Virtual PAs have many advantages, professionally and personally but, to get the recognition they deserve, they must tackle head-on the problem of “invisibility”, according to one leading training provider.

By picking more strategic tasks and routinely checking in with colleagues by phone or through a dedicated chatroom, PAs can work away from the office successfully without sacrificing their long-term career prospects.

Dr Clare Howard is the managing director of the training consultancy Academy 28, which offers a range of live, web-based training “webinars” on remote working for staff and managers.

She believes that, with so many PAs now working in isolation, more active management of one’s own career has become vital. “While many remote professionals are more productive and motivated than their office-based counterparts, an ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’ attitude can mean that they get scant credit from their employers,” she cautions.

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One solution is to participate in something such as the Global PA network, which champions the career development of office professionals. Another, more local, solution is to encourage your organisation to set up a virtual chatroom for all non-office support staff.

“Although virtual or remote working means far fewer distractions during the working day and often enhanced productivity, the social glue that binds us is also very important,” Dr Howard says.

“I advise all the remote PAs I train to phone in on a Monday morning and have a brief chat about their weekend and perhaps the coming week’s priorities, so that contact can be maintained.”

“Speaking over the phone has just as much impact as meeting face to face, and allows remote staff to develop what can be a fully functioning, if virtual, coffee-machine environment that allows them to stay in touch and build personal relationships.”

In terms of soliciting feedback, Dr Howard advocates the direct approach. “Ask your boss for a monthly appraisal by e-mail and collect the comments in an up-to-date ‘Accolades and Achievements’ file on Outlook. Your file will remind you how valuable you are when contract renewal time comes around, and can be a valuable bargaining point for more money or seniority, or if you simply need a confidence boost.”

Freedom from the office may sound ideal, but it is vital not to take on a dogsbody role. “The best thing about not being at work physically is that you can avoid humdrum tasks such as making coffee and arranging parking permits, and work more strategically,” Dr Howard says. “Just remember not to let colleagues back at base forget who you are altogether.”

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