. If you do a better quality of work the company will get bigger, and you will get a higher wage. what do you say?”
she saw my point and quit her other jobs as well. Occasionally when the workload gets light I tell her that if she wants to take something else (for a limited period of time) it’s okay. but if has to be light, and short.
this has helped create a mutual rapport if trust and respect in this.
i hope it helps
Luca
—
Yes, Luca. This does help.
When your Filipino VA feels the pressure to make more money, they don’t realize the toll having multiple jobs would have on them. They don’t realize that in the long run, having multiple jobs is going to cost them more.
It’ll cost them their health.
It’ll cost them their relationships.
It’ll cost them their reputation and their future earning capability.
They’re pressured by their families. They’re pressured by social media, by online VA influencers who equate success with money.
Yeah, VA influencers are a thing in the Philippines. Like most influencers, there are some bad eggs who encourage workers to adopt unhealthy habits to make a quick buck through their courses.
You can circumvent this by providing the training yourself. If you need help, training is available at VAsMadeEasy.com.
It’s instinctive to feel angry and frustrated when you discover your OFS has another job. It feels like a betrayal.
Your OFS isn’t doing this to make you angry.
They don’t want to hurt or offend you.
They don’t get any satisfaction from making you angry.
Filipinos, culturally, want to make those around them happy.
Have experience or advice? I want to hear it.
John